2019-20 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

[Finley]

Everyone keeps talking about controversy?
From where?
Twitter users? any fool and their brother can get a hashtag trending, and any hack can write an "article" about it on a website like it's news.:scratch:

When we have an official skating source weigh in, or a Japanese official weigh in, that's proof and that's news.

Until we have that, I see no issues and no problems and nothing to apologize for, myself, and that's my opinion. Which is as valid as anyone else's

The governor of the prefecture made a statement asking (not ordering) people not to travel to Aomori because of the vulnerability of the elderly population and shortage of medical resources to deal with a potential outbreak of the virus. He is asking people to help protect the population of his prefecture by not coming there.

https://twitter.com/crazykuroneko/status/1256520368396701697/photo/1


Zhenya's posts and responses on her own social media are being used as an official source. Never mind the statements in interviews given by TAT and Kurakova that she traveled there for access to skating rinks. Now she is just handing out ammunition and painting targets on herself.

Here is my opinion - if you want a fire to die down, stop feeding it.

This entire thing will burn itself out in three days when everyone moves on the next new drama. I think there is a saying in every language about 'silence being golden'. People will always throw rocks. But don't hand people rocks to throw at you.

An apology is a personal choice. I think that ship has sailed. Timing is everything. If she was going to go that route it should have been immediate. After all this it will just look like damage control. Also "sorry if you are offended" is just taking your foot out of your mouth to shoot yourself in it.

I don't expect any Japanese official source to weigh in on her decision to fly to Japan, her decision not to return to Russia when there were Aeroflot planes evacuating Russian citizens from Tokyo, or her choice to travel between prefectures for access to ice. That just does not seem like something they would do. (Other than the media, because that is what they do.)

No laws have been broken. No orders have been violated (that I know of) No illegal activity has taken place. It's just not a good look. It looks selfish, irresponsible and careless in these circumstance. But don't double down on a bad decision by projecting the attitude of - "I do what I want."

No one should be paying any attention to anti-fans that just want to dog-pile on this situation with irrational hate and bullying directed at a person who made a bad decision. But the voices of Japanese citizens who are displeased with her actions (not her, there is a difference) are allowed to express their genuine concerns about the consequences of a public personality setting a bad example. Especially if those actions could potentially affect their lives and their loved ones.

 

[icetug]

Well, I remember quite recent "controversy" concerning Sasha. She (or rather her family), from the strinct sense of the word, didn't break any law, because during time they flew to Egypt it was still allowed. Though we've heard many things about how immoral, how short-sighted, how blahblah this was. And no meritorious member rushed on her defence.

I honestly love the demagogy you are doing in this forum. Nobody attacked Sasha so no one had to defend her. Posters considered her parents' decision unwise not because they broke any law, but because they endangered the health of their three children, inluding Sasha, while she is, let me quote from the page 1103 of this forum (where the "Sasha controversy" was discussed): "an unique, once-in-generation athlete revolutionizing the sport" and "the most unique and spectacular figure skater ladies figure skating has ever seen". Do you see ANY reason to defend Sasha?

On the other hand, whose health was endangered by Evgenia decision to dance in the park? Can't you see the difference of those two cases?

 

[nussnacker]

The governor of the prefecture made a statement asking (not ordering) people not to travel to Aomori because of the vulnerability of the elderly population and shortage of medical resources to deal with a potential outbreak of the virus. He is asking people to help protect the population of his prefecture by not coming there.

https://twitter.com/crazykuroneko/status/1256520368396701697/photo/1


Zhenya's posts and responses on her own social media are being used as an official source. Never mind the statements in interviews given by TAT and Kurakova that she traveled there for access to skating rinks. Now she is just handing out ammunition and painting targets on herself.

Here is my opinion - if you want a fire to die down, stop feeding it.

This entire thing will burn itself out in three days when everyone moves on the next new drama. I think there is a saying in every language about 'silence being golden'. People will always throw rocks. But don't hand people rocks to throw at you.

An apology is a personal choice. I think that ship has sailed. Timing is everything. If she was going to go that route it should have been immediate. After all this it will just look like damage control. Also "sorry if you are offended" is just taking your foot out of your mouth to shoot yourself in it.

I don't expect any Japanese official source to weigh in on her decision to fly to Japan, her decision not to return to Russia when there were Aeroflot planes evacuating Russian citizens from Tokyo, or her choice to travel between prefectures for access to ice. That just does not seem like something they would do. (Other than the media, because that is what they do.)

