No more Euros and 4CC before Olys!!

[Mathman]

The plan as I read it would move Worlds to February and the Olys to March

I don't see how the ISU can just up and declare that henceforth the Olympics will be in March for the convenience of ISU championships. Don't other sports, like skiing, etc., have a say in the matter? Does the International Olympic Committee get to voice an opinion?

[wallylutz]

Japan has at least one round of qualifiers. It all depends on the size of the field.

In theory it would be possible for the US to do regionals in October, sectionals in November, and Nationals in December. That would be a lot of competitions in a short period of time for the singles skaters, novice through senior, who have to go through the whole qualifying process.

Regionals can't really be moved much earlier because the kids have to get settled back into their school year first.

At the other end of the spectrum, it would also present a problem for skaters who qualify for the GP final (junior or senior). That has been a conflict or tight turnaround with French Nationals in the past.

So I suppose it would mean not only eliminating continental championships and some countries having to reschedule their Nationals in Olympic years, but also eliminating the series finals. Or moving both series much earlier in the summer/fall, or delaying the finals until after the Olympics which would likely also lead to no-shows from some of the senior qualifiers.

The simplest solution is just to leave things the way they are and accept that the senior ISU championships may have a somewhat weaker field in Olympic years.

This proposal coming from France isn't surprising from their perspective because they don't have an as extensive qualification process as some other countries have to go through for their national competition. However, logistically, it comes across as a nightmare.

Another issue with moving U.S. Nationals to mid-December, in addition to possible conflict with GPF, is network coverage. U.S. Nationals in 2010 had to be split on two separate weekends for senior competitions due to the TV network's being unwilling to broadcast during weekdays. So you can't just move the Nationals to mid-December and not to expect issues from other stakeholders. Plus, what would happen to the attendance number? Japan typically have their Nationals around Christmas because it fits their cultural sensibility but it would not be possible for the U.S. to do that because no one would attend.

As for moving the Olympics to March, that's just beyond ridiculous. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not take order from the ISU. This is not something the ISU can decide, when or where the Olympics will happen. Whoever suggests that the IOC will just move the Games to March in order to accommodate the ISU is just plain naive and obviously doesn't understand this sport or the Olympic Games.

[seniorita]

Me i dont understand whats the problem. In Euros the attendance is usually fine even in Oly year, the 4CC competition faces the problem of the location that they need to figure out anyway regardless of Oly year and just in the olympic season it gets more intense. Finally the non attendance of the medalists at Worlds, I dont see the fuss. If athletes feel like going they do, othewise they have the right to withdraw. Also this year a lot more than I expected appeared at Worlds and it was great event.
In any case if the medalists of Olys dont show up, this doesnt make it a B event, the skaters to enjoy are not just the top 3 in every Olys.

[mskater93]

ISU doesn't have enough pull in the IOC to push through that kind of change. France is blowing smoke, clearly.

[dorispulaski]

Me i dont understand whats the problem. In Euros the attendance is usually fine even in Oly year, the 4CC competition faces the problem of the location that they need to figure out anyway regardless of Oly year and just in the olympic season it gets more intense. Finally the non attendance of the medalists at Worlds, I dont see the fuss. If athletes feel like going they do, othewise they have the right to withdraw. Also this year a lot more than I expected appeared at Worlds and it was great event.
In any case if the medalists of Olys dont show up, this doesnt make it a B event, the skaters to enjoy are not just the top 3 in every Olys.

The problem is that in an Olympic year, 4CC's and US Nationals overlapped, and almost overlapped with Canadian Nationals. As a result, usually the US & Canadian B teams go to 4CC's. The location is just an added complication, the timing is the key issue.