ISU breaks its own rules ...

[Nadia01]

So they would know in their hearts that they are honest men, and so that they would not end up looking like crooks and fools when they got caught.

Mathman,

They might have thought that maybe they'd been wrong and/or misunderstood rules when they got 3 invites. They don't speak English in China, and although I'm pretty sure they have somebody can speak English, maybe they thought they misinterpreted something since they don't speak English natively.

Isn't this really the ISU's fault? After all, they wrote the rules, and surely they more or less speak English perfectly. They're the ones who issued 3 invites.

 

[Gymgirll]

I guess if you receive an invite you might think you're allowed to it because maybe they wanted to invite more pairs, because there were too few at the event,... If they actually entered the 3 pairs without invitation of the third, then maybe it was an attempt to cheat, but could also be a mistake.

 

[chuckm]

There are no "invitations" to Junior Worlds. Federations SEND the number of teams qualified to compete at JW. Federations qualify the number of entries at next year's JW by placements at the current JW. Last year, China qualified TWO entries for JW 2010 because their skaters finished 8th and 11th.

But China SENT three teams when only two were qualified to go. I agree with mathman. Yao Bin KNOWS the rules, and he took a chance at getting some high level experience for the #3 team---who had never competed anywhere before. The ISU rubber-stamped all three Chinese entries, for whatever reason.

But I AM sure of one thing: if the US had qualified only two Pairs teams but sent 3, one of them would have been disqualified and made to go home. Remember, the ISU pays hotel and meal costs for the skaters.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

There has been enough evidence that the ISU bends to the Federations and to cheating judges but not to skaters. There's money in these schemes to pay for First Class RT airfare, and premiere hotel accommodations (suites) also catering services for exclusive parties for exclusive invitees. The 'deals' will be made at those soirees.

 

[sorcerer]

ITA with chuckm. It's impossible to even imagine a chance of Japan sending Yuki Nishino as the "2nd" lady accompanying Kanako. How would Japan, in this imaginary case, forget that it has only 1 slot ... no way.
If, by "clerical" mistake of ISU, the entry list showed Japan's substitute entry without the "S", the federation would surely confirm the ISU before sending Yuki into the airplane.

So, the only possibility of this whole epithode to be not fishy, is the case in which the ISU answered "Yes you have 3 slots" to China's inquiry "Are you sure we can send 3 !?!"
Can such possibility exist in reality?
If yes, ... China still knew the probability of error but took advantage of it because it would be ISU's fault. Whether this is morally right or wrong depends on the culture in which you live ...
If no, ... all we can do is put the fish in the fridge?

 

[Bennett]

Ha! such a bizarre story! It's unbelievable that neither ISU nor Chinese Fed noticed. But it's also unbelievable that either of them actively cheated because it would appear too clear cheating to be true! You just can't hide the third pair under the table! In either way, just inexplicable and incomprehensible!

But it is possible that the junior skaters didn't question. I recall reading a young Mao (15 yrs old) once asked an interviewer if she could actually go to the Olympics even though she had never really considered Torino as her time to go because of the age limit (A Magazine called Number). When told no, she was like "Yeah, that's what I thought; but because so many ppl ask me about it (the special petition), I wondered if it could be only me that doesn't know."