Figure skaters lend presence to North Korean event

[Sylvia]

The tour Champions On Ice was an international tour long before it went to be just the US. COI US Tour was bought up by Stars on Ice but I think Tom Collins and crew still produce shows outside the US?

I don't believe Tom Collins is still active in producing skating shows or tours, but I don't know for sure. As of this year, Sergio Cánovas is running the current "Champions on Ice" company according to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champions_on_Ice

In November 2006, Anschutz Entertainment Group and Sergio Cánovas purchased Champions on Ice, being AEG owner of Champions on Ice U.S.A and Sergio Cánovas from the brand in the rest of the world.
After 2008 season Champions on Ice turns into standby mode during an evolution an reinvention process. In 2012 begins a new Champions on Ice international touring by the hand of Sergio Cánovas.
Carrying the tradition started by Tom Collins, a new luminary, Evgeny Plushenko takes center stage.

(The COI website hasn't been updated since 2008.)

[PolymerBob]

I am as anti-communist as anyone on this board. ( I still refer to China as a communist dictatorship. ) But really, has starvation in North Korea gotten worse since Laura skated there?

[sky_fly20]

big deal a lot of other international skaters have skated in NC
I don't see how they will single out Laura, and isn't Finland suppose to be a neutral country

[R.D.]

You know, I have mixed feelings about this sort of thing. If it's true Lepisto is being singled out for this, and the other skaters who went are getting a free pass, then that's probably not really fair to her. Then again, as a higher-profile skater, she should be aware that this could happen.

[Mathman]

I don't believe Tom Collins is still active in producing skating shows or tours, but I don't know for sure. As of this year, Sergio Cánovas is running the current "Champions on Ice" company according to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champions_on_Ice

I wonder how authoritative this add-on paragraph to the WikI article is. It is written in a different hand and concludes:

In 2012 begins a new Champions on Ice international touring by the hand of Sergio Cánovas. Carrying the tradition started by Tom Collins, a new luminary, Evgeny Plushenko takes center stage.

[skateluvr]

This is tricky. The other side of the argument holds that cultural exchange with countries suffering under despotic regimes does more good than harm in the long run. The policy of isolating the bad guys from the rest of the world only causes the dictators to dig in, while making things worse for the people and making change, gradual or abrupt, even less likely.

And the other side of the coin well put. It is a no win situation, politically, it seems and I'm sure the money was good. It seems to me the federations should advise their skaters what to do when such an invitation comes in. Isolate or culturally embrace. I go with embrace. The movie Mao's Last dancer is recommended to all, to see the long term consequences of cultural exhange and how this one situation changed and helped open China.

[lowtherlore]

And the other side of the coin well put. It is a no win situation, politically, it seems and I'm sure the money was good. It seems to me the federations should advise their skaters what to do when such an invitation comes in. Isolate or culturally embrace. I go with embrace. The movie Mao's Last dancer is recommended to all, to see the long term consequences of cultural exhange and how this one situation changed and helped open China.

I agree.

The N Korean event had been an annual thing for a long time, and a bunch of international skaters, including the likes of Plushenko and Yagudin, had skated there before Lepisto did. It’s true the event had been organized and presented with a political tint typical of N Korean propaganda, but it’s been essentially an athletic event for a long time. I suppose it’s been enjoyed by many, if not all, N Korean people, and it’d have been something that their people take pride in – an annual international skating event, something that the people in the south don’t have.

If one feels Lepisto’s visit was politically controversial or contemptible, I wonder what he/she would say about NY Phil’s 2008 visit to Pyeongyang. One is an athletic performance event and the other a music performance event. Can one call the Russian, Chinese, Czech, French or Finnish skaters “politically blind” or “ignorant”, and turn and call American musicians “a goodwill envoy”? Frankly, for this matter I don’t think whether Lepisto was politically conscious of the situation or not is really relevant, either.

My two cents: If one feels for the starving people of N Korea, there are better things to do about it, rather than pointing finger at the ones who participated in the rare event where N Koreans interchange with the foreigners. One such thing would be raising voice for better US – N Korean relations, for the US administration to move forward to end the war and replace the armistice with a peace treaty – something the N Korean leaders and the people desperately want. That would be far more effective in the long run in relieving the N Korean misery than anything else.

[brightphoton]

The situations aren't even close. The New York Philharmonics's visit to North Korea was publicised, well-explained, and thoroughly justified by the United States government and heralded as a step of better relations.

This skating show is nothing more than a way for a few skaters to secretly skate for some North Korean bigwigs, hiding it from the rest of the world. No one in Champions on Ice even bothered to make this a significant political event, which is a shame, because it could have been something good. Instead, it makes all the skaters involved look greedy and ethically questionable

I'm also miffed at the Laura Lepisto quote. She treats her fans like idiots. Are we supposed to believe her when she says durrrrr, I didn't think about the political baggage that comes with visiting North Korea, surely you believe me because none of you have bs meters, you guys need to stop talking about it already, I wish this backlash were over, geez.

