Not a lot of pairs teams this season...

GF2445 · Jan 30, 2015

I dont remember a time when every peair team qualified for the free skate of a european championships because there are less than 16 teams.

With 14 couples at europeans and 10 at four continents, we don't seem to have a large field.

Maybe in the mean time as pairs skating is recovering, the ISU could maybe lower the minimum tes a little bit...just a little. I m not asking for a massive drop, but see if we can get another team or 2 competing to juice up the field a tad.

TontoK · Jan 30, 2015

The IOC has a developmental program wherein athletes from some countries are allowed entry to the Games without meeting the qualifying standards. If you look at some of the very early preliminary rounds in swimming, for example, you see athletes from unusual countries with very non-competitive times.

The objective is to be more globally inclusive, providing Olympic inclusion, but also to develop and promote the Olympic ideal and brand.

You'd think the ISU could provide special exemptions to skaters, including pairs teams, from weaker nations for the purpose of exposure and development in those places. It really wouldn't hurt or diminish the other teams at all.

GF2445 · Jan 30, 2015

TontoK said:
The IOC has a developmental program wherein athletes from some countries are allowed entry to the Games without meeting the qualifying standards. If you look at some of the very early preliminary rounds in swimming, for example, you see athletes from unusual countries with very non-competitive times.

The objective is to be more globally inclusive, providing Olympic inclusion, but also to develop and promote the Olympic ideal and brand.

You'd think the ISU could provide special exemptions to skaters, including pairs teams, from weaker nations for the purpose of exposure and development in those places. It really wouldn't hurt or diminish the other teams at all.

I agree. I know the ISU want to keep competitions at a high standard, however, the current pool of international pairs teams is small. There would be no harm in sending a team or two from a smaller skating nation, who might be just outside qualifying standards to gain entry at four continents or europeans- maybe worlds in some cases.

tulosai · Jan 30, 2015

GF2445 said:
I agree. I know the ISU want to keep competitions at a high standard, however, the current pool of international pairs teams is small. There would be no harm in sending a team or two from a smaller skating nation, who might be just outside qualifying standards to gain entry at four continents or europeans- maybe worlds in some cases.

Yes I agree for 4CC and Euros definitely. Less sure about Worlds, but these small fields are sad. It wouldn't hurt anyone or anything to let a few more teams in there.

QuadThrow · Jan 30, 2015

If the French Association allows Bruno massot to start for German, there will be one more high class team.

dorispulaski · Jan 30, 2015

QuadThrow said:
If the French Association allows Bruno massot to start for German, there will be one more high class team.

Sandpiper · Jan 30, 2015

I noticed this too. Small pool of pairs this season (ice dance has been doing better).

I don't think there's harm in sending some skaters from smaller federations. I also think it wouldn't hurt to, say, give China a fourth spot in 4CC so Yu/Jin can go, but I anticipate I'll get some "Don't wreck the smaller Feds!!" protests for saying this...

QuadThrow said:
If the French Association allows Bruno massot to start for German, there will be one more high class team.

Mentalopes · Jan 31, 2015

Allow more than 3 spots for Canada, Russia and China!!

GF2445 · Jan 31, 2015

Sandpiper said:
I noticed this too. Small pool of pairs this season (ice dance has been doing better).

I don't think there's harm in sending some skaters from smaller federations. I also think it wouldn't hurt to, say, give China a fourth spot in 4CC so Yu/Jin can go, but I anticipate I'll get some "Don't wreck the smaller Feds!!" protests for saying this...

Maybe allow a fourth team, but set high criteria for this to be attained.

Totentanz · Feb 1, 2015

Mentalopes said:
Allow more than 3 spots for Canada, Russia and China!!

Agree. We would have Moore-Towers/Marinaro, Astakhova/Rogonov and Wang/Wang if they could send 4 instead of 3. That would be amazing.

snsd · Feb 2, 2015

Which smaller countries have pair teams that haven't qualified for 4CC and Euros though?

anyanka · Feb 2, 2015

Totentanz said:
Agree. We would have Moore-Towers/Marinaro, Astakhova/Rogonov and Wang/Wang if they could send 4 instead of 3. That would be amazing.

Yu / Jin, too.

With P/T doing one last 4CC/W, P/Z, S/H, W/W and Y/J, that could easily make up half the top 10 on a worlds level. That's not counting the 4th or 5th ranked Russian teams, plus V/T if they want to return.

anyanka · Feb 2, 2015

QuadThrow said:
If the French Association allows Bruno massot to start for German, there will be one more high class team.

Maybe it's the citizenship requirements that's putting off more pairings. There is more cross-national pairings these days, and a lot of countries won't allow someone having two passports so for certain countries one must give up the one for their country of birth just to get to the Olympics. That won't be a problem gaining dual citizenship for Luba & Dylan, Castelli & Tran, and Tania & Max, Tanith & Ben, G/P (in the past), but for countries forbidding dual nationality it puts a lot of people from competing in pairs or even dance. Most prominent example maybe is Yuko Kavaguti, she gave her Japanese passport up to get to Vancouver 2010. We saw Narumi & Mervin, they were on their way to greatness and medaled in only their second year at worlds, but Mervin couldn't get Japanese citizenship, so that pairing fell apart. In ice dance Nelli Z had to give up her Russian passport to compete for Germany in Sochi because Germany didn't allow dual citizenship either. Would that mean that for Bruno to get to 2018, he'd have to swap his French passport for German? Not impossible, but it's certainly a deterrent for a lot of people. And Aljona wouldn't be going into this pairing just to go to worlds without one last shot at OGM ...

Not a lot of pairs teams this season...

GF2445

TontoK

Hot Tonto

GF2445

tulosai

QuadThrow

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl

Sandpiper

Mentalopes

GF2445

Totentanz

Ursula Gumennik

snsd

anyanka

anyanka

Similar threads

Connect with us