No laws have been broken. No orders have been violated (that I know of) No illegal activity has taken place. It's just not a good look. It looks selfish, irresponsible and careless in these circumstance. But don't double down on a bad decision by projecting the attitude of - "I do what I want."

No one should be paying any attention to anti-fans that just want to dog-pile on this situation with irrational hate and bullying directed at a person who made a bad decision. But the voices of Japanese citizens who are displeased with her actions (not her, there is a difference) are allowed to express their genuine concerns about the consequences of a public personality setting a bad example. Especially if those actions could potentially affect their lives and their loved ones.

Fully agree.
I hope she will start taking it more seriously, it’s not about Evgenia at all (at least for me), it’s about the situation where people need to let go of “I” and their personal interests and start thinking about “we”, and how we as a world can come through this as quick and as safe as possible.
What bothers me is the traveling in the first place. There was absolutely no need to travel anywhere, certainly not in April, when the pandemic was already in full force all over the world.

 

[Finley]

I honestly love the demagogy you are doing in this forum. Nobody attacked Sasha so no one had to defend her. Posters considered her parents' decision unwise not because they broke any law, but because they endangered the health of their three children, inluding Sasha, while she is, let me quote from the page 1103 of this forum (where the "Sasha controversy" was discussed): "an unique, once-in-generation athlete revolutionizing the sport" and "the most unique and spectacular figure skater ladies figure skating has ever seen". Do you see ANY reason to defend Sasha?

On the other hand, whose health was endangered by Evgenia decision to dance in the park? Can't you see the difference of those two cases?

Can you see that travelling between prefectures is not a good idea at this particular moment in time? Can you see that when the Japanese are being ASKED (not ordered) to avoid travel to other prefectures to visit the Sakura it is an incredibly short sighted to post pictures of yourself on IG enjoying the Sakura when you are a public figure and a guest in a foreign country?

Can you see that not owning up to your motives for seeking ice rinks to train in when other people (TAT & Kurakova) are giving interviews about your reasons for being in Japan is a bad choice? Can you see that when all of this comes out your subsequent reactions are going to be judged harshly?

For whatever it is worth, I completely understand why she did everything in her power to have access to ice to train on. She already has an uphill battle (at this point everyone does) to make the Olympic team. She has sacrificed a lot for that dream. She wants to keep it alive. I probably would have done the same thing. But the way she has handled it has been graceless.

She needs to fire her managers/advisors or listen to them. Not sure which. They are either irretrievably stupid, or completely oblivious, or an unfortunate combination of both. I could do a better job managing her PR than they are doing.

As for whose health she endangered by dancing in the park - probably no one. It isn't about the park, it is about what the picture revealed - that she traveled between prefectures and then felt the need to post about it. Sure people are annoyed. Now her reactions to the legit criticism (not talking about the hate or bullying from lunatics) has made it worse. Now people are angry.

Whose health did she endanger by traveling? Who knows? We will never know. How many contaminated surfaces were touched? Even if you are wearing gloves you can still spread the virus by touching a contaminated surface then touching a non-contaminated surface. You just spread the virus without ever contracting it yourself. Someone else touches the surface you just contaminated and now they are part of the chain. And so is every single person they come into contact with. And so on. Each one of us has the potential to spread the virus to 59,000 people. Without ever experiencing a single symptom or testing positive.

She made a bad decision. I've made thousand of them. We all have. But deliberately being willfully ignorant and obtuse about possible consequences isn't helping anyone. Nor is irrational hate and bullying, but bullies by their very nature don't listen.

 

[el henry]

whole post.....

A general statement about travel from a Japanese official is not a statement about Zhenya. I was asking, were there any actual statements from actual Japanese official's about Zhenya's activity. I don't know of any

I don't see random observations on Twitter as "voices of Japanese citizens". Are there other voices? Quotes from people willing to be identified and quoted by name? Actual real polls taken?
As I said earlier, any fool and their brother can start a hashtag or post on Twitter. That means literally nothing to me.

I don't care what TAT says about anything, but Katia I am interested in. Where did Katia say that Zhenya told her that she traveled specifically to Japan to practice? I would be interested in seeing that.

