ISU Where Will Worlds BE (formerly) JAPAN QUAKE FOR WORLDS

[sillylionlove]

Can someone please make a petition to get rid of speedy?

 

[KKonas]

Another article (short), via USA Today: Figure skating to consider new plans for worlds

"Alternatives include holding the worlds at the end of April or the beginning of May, with the United States, Canada, Finland, Germany and Russia as possible hosts."

**edited, Thanks to mz734_FS (Andrew), provided the link to an extended version of the article via Twitter:
Figure skating to consider new plans for worlds (2)

I am beginning to doubt the veracity of these "alternate sites" as according to a Swedish fan, no one in the Swedish Skating Federation knows about this "wealthy" backer who would support holding Worlds in Malmo. Piseev of the Russian Fed has said holding Worlds in 30-60 days was "impossible." Lake Placid could never hold Worlds as it is impossible to get to and has few hotels. Colorado Springs does have potential as it already has two rinks next to each other and plenty of hotels nearby, but I think other alternate sites are fast "disappearing" as a real alternative.

 

[Ptichka]

Kkonas, I agree. Just visas alone for all the countries and all the federations! We tend to just think of the top athletes who already have visas to all the countries that generally hold high level competitions. What about everyone else? Those that perhaps make it to just two international competitions a year? Not to mention all the bureaucrats who always accompany the teams.

Then again, Russians are saying they can "arrange" it. Who knows, may be they really can? Somehow, I think Russian state department equivalent would be more amenable to a request for quick visas than the one in the US.

 

[Serious Business]

The Swedish investor guy is not unknown in Sweden, he owned some hockey club. But I agree that his offer is not credible as he is a rather sketchy character.

On the other hand, the Russian offer comes directly from the head of the sports ministry. With a lot resources, prestige and pressure piled on winter sports development in the country in the buildup to Sochi, an effort that involves the highest levels of Russian government, I have no doubt that they can get this done. Visas for athletes and their support teams have been arranged on short notice in the past when any alternates are called, and that's often without the help of the host country's government. The idea that this has to be delayed until October is nonsense.

 

[KKonas]

Kkonas, I agree. Just visas alone for all the countries and all the federations! We tend to just think of the top athletes who already have visas to all the countries that generally hold high level competitions. What about everyone else? Those that perhaps make it to just two international competitions a year? Not to mention all the bureaucrats who always accompany the teams.

Then again, Russians are saying they can "arrange" it. Who knows, may be they really can? Somehow, I think Russian state department equivalent would be more amenable to a request for quick visas than the one in the US.

I suppose if Putin got behind it and ordered it, but it's not just visas that is to be considered. I worked in Russia for two months for TV on a major skating competition and that was problematic in itself. I can't imagine starting from scratch and finishing in only 2 months. None of these reporters who talk about alternative sites in the next two months have a clue as to what it takes to organize a major competition like Worlds. While I appreciate the skaters' points of view and agree that it would be ideal to have the competition this spring, the logistics is not so simple. Skaters, coaches, and reporters all come to these events months and months and even years after all the hard work is done by the organizing committee.

 

[Ptichka]

Kkonas, I guess my point is that there are advantages to dealing with dictatorial regimes - they are generally better than democracies at "getting things done" as they do not have to consider whether it is legitimate to spend those kinds of resources for a grand gesture. And this kind of grand gesture would indeed be very much in line with the current reclaim-the-glory thinking of the country.

Those those articles that said "let's hold Worlds and use the proceeds to help Japan" did make me laugh. Proceeds? If by some miracle they do succeed in holding the Worlds before summer, the cost will be prohibitive and there certainly won't be any money left over.

 

[gmyers]

Russia is going to be hosting the winter olympics next and it has a vested interest if it got worlds in making it work well and run smoothly to show what they could do in 2014. But the ISU has always always shown a preference for holding big events in north america! The number of times canada or the US has hosted worlds is astronomical!!

 

[Krislite]

Russia is going to be hosting the winter olympics next and it has a vested interest if it got worlds in making it work well and run smoothly to show what they could do in 2014. But the ISU has always always shown a preference for holding big events in north america! The number of times canada or the US has hosted worlds is astronomical!!

