Official - European Championships Cancelled

[alexocfp]

Just got the bulletin in my email.

https://isu.org/media-centre/press-releases/2020-6/25290-decisions-of-the-council-10-12-20/file

The ISU Council met on Thursday December 10, 2021. Among other decisions that will be published in due course in an ISU Communication Decisions of the Council, the Council decided to cancel the following ISU Events in view of the worsening worldwide Covid-19 pandemic situation and the consequent increasing risks for organizers and participants:

· ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2021,
Zagreb, Croatia on January 25-31, 2021

· ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships
2021, Lyon, France on March 12-13, 2021

In addition, the ISU Grand Prix Final season 2020/21 which had already been postponed from its originally scheduled date of December 10-13, 2020 in Beijing, China, has now been definitely cancelled.

The ISU World Figure Skating Championships remain scheduled to be held in Stockholm, Sweden on March 22-28, 2021. In the unfortunate event that the sanitary situation worsens further and that these World Championships could not be held as planned, the ISU Council would assess and reevaluate the remainder of the 2020/21 Figure Skating season and decide whether, in addition to the World Team Trophy, scheduled for Osaka, Japan on April 15-18, 2021, other ISU Figure Skating Events could be organized, if the pandemic situation allows.

 

[4everchan]

well... well.. if ISU cannot run europeans, I doubt worlds will go forward... much more complicated with all the countries versus Europe

 

[Skatesocs]

That's good. I'm glad.

Again, unless the coaches, skaters, federations, whoever else, are unwilling to take the strictest of precautions, I'd rather everything else were cancelled too.

 

[alexocfp]

well... well.. if ISU cannot run europeans, I doubt worlds will go forward... much more complicated with all the countries versus Europe

I guess they don’t want to call it yet since it’s still 4 months away. And who knows where we are then after the vaccine rolls out.

 

[ruga]

People are already being vaccinated or will start to during the next few weeks. Not everyone will be vaccinated by March, but it will definitely be safer, considering that even now some international competitions are taking place. At worst maybe it will also be possible to replace WTT with Worlds. Otherwise that's a great shame since 2 or even 1 season can make or break skater's career.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

For those that are talking about Worlds and whether vaccines will help the prospects of it happening, I think I should drop in this story:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/55264706

So, for those that are pinning their hopes for the full resumption of sport on vaccines, WADA may dash those hopes.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[flanker]

Expected, but still sad.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

I'm surprised they were still thinking about doing a GPF

 

[yume]

Otherwise that's a great shame since 2 or even 1 season can make or break skater's career.

It's disastrous. Some will probably never be euros/worlds champion because of something they can't control. A damned generation.

 

[TallyT]

I'm surprised they were still thinking about doing a GPF

Looks like they aren't

Update on ISU Event Calendar season 2020/21 - International Skating Union

The ISU Council met on Thursday December 10, 2021. Among other decisions that will be published in due course in an ISU Communication Decisions of the Council, the Council decided to cancel certain ISU Events in view of the worsening worldwide Covid-19 pandemic situation and the consequent...

isu.org

"In addition, the ISU Grand Prix Final season 2020/21 which had already been postponed from its originally scheduled date of December 10-13, 2020 in Beijing, China, has now been definitely cancelled."

Should this be a separate thread or just amend the subject?

 

[MaHa75]

I am dissapointed...i read few days ago Interview with Lakernik and he suggested to postpone the Europeans and held it at the end of february or even april! I thought that this is a good option...but no...easiest way is to simply cancel!
I really hope that Sweden will hold the flag up and give our skaters oportunity.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

For those that are talking about Worlds and whether vaccines will help the prospects of it happening, I think I should drop in this story:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/55264706

So, for those that are pinning their hopes for the full resumption of sport on vaccines, WADA may dash those hopes.

CaroLiza_fan

I cannot imagine that they would prohibit professional sportsmen and sportswomen from getting the vaccine based on anti-doping concerns. The public outcry would be huge and rightly so, since this would be a really irresponsible approach from WADA.

 

[ruga]

It's disastrous. Some will probably never be euros/worlds champion because of something they can't control. A damned generation.

Yes, I feel sorry for all skaters, and I keep thinking about Kostornaia/Shcherbakova/Trusova (and Kihira too, though the field is a bit less crowded in Japan). They're one of the most talented generations, but Valieva is catching up fast and is already considered a favourite to win Olympics. It's sad to think that not all of them will be World champions.

 

[Winnie_20]

Looks like they aren't

Not anymore, but yes, they were still planning on organizing the GPF. It had never been cancelled, just postponed. Don’t ask, the logic behind that escaped everybody except the ISU.

 

[nussnacker]

Yeah, there goes their 'we plan to use learnings from Europeans to hold Worlds' plan.

Sweden in the meantime:

As COVID deaths rise, Sweden pulls a U-turn and proposes a lockdown law

“We are not rid of the pandemic," Sweden's minister of health says. "We see a need to have regulation in place during next year.”

fortune.com

 

[TallyT]

It's disastrous. Some will probably never be euros/worlds champion because of something they can't control. A damned generation.

And there are all the ones who may never seriously have really been in the running for champion, but who still have missed out on their time in the international sporting light: people like Roman who hasn't been able to build on his nats championship last year, the other Canadians, the non-Russian European skaters, the Korean girls who were so beautiful last year. And then there's the smaller countries...

I am sorry for the few, the very few, that were in the running for the golds that are now snatched away, but I'm more sorry for the ones whose whole sporting career - smaller and less publicised, but still important for them and their country - has been pretty much made a blank.

 

[karne]

Took them long enough. The writing's been on the wall for Euros for literal weeks.

 

[yume]

And there are all the ones who may never seriously have really been in the running for champion, but who still have missed out on their time in the international sporting light: people like Roman who hasn't been able to build on his nats championship last year, the other Canadians, the non-Russian European skaters, the Korean girls who were so beautiful last year. And then there's the smaller countries...

I am sorry for the few, the very few, that were in the running for the golds that are now snatched away, but I'm more sorry for the ones whose whole sporting career - smaller and less publicised, but still important for them and their country - has been pretty much made a blank.

Yes.......
Being sorry for those who could win gold doesn't mean not being sorry for those who are less in the spotlight. Everyone is losing basically two years.

 

[TallyT]

Yes.......
Being sorry for those who could win gold doesn't mean not being sorry for those who are less in the spotlight. Everyone is losing basically two years.

Oh I agree, sorry if my post sounded like a criticism of yours, that wasn't what I meant.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I cannot imagine that they would prohibit professional sportsmen and sportswomen from getting the vaccine based on anti-doping concerns. The public outcry would be huge and rightly so, since this would be a really irresponsible approach from WADA.

That is what any sensible person would say. But WADA aren't exactly known for being sensible about things. Look at when they were relentlessly going after Carolina when she wasn't even the one that was doping (it was her boyfriend).

WADA do not allow any leeway. How many times do you hear about somebody getting banned because of eating food that contains traces of something prohibited? Or because they have taken something that is perfectly legal at home but has a different recipe in the country they are in?

If there is anything in the vaccines that is on their prohibited lists, I would bet that WADA will pursue the athletes regardless.

CaroLiza_fan