So far, I am seeing no "bad decision" and no reason for Zhenya to apologize, so I'm glad she hasn't

 

[Finley]

Fully agree.
I hope she will start taking it more seriously, it’s not about Evgenia at all (at least for me), it’s about the situation where people need to let go of “I” and their personal interests and start thinking about “we”, and how we as a world can come through this as quick and as safe as possible.
What bothers me is the traveling in the first place. There was absolutely no need to travel anywhere, certainly not in April, when the pandemic was already in full force all over the world.

You said it so much better than I did.

 

[Finley]

A general statement about travel from a Japanese official is not a statement about Zhenya. I was asking, were there any actual statements from actual Japanese official's about Zhenya's activity. I don't know of any

I don't see random observations on Twitter as "voices of Japanese citizens". Are there other voices? Quotes from people willing to be identified and quoted by name? Actual real polls taken?
As I said earlier, any fool and their brother can start a hashtag or post on Twitter. That means literally nothing to me.

I don't care what TAT says about anything, but Katia I am interested in. Where did Katia say that Zhenya told her that she traveled specifically to Japan to practice? I would be interested in seeing that.

So far, I am seeing no "bad decision" and no reason for Zhenya to apologize, so I'm glad she hasn't

Shortsightedly, the governor of Aomori prefecture forgot to add "Zhenya this means you!" to his video. I'm sure his failure will be taken into account at the next election. (this is sarcasm)

Why do you believe Zhenya is exempt from his very humble and emotional request? Or that it shouldn't apply to her? Never mind. Don't answer that. I'm not inviting myself to an argument.

There were a lot of responses (1,500 +) in the comment section of one Japanese article discussing this. It's entirely possible they are all insane figure skating fans. You are entitled to that belief. I am entitled to think that belief is incorrect.

Most people do not post identifiable information online. For good reason. Being harassed online is one thing. Insane internet bullies finding you in real life is another thing altogether. Imagine for one minute the people on any online forum, people who personally attack teenage girls at any given opportunity, knowing who you are. And where you are.

Random Internet polls are not the best reflection of what is happening. (See elections )

You don't have to care about any of this. I highly recommend not caring if at all possible. I kind of wish I didn't.

I agree with you that public apologies are overrated. They almost never come off well. That's why I said they are a choice.

So yes: two kinds of people. Those who ruthlessly and sleeplessly pursue their own self-interest, even at the expense of others... and those who have *learned* better. We can all learn better.

And here is a video supporting a statement I made in my post preceding this one. Please watch, it's important. As nussnacker said - it's not even about Evgenia. It's is US. It is all of US. And now I am literally begging - please, please, please care.

https://twitter.com/gregjames/status/1241838854891622401

 

[flanker]

I honestly love the demagogy you are doing in this forum. Nobody attacked Sasha so no one had to defend her. Posters considered her parents' decision unwise not because they broke any law, but because they endangered the health of their three children, inluding Sasha, while she is, let me quote from the page 1103 of this forum (where the "Sasha controversy" was discussed): "an unique, once-in-generation athlete revolutionizing the sport" and "the most unique and spectacular figure skater ladies figure skating has ever seen". Do you see ANY reason to defend Sasha?

On the other hand, whose health was endangered by Evgenia decision to dance in the park? Can't you see the difference of those two cases?

Of the two of us, I'm not the one to blame for what I'm allegedly doing in this forum. E.g. very similar question as "whose health was endangered by Evgenia decision to dance in the park" could be asked about Sasha's roller skating video people didn't even know when and where it was shot (because her "controversy" had a continuation ). As for her parent's decision, saying "they endangered the health of their three children" is first shifting the thing somewhere else, because the children like them are among the least endangered group of all (the danger in both cases is elsewhere than "being alone in the dark-er-park"), second, this wasn't the thing that was talked here and there.

As for the current case, I haven't seen anything that could be considered "personal attack", at least in my book, so, no reason to defend against personal attack.

And, last, but not least, I like how you've ommited the last line of the quoted article. Maybe because you've missed what was said yesterday? That definitely was a harsh personal attack to a whole group of people, and not just some ridiculous negligible offence. Till yesterday I was completely ignoring the whole thing, but I must admit that when I've learned about that statement, it made me to make an opinion about the attitude to the affair and similar affairs before.

 

[el henry]

.....whole post

Thank you (and @Flanker as well, sorry for not quoting you) for your thoughts. I believe we will just need to agree to disagree.

One small point of personal privilege: I care. I care about all of *us* deeply. I also care about my immediate family, who work as nurses in COVID ICUs in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Intubating patients. The county where I live has the most cases per capita of any Pennsylvania county.

