When has a country not sent a full team? | Golden Skate

When has a country not sent a full team?

heyang

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Since placements are so important at World's, I was wondering what countries have not sent a 'full' team to avoid losing spots.

I vaguely recall that one country was able to send 2 ladies to World's, but decided to only send 1. Their thought was that the combined placements of the 2 would cause them to lose a spot the following year, whereas the likely final placement of their top lady only would ensure that they could maintain 2 spots.

I'm not even sure if this would be allowed - to have only 1 skater to keep 2 spots. If one had to withdraw during competition, I could see how it could legitimately happen. Otherwise, i'm not sure if the rules would even allow it.

Does anyone else recall this?
 

antmanb

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
heyang said:
Since placements are so important at World's, I was wondering what countries have not sent a 'full' team to avoid losing spots.

I vaguely recall that one country was able to send 2 ladies to World's, but decided to only send 1. Their thought was that the combined placements of the 2 would cause them to lose a spot the following year, whereas the likely final placement of their top lady only would ensure that they could maintain 2 spots.

I'm not even sure if this would be allowed - to have only 1 skater to keep 2 spots. If one had to withdraw during competition, I could see how it could legitimately happen. Otherwise, i'm not sure if the rules would even allow it.

Does anyone else recall this?

I would have thought that the tactic is fairly self defeating...why would you worry about keeping the 2nd spot if you're not going to send anyone to take that 2nd spot? Unless you have a very weak field and the potential second skater or team is/are not skating their best but they'll be up to scratch next year?

Not sure how good the tactic is.

Ant
 

Pixie Cut

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
This doesn't apply in the Olympics. Unlike Worlds, Olympic placements don't carry forward to the future.

However, some countries refuse to send skaters because they know they won't do well. Great Britain did that in 1998. Their skaters qualified in all four events, but only Steven Cousins went to Nagano.

Several countries kept skaters home for SLC.
 

hockeyfan228

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Olympic placements are applicable only to that Olympics. There are no carryovers. Some placements are earned from the prior year's World Championships, and the rest from Karl Schaeffer the prior fall. If the countries that originally qualified do not send a full regiment, the alternates are asked. If not enough alternates say "yes," fewer skaters compete.

The only way losing a spot for Worlds the following year could be if they send no one, since the maximum number of points that a competitor can earn is 20, which qualifies the country for one skater. Even if none is sent, I don't think there is a barrier to sending a skater to future Worlds.

Sending a single skater to "save" two spaces for Worlds -- maybe there's an up-and-coming junior in the ranks who's not quite ready, a skater who is injured (like Efremenko), or someone who doesn't yet age qualify -- makes sense only if the top skater is expected to make top 10, but could place in 9th or 10th. Anything up to 8th place plus a skater who doesn't make it out of quali rounds is 28, which qualifies for two skaters the next year.
 

mzheng

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
Was there one year Japan send only Takashi Honda in hope he medalling that they can have 2 or 3 spots next worlds?
 

hockeyfan228

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
mzheng said:
Was there one year Japan send only Takashi Honda in hope he medalling that they can have 2 or 3 spots next worlds?
If the rules at the time were the same as they are now, sending only Honda for

1) 2 spots: They thought he'd make top 10, but not necessarily top 8

2) 3 spots: They thought he had a good chance of being top 2. If there is only one skater in the competition, a top 2 finish earns 3 spots.
 
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