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thisthingcalledlove

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 24, 2003
Ok, I'm a bit confused as to how the ISU determines how many slots a country gets. Can someone enlighten me? I know a team of 2 cannot exceed 13...but before and after that, I'm lost...
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
No results from the Vienna competition until after it takes place, Oct. 12-16 as noted.

And even then it will be up to the countries that earn spots whether to actually send anyone to the Olympics, and whether to send the person who earned the spot at Worlds or Vienna, or someone else who might beat them at their nationals.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Gkelly, do you have any insight as to why countries sometimes choose not to send their champion to the Olympics, even though they qualify to send someone?

Is it because they don't want to embarass themselves by sending someone who might do an "Eddie the Eagle?"

I read somewhere that in 2004 the newly accredited Indian Skating Federation misread the rules and thought that they were required to send someone to Worlds. So they found a girl who was willing to make the trip to Germany. But when she got there she found, to her great relief, that she didn't have to skate after all. (She did get Michelle Kwan's autograph, however.)

If it were up to me, I would take the Bin Yau attitude. Here I am, deal with it! Do your best, learn what you can, get something to build on, and come back twenty years later as the coach of the World Champions. :rock:

Mathman
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
My impression is that often the national skating federation would be happy to send qualified competitors to the Olympics, but the national Olympic committees, who would actually be paying most of the expenses and who have to balance the demands of many different sports, prefer to concentrate their resources in events where they have a better chance of placing well enough to bring glory to the country.
 

hrmsk8ngnutt

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Mathman said:
Gkelly, do you have any insight as to why countries sometimes choose not to send their champion to the Olympics, even though they qualify to send someone?
gkelly said:
My impression is that often the national skating federation would be happy to send qualified competitors to the Olympics, but the national Olympic committees, who would actually be paying most of the expenses and who have to balance the demands of many different sports, prefer to concentrate their resources in events where they have a better chance of placing well enough to bring glory to the country.
That's probably part of it. But here are 2 examples from 1998:

1) Silvia Fontana finshed high enough at the 1997 Karl Schaeffer Memorial to qualify a skater for Nagano. (Tony Sabrina Bombardieri did not qualify for the free skate at 97 Worlds so Italy had to have a high finish at the Karl Schaeffer event). However, Tony Sabrina was sent to the Olympics instead (who I think won Italian nationals). After Tony performed poorly in Nagano (she didn't qualify for the free skate), Silvia was sent to Worlds.

2) Lucinda Ruh finshed 15th at 97 Worlds in Lausanne to qualify a skater for Nagano. But they sent another skater (Anina Fivian) to 98 Europeans who was presumably going to go to the Olympics as well. That skater performed poorly (didn't qualify for the free skate). Some thought this would allow Lucinda to go to Nagano. However, it was ultimately decided that there would be no Swiss representative in the ladies event. I don't know if it was the Swiss skating federation or the Swiss Olympic Committee who made the decision.

Herm (sk8ngnutt)
 

Ptichka

Forum translator
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
I recall the controversy in the British federation over sending Humphreys & Baranov to SLC. British Olympic Association (BOA) has its own qualification standards, which H&B kept missing by a hair. For instance, they qualified by finishing 16th at previous Worlds, but BOA's requirement was that they had to finish in top 15. Due to pressure from skating community (inlcuding Steven Cousins), it then said that they'll still let H&B go if they finish 1st or 2nd at Zagreb Golden Spin (even though per ISU rules they just had to be in top 5). They finished 3d. Again, though, there was enough pressure on BOA to relent and send Marika and Vitaly to SLC where they finished 15th.
 

thisthingcalledlove

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 24, 2003
I think that was one of the reasons why Mikkeline Kierkgaard switched federations and disciplines, since the Danish Olympic Committee thought she wasn't good enough to represent Denmark in SLC.
 

antmanb

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
Mathman said:
Gkelly, do you have any insight as to why countries sometimes choose not to send their champion to the Olympics, even though they qualify to send someone?

Is it because they don't want to embarass themselves by sending someone who might do an "Eddie the Eagle?"

I read somewhere that in 2004 the newly accredited Indian Skating Federation misread the rules and thought that they were required to send someone to Worlds. So they found a girl who was willing to make the trip to Germany. But when she got there she found, to her great relief, that she didn't have to skate after all. (She did get Michelle Kwan's autograph, however.)

If it were up to me, I would take the Bin Yau attitude. Here I am, deal with it! Do your best, learn what you can, get something to build on, and come back twenty years later as the coach of the World Champions. :rock:

Mathman

There has been a fair amount of controversy here in the UK with NISA (the UK skating federation) about their rule that in order to go to the Olympics, not only must the skater be able to qualify for the birth under the ISU tules but they must also finish in the top half of the draw in the previous worlds.

In the past they stopped Marrika Humphreys and her then dance partner from going becuase they were 16th at the previous worlds. They also stopped Lesley (drawing a blank on her surname) and Mike Aldred from going to nagano despite the fact they had to withdraw from the previous worlds after the SP because she injured herself in the morning practice...they were 7th after the short and they went to the autumn competition and qualified the UK for a place in the pairs and NISaq still refused to send them...the refusal to send them to the olys i think caused the break up of the partnerships because the skaters were deeply disillusioned with skating in this country.

Since then NISa has done its usual thing of screwing everything up. Introducing a senior test that is too hard for most of the girls to pass leading to only three ladies in teh country waulifying for nationals. Despite this Jenna Mckorkell is flavour of the month with NISa and they seemd to drop their standards in attempt to accomodate her in the Olymoics and say that the skater must be in the top 18 at the previous worlds. Despite this Jenna had a meltdown in the LP at worlds and finished somewhere in teh 20s i think so didn't qualify (i think she may have not qualified the UK for a slot even).

NISA doesn't seem to think sending skaters to teh Olys for the experience is enough - they want them to stand a chance....and that attitude and treatment of athletes is prevalent throughout the UK - probably goes to show why skating programs and seeking out talent generally in sport is such a joke in this country.

Anthony
 
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