My opinion on the reliability of internet opinions and judging others has nothing to do with caring or not caring, and I'm sorry if I gave that impression. I believe that we *all* care.

And now, since I have nothing new to add, I will retire

 

[Finley]

Thank you (and @Flanker as well, sorry for not quoting you) for your thoughts. I believe we will just need to agree to disagree.

One small point of personal privilege: I care. I care about all of *us* deeply. I also care about my immediate family, who work as nurses in COVID ICUs in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Intubating patients. The county where I live has the most cases per capita of any Pennsylvania county.

My opinion on the reliability of internet opinions and judging others has nothing to do with caring or not caring, and I'm sorry if I gave that impression. I believe that we *all* care.

And now, since I have nothing new to add, I will retire

Agreeing to disagree is a beautiful thing.

I wish I believed that we all care. I wish I could even tell myself a half-way convincing lie that most of us care. But it's just too hard. All my faith can muster is the hope that some people care and that those people will ultimately prevail. Even that seems like a fairytale right now.

Ok, enough of that. I'm trying to think of something to say about skating to get my post remotely in the vicinity of 'on topic'. All I can come up with is that I am looking forward to seeing it again.

 

[thatbeatingheart]

Can anyone actually provide confirmed information regarding Evgenias whereabouts? I keep reading "she's here, she's there, she's travelling within Japan" and I can't find any proof for that. (I also can't find the interviews from TAT and Kurakova where they claim she's training in Japan.) I've wasted half of my day with that topic lol please help a tired soul out.

 

[Amei]

The governor of the prefecture made a statement asking (not ordering) people not to travel to Aomori because of the vulnerability of the elderly population and shortage of medical resources to deal with a potential outbreak of the virus. He is asking people to help protect the population of his prefecture by not coming there.

https://twitter.com/crazykuroneko/status/1256520368396701697/photo/1


Zhenya's posts and responses on her own social media are being used as an official source. Never mind the statements in interviews given by TAT and Kurakova that she traveled there for access to skating rinks. Now she is just handing out ammunition and painting targets on herself.

Here is my opinion - if you want a fire to die down, stop feeding it.

This entire thing will burn itself out in three days when everyone moves on the next new drama. I think there is a saying in every language about 'silence being golden'. People will always throw rocks. But don't hand people rocks to throw at you.

An apology is a personal choice. I think that ship has sailed. Timing is everything. If she was going to go that route it should have been immediate. After all this it will just look like damage control. Also "sorry if you are offended" is just taking your foot out of your mouth to shoot yourself in it.

I don't expect any Japanese official source to weigh in on her decision to fly to Japan, her decision not to return to Russia when there were Aeroflot planes evacuating Russian citizens from Tokyo, or her choice to travel between prefectures for access to ice. That just does not seem like something they would do. (Other than the media, because that is what they do.)

No laws have been broken. No orders have been violated (that I know of) No illegal activity has taken place. It's just not a good look. It looks selfish, irresponsible and careless in these circumstance. But don't double down on a bad decision by projecting the attitude of - "I do what I want."

No one should be paying any attention to anti-fans that just want to dog-pile on this situation with irrational hate and bullying directed at a person who made a bad decision. But the voices of Japanese citizens who are displeased with her actions (not her, there is a difference) are allowed to express their genuine concerns about the consequences of a public personality setting a bad example. Especially if those actions could potentially affect their lives and their loved ones.

The big thing here is Evgenia is the 1 that started everything by posting about her traveling around, and when people voiced publicly their disdain for what she did she's posting reactions to them. The good thing for Evgenia is that her big sponsor is Nike who doesn't really shy away from controversial athletes.

It makes sense for her to not take a flight out to Russia, based on reporting - Canada/US seem to be past the peak of the virus and easing lockdown restrictions whereas Russia seems to be peaking with the virus and still locking down everyone. Her coaches are in Canada, if she went to Russia she'd likely have to quarantine there and then once she can travel back to Canada to be with her trainers she would probably get stuck quarantining again - she should stick it out in Japan (without posting about it on social media) till she can get a flight to Canada.

 

[Finley]

The big thing here is Evgenia is the 1 that started everything by posting about her traveling around, and when people voiced publicly their disdain for what she did she's posting reactions to them. The good thing for Evgenia is that her big sponsor is Nike who doesn't really shy away from controversial athletes.

