ISU Where Will Worlds BE (formerly) JAPAN QUAKE FOR WORLDS

mot said:

Layfan, this is what I posted in the other figure skating forum, and I hope this gives you some idea about how Japanese skaters are feeling / doing.

All translated by me.

Comments by JSF officials:

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/new...000428260.html

Hidehito Ito (Head of the figure skating committee, JSF)
It was not that the Worlds was decided not to go ahead at all, so we are still hopeful. I understand it is very unlikely, but we'll find a venue if it is decided to go ahead.

Kei'ichi Suzuki (Vice President, JSF)
I believe the explosion happened in the nuclear power plant was the deciding factor. The ISU was worried about the radiation. (If they request the JSF to host the the Worlds at a latter date) it would be difficult, but we're willing to accept the request.

Additionally, some comments from Japanese coaches:

Nobuo Sato (Mao & Kozuka's coach)
It is the most problematic (that it is not yet decided whether it is cancelled or not). I have no idea how to adjust the training (for my skaters to peak at the right time). I need to think carefully how to do it, as I have never faced the situation like this before.

Machiko Yamada (Kanako's coach)
I do not know whether the Worlds will still be held or not. Competitors need the defined goal. I would like (the ISU) to set the deadline (for the decision to be made).

And skaters:

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/new...000428880.html

Mao Asada
I am thinking about the preciousness of life and praying for more lives to be saved in the midst of this very severe situation after the earthquake. As a competitor, I will carry on practising as normal, regardless of whether the Worlds will be cancelled or postponed.

Miki Ando
I will carry on practising as I have done throughout this season, and follow the decision to be made in the future. All I can do now is to practice and train well, so that I can help uplift the spirits of the victims of the earthquake and tsunami by my performance.

Takahiko Kozuka
Watching the news coverage between the practice sessions, I am feeling fear and deep pain in my heart. All I can do now is watching how the situation develops and preparing myself (for the competition).

Nobunari Oda (who just arrived back from Canada)
Watching the news coverage on TV, I was thinking the situation would be too difficult to hold the competition. If the Worlds goes ahead, I will practice hard for it.

Daisuke Takahashi
All I can do now is to carry on practising, and monitor the situation. I hope we can collectively overcome the difficulties (that Japan's facing now) with the strength drawn from the solidarity.

Kanako Murakami
Although I would love to participate in the Worlds as it is my first time, I also feel that it is best to be cancelled. It will be emotionally hard for me if I do not know the new date for the competition.

* Some of skaters' comments are excerpts from the official comments published elsewhere. Refer to IMG's press release for Mao, Takahiko and Miki's comments in full (Japanese) https://www.imgjapan.com/news/?page=...l&nws_code=402, and Daisuke's official blog (Japanese) http://www.kansai-u.ac.jp/sports/message/takahashi/ Daisuke's message in full is also available translated in English by a twitter who's been translating his tweets. http://twitter.com/D1sk61316eng

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Thanks, Mot. It's as I feared. Of course, every skater must be having to deal with the uncertainty but for the Japanese it must be particularly wrenching. Still, it seems like the gist is that they want it to be held, except for Kanako. Whatever happens, I guess.

ETA: This just in from Hersh. Sato and Dungjen talk about dealing with the uncertainty and say Alissa is hoping it will happen. Check out the last quote from the ISU VP. Doesn't bode well.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com...sato-deal-with-their-skaters-uncertainty.html

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wallylutz said:

Really, where did Speedy used the words "may not happen"?

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where did Serious Business say that he did? They quoted the same quote you did, and then brought in their own two cents just like everyone else has.

mot, Thank you so much for the translation of the statements of the Japanese team. My thoughts are with them, you, and everyone else in Japan now.

:disapp: Logistically it's a nightmare..even beyond rinks ,hotels,travel..then we get on down the line to security, volunteer staff..what about visas for the skaters,coaches, judges..we can say forego TV , but the income from that helps pay for the event..

Dore may be right...

Sorry - I have deleted the whole post as the situation is changing rapidly in Japan as I write and what I originally wrote seems morally inappropriate.

Doris, thank you very much for your kind thought. Very much appreciated.