[cosmos]

but it’s been essentially an athletic event for a long time.

My two cents: If one feels for the starving people of N Korea, there are better things to do about it, rather than pointing finger at the ones who participated in the rare event where N Koreans interchange with the foreigners. One such thing would be raising voice for better US – N Korean relations, for the US administration to move forward to end the war and replace the armistice with a peace treaty – something the N Korean leaders and the people desperately want. That would be far more effective in the long run in relieving the N Korean misery than anything else.

No, it has been a private event for Kim Jong-il who was well known admirer of arts including FS.

That is exactly what N-Korea has claimed for more than 30 years; blaming US for the poor condition of N. Korea. US government, S. Korean government and even Chinese government all requst the same thing to N. Korea; open the country and follow the road China has taken. But, Kim and the people around him refused it because they are so afraid that once the country is opned they will lose the power.

[lowtherlore]

The situations aren't even close. The New York Philharmonics's visit to North Korea was publicised, well-explained, and thoroughly justified by the United States government and heralded as a step of better relations.

This skating show is nothing more than a way for a few skaters to secretly skate for some North Korean bigwigs, hiding it from the rest of the world. No one in Champions on Ice even bothered to make this a significant political event, which is a shame, because it could have been something good. Instead, it makes all the skaters involved look greedy and ethically questionable

I'm also miffed at the Laura Lepisto quote. She treats her fans like idiots. Are we supposed to believe her when she says durrrrr, I didn't think about the political baggage that comes with visiting North Korea, surely you believe me because none of you have bs meters, you guys need to stop talking about it already, I wish this backlash were over, geez.

That you can't find it on YouTube doesn't mean it was a secret, private party only for their leaders. It was a public event for them (I'm pretty sure that it was covered by N Korean TV), as it had been during the past years. It had been Baekdusan Trophy for many, many years, a PUBLIC ATHLETIC EVENT. As said earlier, practically ALL public event in N Korea have political propaganda of some degree attached to it. Why do you think this particular event should have been a significant political event beyond that? It had been an annual event for them this time of year for a long time.

Besides, why would the participants like Lepisto need to meet somebody's subjective justification to skate there? Sure, the NY Phil event had more political significance in light of the US - N Korea relations. But the way I see it the skaters' joining their annual event has similar aspect when it comes to building and exchanging goodwill. If anything, I would praise her for her courage in joining the trip. And I don't see anything wrong with her getting some compensation for it. I'm glad she's become one of many who have visited the country for various reasons and shared the common cause of meeting the people and broadening the mutual exchange and understanding.

[Nadine]

This is a figure skating board, not a politics one, therefore this is too political for me to comment on.

I come here for skating, not politics.

[lowtherlore]

No, it has been a private event for Kim Jong-il who was well known admirer of arts including FS.

That is exactly what N-Korea has claimed for more than 30 years; blaming US for the poor condition of N. Korea. US government, S. Korean government and even Chinese government all requst the same thing to N. Korea; open the country and follow the road China has taken. But, Kim and the people around him refused it because they are so afraid that once the country is opned they will lose the power.

Do you think the current US or the current S Korean administration has actively sought to bring N Korea to table? I see a totally different thing: N Korean leaders and the people WANT TO OPEN a la China, desperately. The prerequisite for them to open is a better relations with the US, and a peace treaty.

[cosmos]

Do you think the current US or the current S Korean administration has actively sought to bring N Korea to table? I see a totally different thing: N Korean leaders and the people WANT TO OPEN a la China, desperately. The prerequisite for them to open is a better relations with the US, and a peace treaty.

As Nadine said, this is a skating board. I won't go any more. But, I am realy curious about what you are. You are repeating exactly what N. Korean government claims.

[sky_fly20]

I knew this was gonna turn into politics discussion
move this thread into politics section pls.

[glam]

You know, I have mixed feelings about this sort of thing. If it's true Lepisto is being singled out for this, and the other skaters who went are getting a free pass, then that's probably not really fair to her. Then again, as a higher-profile skater, she should be aware that this could happen.

Lepistö gave that press statement which is on the first page because people in Finland were angry that she skated at Kim Jong-Il's Birthday party. There were several articles of her visit in many newspapers and people and the press accused her of supporting Kim Jong-Il's dictatorship. People were writing on the Internet that she is greedy and call the money that she received as blood money.

Here is an example of those articles: http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/news/ind...in-north-korea
The press is still writing articles of her visit just google her name and there is plenty of opinions...

I think this incident stained her good reputation at least among some people in Finland.