It makes sense for her to not take a flight out to Russia, based on reporting - Canada/US seem to be past the peak of the virus and easing lockdown restrictions whereas Russia seems to be peaking with the virus and still locking down everyone. Her coaches are in Canada, if she went to Russia she'd likely have to quarantine there and then once she can travel back to Canada to be with her trainers she would probably get stuck quarantining again - she should stick it out in Japan (without posting about it on social media) till she can get a flight to Canada.

It makes perfect sense. Especially since there is a possibility of ice time in Japan and none in Russia at the moment. From a certain point of view (staying in competitive shape) it is the best decision. For Evgenia. For other Japanese citizens? Not so much. One less person traveling between prefectures would probably be more helpful to the general population.

Does Evgenia have to put the well-being of others over herself when her Olympic Dream is at stake. No. Not even for one minute. But if you are disingenuous about it and make it public knowledge via IG, be prepared for unpleasant reactions. What we do has consequences. Not all of them are good.

 

[Finley]

Can anyone actually provide confirmed information regarding Evgenias whereabouts? I keep reading "she's here, she's there, she's travelling within Japan" and I can't find any proof for that. (I also can't find the interviews from TAT and Kurakova where they claim she's training in Japan.) I've wasted half of my day with that topic lol please help a tired soul out.

TAT - https://www.sports.ru/figure-skating/1085188120.html

Google Sakura blooming schedule 2020. Here is a forecast - https://www.kyuhoshi.com/japan-cherry-blossom-forecast/

Cross check with the date of Zhenya's post in the park. According to Weather Map Japan, the cherry blossom season in Tokyo and Yokohama ended on 4/6 this year. They began to bloom on 4/20 and are in peak bloom from late April to early May in Aomori. This suggests that the video was either filmed in early April in Tokyo or recently in Aomori.

Sputnik, Encount, The Answer, Daily, & The Digest have published articles about her. Sputnik has 3 actually.

Read this article and the comments via language translator -

https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/article?a=20200430-00112560-theanswer-spo

From another poster who, albeit anonymous on the internet (just like all of us on this forum) seems very well informed. -

"Tokyo is about a 3.5 hour bullet train ride away from Hachinohe. Local governors from the Tohoku region (where Aomori is located) have made several announcements asking people not to visit their prefecture due to their older population and relatively weak medical infrastructure (about 30% of their population is over 75 vs. ~17% in Tokyo). IIRC Japan's constitution does not allow them enforce strict lock-downs - so states of emergencies and requests from the government are their main alternatives. For example, prefectural governments can ask businesses to shut down and reveal the names of those that ignore their request i.e. relying on public pressure for them to shut down. This is a big part of the reason that certain Tokyo residents were facing criticism for deciding to "wait out" the situation in rural areas.

More over, the Mayor of Hachinohe announced on 4/18 that a) people from 13 "special alert prefectures" (including Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, Aichi, etc.) should refrain from moving between prefectures or entering their prefecture and b) anyone who is coming from "a large city, a densely populated area, or any location with widespread outbreaks, domestic or international", including Tokyo, should self-quarantine for 14 days. *If* Zhenya left Tokyo on 4/16 (the day that Prism on Ice was rescheduled, then she should still be in self-quarantine according to those guidelines."

Either her IG post is from another year and she photo shopped a mask on her face, or she is currently in Northern Japan.

From someone living in Tokyo/Yokohama:

She flew to Japan in the middle of a pandemic to participate in Prism on Ice in Yokohama, so why is she not in Tokyo/Yokohama now? The only area that has cherry blossoms this late in the year is northern Japan. And Kanto’s cherry blossom season ended by the first week of April, so either

① She took this video weeks ago in Tokyo, which would mean she broke quarantine guidelines, or

② She is somewhere outside of Tokyo/Yokohama, where she should not be.

.... When a skater is behaving in a way that potentially contradicts government and public health precautions, I do think it’s fine to be critical. There is evidence that she is not in the city where she should be staying in. This is not based on fan sightings or unconfirmed sources – this is from her own post on social media.

If you want to give her the benefit of the doubt, it’s your own decision. But rather than dismissing legitimate concerns as rumors or blind hate, I encourage you to google “Japan cherry blossom forecast”, use an online translator to see what locals are saying about the issue (a couple users have linked Japanese news articles, or you can search Evgenia’s name on Twitter メドベ or メドベージェワ) , or even ask a Japanese friend if Kanto area has cherry blossoms this time of year! Because it is very obvious that this is not a recent video in Tokyo or Yokohama.