Adding my thoughts to the melee:

It shouldn't be held, nor will I watch if it is, the last thing on my mind these past few days has been skating. Been too busy watching the coverage of the biggest disaster to hit Japan since WWII. My thoughts and prayers have been with them, like the young girl today that was sitting all alone by herself, amongst debris, crying, most likely orphaned.

But since this is a figure skating board, I will say that there isn't enough *time*, simple as that. Yes, life goes on, but My God give them enough time to recover, a month isn't enough time. Even the one that changed venues a few years ago took 6 mos. to organize. And this doesn't even take into account the skaters themselves, whom are trained to peak at the right *time*, not a month later. Not to mention other obligations they may have (e.g. skating with a tour). And the psychological effects to foreign skaters that have never experienced an earthquake before can be mind numbing, they didn't grow up in a country that experiences earthquakes as an every day part of life. In fact I recall Madame Tarasova's words a little more than a year ago about how hard it was for her to travel to Japan, the long train rides and the earthquakes that would wake her up during the middle of the night played havoc with her health.

This isn't even over yet, it's an ongoing situation all the way around, including the nuclear reactors, more aftershocks (actually earthquakes in & of themselves), rolling blackouts to save energy, rescue & recovery teams, iodine pills being handed out though that isn't a guarantee of protection against long-term effects, and coffins and body bags being donated from all over the world because Japan has run out of them, not to mention their crematoriums have also been overtaxed, one town can only cremate 18 bodies a day, which isn't enough. The dead number in the thousands...

If it was up to me I would cancel the World Championships all together, but reschedule it again in the same location, venue, et al next year. In fact there is a precedent for this, 1961, that's exactly what they did.

I would hope they can find another venue and have a WC this year - though I think outside of Japan.

Has there been any talk of having them in Taipei - in the same venue as the 4CC? To me it seems not to far and should be able to get ready fairly quickly. Of course I have no idea what else is going on in Taipei or at the venue.

skfan said:

i've read elsewhere that many fans in japan wish strongly for the world championship to still occur, even if outside of japan, rather than canceling worlds, and were worlds to be canceled they would feel (IMO unjustified) guilt for possibly dashing the dreams of not just the athletes but of figure skating fans all over the world. i would like, if possible, to honor those fans' magnanimous wishes, which i'm sure coincide with those of many skaters and coaches who've trained all year for this event above all others.

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are you serious? thousands of people don't have houses anymore... i think they have bigger issues than mao's 3A or miki's 3-3 at the moment.

NO WORLDS this year. as someone said already.. you cannot just relocate this whole event within 4 weeks.

and if it happened in tokyo there would be neither audience nor competitors. half of the japenese audience could not even make it to the arena because of infrastructure or death or the tsunami washed away their tickets... the audience from oversee cancel their flights because of the nuclear risk and half of the competitors do too. so it will be japanese national championships round 2 with 10 people clapping in the audience.

ISU calls off figure skating worlds in Tokyo, seeks new dates and host city to step in

Link provided by Andrew (mz734_FS) via Twitter

I think World should be held in Japan as planned. Everyone's involved want to compete. There will be no shortage of people coming to cheer for the event. It will be something that cheer up the people in Japan.
For those who kept on saying security might be a problem. It might be chaotic, but your *** will be safe. They will not knock you out and rob your dollar. Good god, get a grip of the situation.

if it happened in tokyo there would be neither audience nor competitors. half of the japenese audience could not even make it to the arena because of infrastructure or death or the tsunami washed away their tickets... the audience from oversee cancel their flights because of the nuclear risk and half of the competitors do too. so it will be japanese national championships round 2 with 10 people clapping in the audience.

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Only a selected few competitors said they might not come. Most will come. The rink will be full. Tsunami washed away their tickets? How many tickets did you think were washed away? Nuclear risk is there, but ISN'T in TOKYO. Not sure what you get out of fear mongering, but for god sake, stop spewing ridiculous statements like this.

Itcaip said:

are you serious? thousands of people don't have houses anymore... i think they have bigger issues than mao's 3A or miki's 3-3 at the moment.

NO WORLDS this year. as someone said already.. you cannot just relocate this whole event within 4 weeks.

and if it happened in tokyo there would be neither audience nor competitors. half of the japenese audience could not even make it to the arena because of infrastructure or death or the tsunami washed away their tickets... the audience from oversee cancel their flights because of the nuclear risk and half of the competitors do too. so it will be japanese national championships round 2 with 10 people clapping in the audience.

