Should worlds take place during Olympic year

[Tulipstar]

Yes. One reason for me is also that the Olympics have far less opportunities to medal than speed skating, where you have chances at several distances. If you're from a small fed, you don't even have the extra team option. For a sport that athletes invest so much money and time in, I think it's good for World's to still happen and give the athletes and extra opportunity to gain fame and respect from their feds. If Wakaba medals, for instance, it would mean a great deal for her career. And she might, now that Meds isn't going.

 

[franzkatka]

I find post-Olympics Worlds often bring out the best in skaters (Mao!) And I don't think U.S. alternates passing on Worlds has to do with it being post-Olympics so much as the general weakness of U.S. skating atm

 

[StitchMonkey]

I'm really excited for this worlds. I don't mind that some skaters retire after the Olympics, it's fun to see the younger skaters get a chance to shine... kinda nice passing of the torch. I also like that it can feel like a preview/start of the new quad. The Olympics are over, time to look forward, worlds fills this roll nicely.

 

[treblemakerem]

I think worlds should still happen, but they should definitely base next years allocations off of Olympics.

 

[kenboy123]

Here's something that is controversial and potentially stupid... Lol...

But I think that the Olympics are given way more importance than it is supposed to be getting...this is probably because it's such a huge event with a large audience and it is celebrated all over the world... However, sports wise.. It really is not that important as opposed to a world title in any sport... In theory, the Olympics was made for amateur athletes... However, since it such a big event, athletes give it personal importance...

Having said that, they should hold a world championship in an Olympic season...

 

[ancientpeas]

Yes.. because I want to see them skate again. If they choose not to go so be it but I want to see it so I want it to continue.

 

[cruzceleste]

Here's something that is controversial and potentially stupid... Lol...

But I think that the Olympics are given way more importance than it is supposed to be getting...this is probably because it's such a huge event with a large audience and it is celebrated all over the world... However, sports wise.. It really is not that important as opposed to a world title in any sport... In theory, the Olympics was made for amateur athletes... However, since it such a big event, athletes give it personal importance...

Having said that, they should hold a world championship in an Olympic season...

I get your point, but people dream with the Olympics... is the one people remember the most, athletes dream with their "olympic moment"... and I agree that at least in my scale Olympics > World Champion

 

[Koatterce]

Here's something that is controversial and potentially stupid... Lol...

But I think that the Olympics are given way more importance than it is supposed to be getting...this is probably because it's such a huge event with a large audience and it is celebrated all over the world... However, sports wise.. It really is not that important as opposed to a world title in any sport... In theory, the Olympics was made for amateur athletes... However, since it such a big event, athletes give it personal importance...

Having said that, they should hold a world championship in an Olympic season...

Within the sport, the Olympics are less important than world titles. However, in terms of gaining fans etc., the Olympics is a much better way to do that.
Most people that watch the world championships are already fans or know who the athletes are, so doing well at worlds will not lead to a significant fan following (unless the athlete is new, but either way, the new fans come from the smaller pool of existing figure skating fans). However, many people who never watch sports otherwise will watch the Olympics. So athletes can gain tons of new fans and even more sponsorship etc opportunities. It's a much bigger platform for self-promotion (for lack of a better term). And even for people who will never watch the sport again until the next Olympics, they might still remember the athlete's name. Also, due to the greater association with the country during the Olympics, there will also be a lot more promotion from the country's media (at least for the larger countries). Someone can go from basically unknown to national celebrity just by medalling, doing well etc.
For example, Adam and Mirai had tons of publicity and opportunities that they would never have gotten even if they won the world championships. Virtue and Moir would not have been on Ellen.

but worlds should still be held because it's more important within the sport.

 

[Ballade88]

I think Worlds should remain for the simple reason that some very good skaters can not go to the Olympics because the competition is too intense in some countries. A skater like Wakaba is left out of the team because of her nationality when she could have easily went to the Olympics if she were from a country like Thailand. Also Hersh's reasons that Worlds is so pointless because even the US alternates don't feel like attending are quite hollow when it's pretty clear those alternate skaters have very little chance of medaling even with the watered down roster imo.
No one is saying that Worlds post Olympics or a regular Worlds is as prestigious as the Olympics but it's not like the best skaters always win at the Olympics. In fact, when you look at the fields at post Olympics Worlds, they often had at least one or two of the main contenders from Olympics and sometimes the Olympic Champion tries to get a grand slam for that season. It was usually the surprise OGM winners that almost always chose to skip worlds (Hughes, Sotnikova). Winning a post Olympic worlds or even medaling is definitely an achievement to be proud of because it is certainly not a walk in the park and often more difficult than a GPF.

 

[SnowWhite]

I think worlds should still happen, but they should definitely base next years allocations off of Olympics.

That doesn't make sense. The Olympics have much more restricted fields than Worlds.