Sputnik (a Japanese news agency) has said that the post from the park with the sakura shows that she either traveled north, which is discouraged, or broke her quarantine during sakura season in Tokyo, which is also discouraged. Either way, she disrespected the rules of the country in which she is a visitor and has no citizenship/residency connections.

Given that when she received criticism for travelling (some of which was perfectly reasonable and expressed courteously) she responded pretty sharply and chose not to offer any explanation to clarify - https://twitter.com/harubauer/status/1255525622513840137/photo/1
my feeling is that she is/was in Northern Japan at that time.

When things got more heated she deleted her answer. Then the comment. Then all the comments. Then her twitter account. And disabled her IG comments. And unfollowed 800+ people on IG. Does this seem like a random social media cleanse?

Believe whatever makes you happy. Truly. Just accept the fact that some of us believe differently. And not just because we are insane fans of one skater and irrational anti-fans of another. She hasn't broken any laws. She hasn't done anything illegal. But watch this video and look at how emotional the governor of Aomori is when respectfully asking/pleading with people not to travel to his prefecture and why. At this time they have not been severely hit the virus but they are unprepared for any large increase in numbers. You don't have to speak Japanese to understand what he is trying to convey. (start at 2:04)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK3HYmURcGI&feature=youtu.be

If you can't understand why some people feel the way they do, I don't know what else to say.

She posted photos of known city locations (main street, main river) showing her non-compliance with suggested guidelines, & blocked Japanese fans (not crazy stans) who tried to politely explain the situation & help.

Why would she travel to Aomori? Simplest answer - Flat Hachinohe Ice Rink. Flat is not a closed rink. It is open to the public on weekdays and open to pre-reserved spots on the weekend and on holidays. It is closed now until 5/6 for Golden Week.

Considering that it's Golden Week and I'm sure a lot of Japanese citizens would like to do what she's doing, to travel, see cherry blossoms and go see family but they can't. While she's doing whatever she wants and posting about it. Then when called out for her behavior she insults them in Russian. That's creating this issue as much as anything else.

In the aforementioned 04/27 interview, TAT said that Zhenya was training in Japan with other skaters. Most elite-level skaters train in prefectures that were heavily affected by the pandemic (Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, etc.) so the rinks were closed. Aomori has only had 23 recorded cases and hasn't taken the same measures as the aforementioned prefectures - which is why Flat is still open.

 

[NoviceFan]

Finley, thanks for your detailed post. Are you able to provide actual facts, not speculations from the sources you provided? I would appreciate so much. For example, has there been any confirmation that she was in Tokyo in the first place? Is it not possible she went straight to whatever other place she is alleged to be in? There seems to be a lot of conclusions (and lots of emotions) related to travelling from one place to another. I assume people have some basis for that - not some anonymous social media source, please - after all, if she is as BLATANT as you have described, there MUST be some real evidence somewhere, one would suppose. Thanks! And I hope you and your family are safe and healthy. We are so far, thank goodness, despite all my family members - all 8 of them - being frontliners in hospitals in our city (in case there are any accusations that I do not care).

PS

I have another question. How savvy do you think one has to be in order to be in Japan and figure out which city after (according to your report) staying Tokyo would still have rinks open, actually find a place to stay and most of all negotiate ice time with that rink, during a state of emergency, all the while, not speaking the language? I've been to Japan numerous times, it is not easy to go around outside the usual places I visit in Tokyo with the (very) little Japanese I know. Maybe others have a different experience. But anyway, I just thought I would ask.

 

[Edwin]

Well summarised and reasoned, Finley.

Most take offense by Medvyedeva's behaviour on social media in response to the concerns of Japanese fans, instead of over any real or perceived transgressions, however tactless these might be under the circumstances.

She should have heeded the advice of 'stay low, don't shout' right from the start of her adventure. Has FFKKR given her permission to leave her agreed living and training venue, and a worldwide credit card with unlimited money?

In the end, the search for a few hours of extra ice won't give her a magical competitive advantage. Training without your trusted trainers ...

Mystery still remains: who is she with and why is she behaving like this? Does she really think it will all be forgotten and smoothed over 'because I am Zhenya'?