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Are YOU serious? Where did skfan said the people in Japan worry about thiple axel? (S)he said they might feel guilty that the athletes from other countries will not get to compete and that they prefer it would be held anywhere not necessarily in Japan. What is wrong with you?

ETA: just wanted to add that I find the overall sarcastic tone of your post very inappropriate

reynycpr said:

ISU calls off figure skating worlds in Tokyo, seeks new dates and host city to step in

Link provided by Andrew (mz734_FS) via Twitter

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Thanks. That story has good details. Sounds like they are still trying to hold the thing but geez, it's complicated. It brings up the key consideration of finding a country with a fanbase that would be able to buy tickets with late notice. It's an obvious point but I hadn't even thought of it.

Layfan said:

Thanks. That story has good details. Sounds like they are still trying to hold the thing but geez, it's complicated. It brings up the key consideration of finding a country with a fanbase that would be able to buy tickets with late notice. It's an obvious point but I hadn't even thought of it.

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This sounds more positive than what the ISU said on their website this afternoon. Hopefully it just isn't a really positive reporter's take on things, but since it provides actual quotes from Cinquanta I'm more likely to trust it.

We all deal with personal griefs and extrinsic sad events differently, even as one ages, experiences life, and changes perspectives or philosophies. Many sensitive people actually absorb pains and sufferings of others. For some, such empathy can become overwhelming, even inducing feeling of helplessness, survival guilt, and even paralysis in one's own life. There are feelings each person has to deal with.

There is no denyng the scale of the disaster and human suffering going on in Japan while still facing extremely worrisome uncertainties. However, every single day throughout history is heaven or hell in many individuals' lives. The more closely related to the happy or hellish experiences, the more we are emotionally affected. This most recent catastrophy is the most vivid ever because of great amount of images as there are probably more recording devices in Japan than anywhere else in the world and there are more media to present these images today than ever before. Consequently we see and experience it much more personally then something we don't "see" or even have awareness of, e.g. major and minor wars constantly going on we don't see because we and the media don't care enough or because such information and images are suppressed.

I'm not minimizing the horrific losses and suffering in Japan. Just trying to put things inperspective that 1)there is nothing wrong with people feeling intensely about and empathizing with the victims and the recovery effort; and 2) however horrific these events are, lives do go on just as they have through every disaster of every scale, whether or not they are in our consciousness. However, it is not necessary to project one's own feelings onto others - victims, their families and friends, the population of Japan, as well as skaters for Worlds, Japanese and others. They speak for themselves. We listen and accept their feelings. Sadness, worries, and fears do nothing for the situation. Take appropriate positive actions according to one's means but daily lives cannot and should not be stopped. There are heroic and life saving sacrifices (e.g. many working to contain the radiation may die as a consequence) and there are needless and useless sacrifices. I believe in positive outlets for our energy instead of wasting it on negative feelings contributing nothing.

Yes, I think the Figure Skating World Championships 2011 should take place if at all possible. Almost all skaters, including the Japanese, want it. Most fans, including the Japanese, want it. Much of the world, including the Japanese, could use some distraction, respite, inspiration, and even fun and entertainment. It doesn't get in the way of any necessary effort for the disaster and can be uplifting. Human spirits always thrive and it's always good to see that.

Moreover, the Championships, if they happen, can be a respectful tribute to and even a fund raising event for the recovery effort.

http://www.meryl-charlie.com/2011/03/espn-article-about-worlds.html

ESPN interviewed a lot of the US skaters. There are comments from Ross Miner (whose biggest worry was the status of his friend Yuzuru Hanyu and his family) from Ryan Bradley, Igor & Marina, and Meryl Davis, AFAIR>

As I said on another thread, the ISU is the main body to decide to cancel or consider another venue of the World Championship. Of couse, the ISU will get advice from the Japanese Federation as well as other Officials in the ISU.

Reports of Tokyo as being safe could have been and probably were misleading. No one can sue Japan for a natural disaster. but it is possible that the ISU could be sued for not taking care of its members during this time. BTW, as I write this a fourth reactor has just broken down and is leaking radiation. To hold skating venue in a 'safer' part of Japan may not be welcomed by the ISU.