 

[lyndichee]

I think these sentiments are just coming out because people are pulling out and the US doesn't have as many medal threats as they did in the past. I think once Worlds is over, a lot people will be glad we have it during Olympic year.

I see a few people have mentioned Mao's amazing 2014 Worlds performance but I'll also remember 2014 Worlds for Carolina's Kostner (SP), Akiko Suzuki (SP), Tatsuki Machida, Jeremy Abbott, Park So Youn (FS), Savchenko/Szolkowy etc.

 

[kenboy123]

Within the sport, the Olympics are less important than world titles. However, in terms of gaining fans etc., the Olympics is a much better way to do that.
Most people that watch the world championships are already fans or know who the athletes are, so doing well at worlds will not lead to a significant fan following (unless the athlete is new, but either way, the new fans come from the smaller pool of existing figure skating fans). However, many people who never watch sports otherwise will watch the Olympics. So athletes can gain tons of new fans and even more sponsorship etc opportunities. It's a much bigger platform for self-promotion (for lack of a better term). And even for people who will never watch the sport again until the next Olympics, they might still remember the athlete's name. Also, due to the greater association with the country during the Olympics, there will also be a lot more promotion from the country's media (at least for the larger countries). Someone can go from basically unknown to national celebrity just by medalling, doing well etc.
For example, Adam and Mirai had tons of publicity and opportunities that they would never have gotten even if they won the world championships. Virtue and Moir would not have been on Ellen.

but worlds should still be held because it's more important within the sport.

They became famous for reasons that are completely unrelated to figure skating, especially Adam...


Regardless, i guess it depends on what your objective as an athlete is...most do it for the love of the sport, some do it to seek big titles, for those people...i will argue that a world championships should be more important...

For the athletes that are looking for self promotion in any sort of way or to become some sort of celebrity status, they should view the Olympics as more important...

The point i'm trying to make here is that the Olympics isn't really that big of a title when you boil it down to pure sports reasons or at least it's not supposed to be as the Olympics are only classified as a "big" title because of the hype, but for any sport within itself, it does not hold that much importance...so in general, i agree with what you are saying...

 

[cruzceleste]

I´m sure any world champion would much rather have a Olympic Gold Medal...

 

[kenboy123]

I´m sure any world champion would much rather have a Olympic Gold Medal...

That is only because it holds personal importance to them, not because it is supposed to be seen as actual big title...

 

[Anyasnake]

I´m sure any world champion would much rather have a Olympic Gold Medal...

I'll take Michelle's 5 World titles over an Olympic Gold medal any day.

 

[cruzceleste]

That is only because it holds personal importance to them, not because it is supposed to be seen as actual big title...

Really?

Let´s see, The Olympics are the biggest stage, the one that every body remembers and talk about. You can be a multiple world champion because there is one even every year, how many men / women are multiple Olympic champions?

Even the cycle is constructed so that the athletes pick in a Olympic year, countries construct their athletic programs with the Olympics in mind...

- - - Updated - - -

I'll take Michelle's 5 World titles over an Olympic Gold medal any day.

You, let´s ask her...

 

[steiner]

They absolutely should still occur. Some of the best and most memorable performances have come in post Olympic Worlds.

 

[kenboy123]

Really?

Let´s see, The Olympics are the biggest stage, the one that every body remembers and talk about. You can be a multiple world champion because there is one even every year, how many men / women are multiple Olympic champions?

Even the cycle is constructed so that the athletes pick in a Olympic year, countries construct their athletic programs with the Olympics in mind...

Realistically, the Olympics were never supposed to be as important as to the actual sport (not the athlete) than any world championship in any sport...


For a long time, only amateurs were allowed to compete on the Olympics.. The Olympics were made for amateurs, so really... It holds no importance to the actual sport... It's all hype, media and exposure which has nothing to do with the actual importance within the sport... Still you go back to what the athletes think and keep on repeating that point, what the athletes think has very little to do with what should be seen as important in the sport...

 

[ladyjane]

I see a few people have mentioned Mao's amazing 2014 Worlds performance but I'll also remember 2014 Worlds for Carolina's Kostner (SP), Akiko Suzuki (SP), Tatsuki Machida, Jeremy Abbott, Park So Youn (FS), Savchenko/Szolkowy etc.

And let's not forget Brian Joubert who became 2nd in 2006 at Worlds after becoming 6th at the Olympics, as well as 3rd in 2010 after his most devastating Olympics ever! Nobody expected him to do that in 2010.

 

[cruzceleste]

Realistically, the Olympics were never supposed to be as important as to the actual sport (not the athlete) than any world championship in any sport...


For a long time, only amateurs were allowed to compete on the Olympics.. The Olympics were made for amateurs, so really... It holds no importance to the actual sport... It's all hype, media and exposure which has nothing to do with the actual importance within the sport... Still you go back to what the athletes think and keep on repeating that point, what the athletes think has very little to do with what should be seen as important in the sport...

So what the athletes that form the sport doesn´t matter to the sport... ok dokey