 

[Happy Skates]

A general statement about travel from a Japanese official is not a statement about Zhenya. I was asking, were there any actual statements from actual Japanese official's about Zhenya's activity. I don't know of any

I don't see random observations on Twitter as "voices of Japanese citizens". Are there other voices? Quotes from people willing to be identified and quoted by name? Actual real polls taken?
As I said earlier, any fool and their brother can start a hashtag or post on Twitter. That means literally nothing to me.

I don't care what TAT says about anything, but Katia I am interested in. Where did Katia say that Zhenya told her that she traveled specifically to Japan to practice? I would be interested in seeing that.

So far, I am seeing no "bad decision" and no reason for Zhenya to apologize, so I'm glad she hasn't

Why would Japanese officials comment on the activity of one Russian girl? I don't think there needs to be an official statement for people to have a problem with the public actions of a public figure. And from what I've heard, the cherry blossoms are a popular attraction in Japan that people are being advised to sacrifice in order to maintain proper distancing. And Finley's post did a good job of explaining why it is clear that Evgenia is in a certain region of Japan that she has no reason to be in. In these times, it is important that public figures make good choices, or at least not show their bad choices online. We are in the midst of a pandemic where it is crucial that we have everyone's participation in flattening the curve - as a public figure, it is her job at the very least to not post videos of herself making choices that are against the rules/practices of a certain country - she has many impressionable young fans. And to then post annoyed memes when anyone criticizes her is not a good look.

I'm not saying to hate on her or to hold this against her in the future, but I do think it is valid and important to criticize public choices like these when she could be influencing so many young, impressionable people.

 

[Finley]

Finley, thanks for your detailed post. Are you able to provide actual facts, not speculations from the sources you provided? I would appreciate so much. For example, has there been any confirmation that she was in Tokyo in the first place? Is it not possible she went straight to whatever other place she is alleged to be in? There seems to be a lot of conclusions (and lots of emotions) related to travelling from one place to another. I assume people have some basis for that - not some anonymous social media source, please - after all, if she is as BLATANT as you have described, there MUST be some real evidence somewhere, one would suppose. Thanks! And I hope you and your family are safe and healthy. We are so far, thank goodness, despite all my family members - all 8 of them - being frontliners in hospitals in our city (in case there are any accusations that I do not care).

PS

I have another question. How savvy do you think one has to be in order to be in Japan and figure out which city after (according to your report) staying Tokyo would still have rinks open, actually find a place to stay and most of all negotiate ice time with that rink, during a state of emergency, all the while, not speaking the language? I've been to Japan numerous times, it is not easy to go around outside the usual places I visit in Tokyo with the (very) little Japanese I know. Maybe others have a different experience. But anyway, I just thought I would ask.

When I said people didn't have to care, I wasn't talking about the virus. I meant caring about Zhenya's actions, motives, intentions and this drama as a whole. I stand by that statement. There are plenty of things I don't care about and I am a happier person for it.

Re-reading my post I can see exactly how it got misconstrued. I didn't bother to correct it because there are so many people in my country that just do not care about the consequences of their actions with regard to this virus. That is the only thing worth spending emotions on imo.

That said I would never accuse people I don't know and only post with on an internet forum of not caring about something so serious. I'm sorry it came across like that.

Also thank you for the well wishes for my family. The same goes out to you and everyone here.

I don't have first hand knowledge of any of this. My testimony in a court of law would be worthless.

Just because articles are written does not make them true. Screen shots can be faked. IG and Twitter accounts can be hacked. IG posts can be tagged with different locations. Videos can be made under duress and/or edited. TAT could be senile and hallucinating conversations or she dreamed it all. The cherry blossom schedule can probably be verified by tracking down eye witness accounts or local news reports, but I am not going to be the person to do it. If you want to check the status of the Flat rink being open before and after Golden Week, it could probably be done. I guess you could send them an email with the assistance of an online language translator? Or have someone call?

For me that is a bridge too far. I have hit a wall with how much more attention and energy I'm willing to give this. But if you decide to pursue this let us know what they say!

The Flat Arena is an arena in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. It is used for ice hockey and figure skating; and is the home arena of Tohoku Free Blades of the Asia League Ice Hockey.