Let the ISU make its decision on where to hold the championship or to cancel the championship all together. Meanwhile, let's hope that the people of Japan rise above this calamity in due course.

According to the following article, the U.S. Figure Skating Association has actually offered the ISU an alternative site in the United States (possibly Los Angeles), but that the ISU has not yet responded. My view is that if the USFSA believe they can pull it off, then go for it:-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/world-figure-skating-championships-in-tokyo-postponed-indefinitely-after-japan-earthquake-tsunami/2011/03/14/ABwOS9U_story.html

Here's my defense of going forward with sporting events despite tragedies (if logistics and safety concerns permit, of course):

Why do we cheer for athletes at competitions? Is it because we're free of challenges and hardship? Is it because the athletes are free of challenges and hardship? No, of course not. Quite the opposite, in fact. We cheer on athletes because we know, even in the best of times, they have many obstacles to overcome to succeed. They have to overcome gravity, their competition, their previous records, the normal limits of the human body to truly shine. And very often, there are much greater challenges and heartache being faced. When Joannie Rochette skated her SP at the Vancouver Olympics so soon after her mother died, the crowd gave its loudest cheers and ovation for her. Was it because the crowd was being callous? No one in their right mind would think that. The crowd was cheering her louder because her hardship was greater, and they were sharing the energy to overcome obstacles with her and each other. I would bet that people cheered louder at every baseball game in NYC after 9/11, and louder at every football game in New Orleans after Katrina. In my opinion the very act of cheering is a recognition that humans face many challenges and hardship, that a great effort has to be made to overcome them, and that effort should be encouraged and rewarded.

Sporting events are also a very specific human endeavor to cheer for: they can be great physical challenges and relentless competition, but they also take place within stringent rules and are enabled by cooperation and considerations of fairness. Athletes are human beings who endeavor to succeed within the bounds of something that is very much man-made and orderly. When we enjoy athletic competitions, we're also admiring the ability of humans to create order and rules unlike anything found in the wilds. And when athletes compete against each other, they do so on a more level ground than almost any other kind of clash. Every day we see humans race nature, time, each other for resources, and rarely does it ever happen with so many rules geared towards fairness. So when we enjoy and cheer on athletic competitions, we're also sharing the value that fairness and equality is desirable. We're cheering on the fact that the human drive to outdo each other, to conquer and to win can be done outside of war and killing, in such a way that ultimately respects everybody involved.

Athletic competitions, when done right, are a celebration of humanity's ability to overcome pain, sadness, nature, disorder and instead show strength, discipline, order and fairness. Sporting events don't ignore or distract from tragedy and hardship, they are one of the ways humanity demonstrates its ability to overcome those obstacles.

Regardless of the World Championships, I certainly hope the situation in Fukushima stabilizes and gets contained and I hope Japanese infrastructure recovers so that people in the affected areas have an easier time. But I do also hope that Japan can recover in time to host the World Championships for all the reasons I listed above, and further because:

It's not just the pride of seeing their own athletes do well and stand proud among the rest of the world, but also the pride of hosting people from around the world, the joy and comfort of showing hospitality and sportsmanship to athletes from other countries. To be needed is as basic a need as any other.

Figure skating is also unique among most sports as being one of the few that requires performance and entertainment (indeed they're part of the score). The Japanese people deserve to be entertained. It's also very much a showcase of art. Not that most sports aren't beautiful in one way or another, but figure skating is one of the few that directly rewards grace and artistic movement. And I think aesthetics is another basic need, that humans need to have some beauty to function. And after so much destruction of it, the event would do the opposite and create new beauty.

So if it would be possible to host the World Championships in Japan, I think they should and the country will benefit from it. While it won't directly help Japan's material problems, I think spiritually, mentally and aesthetically, it would tip the scale in the right direction.

Serious Business, I agree with everything you said.

But as you mentioned, WC should be held in Japan only when the safety issues are resolved. Right now it's not likely to be the case within anytime soon, esp. because of the radiation leak. CNN heavily criticized Japanese government for not being transparent about the situation, which will only make people more concerned and confused. I saw a press conference with electricity company engineers on NHK, and the way they were avoiding direct answers made me (living in midwest US) worried.

Health and safety of skaters and coaches, as well as fans, must be considered the most important. Skaters shouldn't be traveling scared and worried only because they (naturally) want to compete and show their effort.