Why would the ISU be waiting for the Australian Open?
It's an outdoor event being held in a country where COVID is predominantly under control and being taken very seriously. All players had to quarantine for two weeks - and didn't we hear those spoiled little brats complain...
There are absolutely no similarities between the Australian Open and Worlds.
Erm, lots of athletes and their teams coming from lots of countries to the one place to take part in a sporting event.
If that isn't similar, I don't know what is!
There is no doubt that Australia is in a much better state than much of Europe (largely due to you being wise and shutting your borders completely). But, it is events like this that are going to undo all the good work you have done. So, why take the risk?!
Yes, I realise that very strong precautions are being taken by the organisers of the Australian Open to try to make the event run safely. But the tournament hasn't even started yet, and we have already seen things go wrong.
I know it was held in a different country, but what happened in the qualifying event was very concerning. A match starting before one of the players had got his test result back. And then the test results arriving during the match. They were positive. Yet the match continued! What was the point in playing on?! The guy who had tested positive wasn't going to be allowed to continue in the tournament anyway due to the positive result, so he had nothing to gain from it. By going on to win the match, all he did was to make sure neither of them got to Melbourne. And in the process, he was putting everybody around him at risk. Pure selfishness.
Fast forward to when people started getting flown into Australia, and there were people who tested positive on arrival, resulting in 4 plane-loads worth of people having to go into strict quarantine. So much for "having a negative test result within X hours before departure" (I don't know what the exact number of hours that was required).
Hey, the fact that the players are yapping about being stuck in their hotel rooms and not being able to train just shows that they are not taking the virus seriously.
Since I don't follow tennis, I don't know how many players have contracted COVID during the past year, or how they caught it. But, look at how many F1 drivers have had it. A quarter of the grid! And look how many of them got it through going on holidays at a time when the rest of us were being told to stay at home. Admittedly, Sergio Pérez did have a valid reason for going back to Mexico between races. But, others didn't.
All of this shows that you can't trust people to do the right thing. And when you are holding a big event, you need EVERYBODY to do the right thing.
We all know the tennis tournament is a major money spinner for Melbourne (as is the F1 race). But, I am amazed that the Victorian government and the national government are allowing it to go ahead. (At least the F1 race has been pushed to the end of the season).
And I am really shocked that 30,000 spectators are being allowed to attend each day. Yes, I know that when you divide them up between all the different courts, that there will probably be sufficient space for social distancing during the matches. But, what about when they are arriving and leaving?
When you are in a good place (like Australia is), you shouldn't be doing anything to risk it.
And when you are not in a good place (like Sweden is), you definitely shouldn't be doing anything that could make things worse!
So, for me anyway, sporting events like these should not be happening until the global vaccination programme is complete, or at least complete in the relevant countries.
CaroLiza_fan
a bit when people pull their masks down beneath their chin to talk then pull it back up again? It's like a huge no-no and a great way to contaminate yourself. Remove the mask from one ear holding the loop then place it back when finished, never touch the front of the mask! Perhaps a mask wearing lesson should also be required on entrance to the bubble.
or 
gesture will do the job. And if they locate for you, you can show your appreciation with a 
or 
or just a simple thumbs up.
but not at the cost of any skater, coach or official contracting COVID. That is a price too high to ask.
Of course I feel bad for these extraordinary young athletes, but I feel worse for the world and for people who contract COVID with serious repercussions. And it is impossible to predict who those people might be