Address: Neichiuchiyasawa-36-13 Shiriuchimachi, Hachinohe, Aomori 039-1101, Japan
Opened: April 1, 2020

Inquiries about "FLAT HACHINOHE"
Cross Sports Marketing Co., Ltd .: 03-5282-7655 (direct communication)

Their official website confirms that they closed for Golden Week -

https://flathachinohe.com/



It's okay if you don't believe a single word of what I posted. I don't need validation. For whatever it is worth, I would not post something that I did not believe to be true.

No one has to believe one single word of what I've posted. No one has to care about anything remotely connected to what I've posted. Or what anyone else has posted. We can all agree to disagree and believe whatever does us the most good. I still think it will probably be done and dusted in three days.

As for being savvy, I am nowhere near savvy enough to pull that off. But if my life (or my dream) depended on it, I would find a way. I would Google, do online research. I would contact a travel agency to find a comfortable, conveniently located hotel. I would hire a translator to negotiate (over the phone) whatever needed to be negotiated (as in a pre-reserved spot on the weekends at an ice rink that is still open to the public) and a guide for anything else. All of this can be found online via travel websites. I do have personal knowledge of this particular fact, because I did it for my dad's trip to Romania.

I'm sure it was both expensive and involved careful planning. Connections in the skating world and previous travel experience in Japan would definitely be helpful. And money.

https://triplelights.com/blog/hire-guide-japan-how-find-3131

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...inohe-Hachinohe_Aomori_Prefecture_Tohoku.html

Apparently I am more savvy than I thought. That took all of 5 minutes.

If it was me, I would have all the arrangements in place before I left. I am not a risk taker. But that is me. I have no first hand knowledge of how anyone else would handle it, much less how Zhenya and/or her team might have chosen to handle it. And if I did wouldn't you be completely creeped out by me?

I do not believe the screenshots are faked. I don't believe her social media accounts were hacked. I am not a TAT fan but she sounded lucid enough in that interview. She has a lot of really specific information. Maybe she is even the one who made this possible. I don't believe all the comments posted under the articles (that may or may not be true) are skating fanatics or sock puppet accounts created to spread misinformation.

If I didn't believe in the truth of what I posted - I would not have posted it. I have done my best to verify what it was possible to verify. I have applied common sense liberally wherever possible. The principle of Occam's razor has been taken into account:

Suppose there exist two explanations for an occurrence. In this case the one that requires the smallest number of assumptions is usually correct. Another way of saying it is that the more assumptions you have to make, the more unlikely an explanation.


https://www.instagram.com/p/B-cU10Ghyv9/ In which Zhenya says she is traveling to Japan for Prism on Ice show. Which is taking place in June in Yokohama.

Maybe she never flew into Tokyo, but if she flew directly into Aomori that just seems even worse. To me. No one else has to feel this way. Or even agree. It's probably better for your peace of mind if you don't.

 

[egoshina]

A general statement about travel from a Japanese official is not a statement about Zhenya. I was asking, were there any actual statements from actual Japanese official's about Zhenya's activity. I don't know of any

I don't see random observations on Twitter as "voices of Japanese citizens". Are there other voices? Quotes from people willing to be identified and quoted by name? Actual real polls taken?
As I said earlier, any fool and their brother can start a hashtag or post on Twitter. That means literally nothing to me.

I don't care what TAT says about anything, but Katia I am interested in. Where did Katia say that Zhenya told her that she traveled specifically to Japan to practice? I would be interested in seeing that.

So far, I am seeing no "bad decision" and no reason for Zhenya to apologize, so I'm glad she hasn't

https://www.gazeta.ru/sport/2020/05/01/a_13069411.shtml
Interview with Katia where she says "We got contacted by the consulate and were strongly advised to go back to Russia.. Zhenya went to Japan while the country was still open. She was going to spend 2 weeks in quarantine there and then skate. But now the skating rinks are closed there too."

 

[TallyT]

Look, as it stands it doesn't really matter what we see or don't see, what is said in defence or criticism. Plenty of people including sports stars in their own countries have acted in a less than bright manner over the restrictions (there were a couple in our news today, you will be astonished to hear they were young footballers; because of the different rules here they got hit with fines and their club giving them what for, but it's unlikely to go further).

What may matter - not to us, nor to the Russian ladies' skating in general, just to Evgenia herself - is whether or not she has damaged her fan base in Japan. Something not one person outside Japan has any influence over or way to predict. So best bet... leave it for now with them?

On a different, much cheerier note, why did no one tell me about Alena Leonova? She was adorable, just my style of endearing personality... can anyone tell me know what she might be doing now?