Well, figure skating used to be most popular in North America. Now that that popularity has moved to Asia--and Japan in particular--it's not surprising the ISU planned to hold it in Tokyo for the second time in four years. The World Championship follows the money, the fans and the fame. That's only logical, and hardly a crime.

 

[Poodlepal]

I agree a full worlds, with all the skaters, all the bureaucrats and all the reporters is out of the question. What they need, though, is some sort of competition soon so that someone can be crowned world champion while still in this skating season.

I would rather see a scaled down event with fewer skaters who already have visas to whatever country is holding it than wait seven months for an extravaganza worthy of a king! Wouldn't all the medal contenders have the visas already, anyway? Is it really worth it to postpone it so long so that someone with no chance of winning can skate and probably get eliminated after the short program?

 

[Serious Business]

None of these reporters who talk about alternative sites in the next two months have a clue as to what it takes to organize a major competition like Worlds.

The offers to host Worlds in spring came directly from the head of the sports ministry in Russia, and from other officials in other countries. And the only reporter who said Worlds should be hosted in spring that I read is Scott Russell, who has reported on not just figure skating, but Olympics, hockey, football for many decades, who has seen the organization of more major events than most of us have been to.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

the logistics of hosting a championship are staggering. Why take it out on Cinquanta? If a country is willing to take on the job of hosting, it will still need an ISU Chief to check it all out before it becomes viable. I can understand that fans wantiing a championship as soon as possible, but a host country also has much to plan before a date is set. It's an administrative and financial job that has to be done correctly or those same urgent fans will complain. We have to wait until the ISU selects a country with whom it can work with from beginning to end. Not easy.

Is that the official plan now to use another country?

 

[seniorita]

worlds will be held in russia ??? i only knew the offer by RF, i didnt know Putin is involved>..

 

[janetfan]

Kkonas, I agree. Just visas alone for all the countries and all the federations! We tend to just think of the top athletes who already have visas to all the countries that generally hold high level competitions. What about everyone else? Those that perhaps make it to just two international competitions a year? Not to mention all the bureaucrats who always accompany the teams.

Then again, Russians are saying they can "arrange" it. Who knows, may be they really can? Somehow, I think Russian state department equivalent would be more amenable to a request for quick visas than the one in the US.

To bad Evan is not competing to test this "quick visa" theory
On the other hand Johnny probably has an extended multiple entry visa but he won't be competing either.

It would be nice to have Worlds in Russia this spring.
It seems certain all they have to do is make it worth while financially and Speedy will cover himself in furs.

But logistics and Japanese respect aside, isn't this really about money :think:
It would make some sense for the Russians to host as the pressure of putting it together so quickly could be good preparation experience for Sochi as well as boosting public interest.

Other posters have mentioned insurance money. If ISU can recoup from insurance companies I don't know if they can afford to hold Worlds at a loss in Russia.

Long term planning and "for the good of the sport" stuff is nice but not practical if ISU's operating budget is running on fumes.

On th other hand, if ISU can afford the rents in Geneva they must have a fair degree of resources.

 

[Serious Business]

worlds will be held in russia ??? i only knew the offer by RF, i didnt know Putin is involved>..

No, I only mentioned that Putin was involved in the Sochi mascot voting in Russia, which I only mentioned by way of showing how Russia has heightened interest in winter sports right now. Who knows if Putin would be involved? He did pick that awful, clichéd, trying-too-freaking-hard snowboarding leopard over the figure skating hare.

 

[colleen o'neill]

Joe..It seems to me that the fans will be will be willing to accept a world's without the usual hoopla , rather than see it take place in October , thereby wreaking havoc with 2 yrs .of competition instead of one.

The main things are the Ice , the Skaters, the Judges , the hotels. Perhaps it will have to be a much smaller audience . Maybe there won't be a plethora of memorabilia. I know I'd just consider myself lucky to be there , if it happened to be a venue I could get to...I know whenever it is, I'll be sitting glued to my TV or computer screen for as much as they show and/or as much as I can physically take....I don't think they'll have trouble arranging for TV coverage ..because the very fact that the circumstances are so unusual ought to be a draw for TV audiences.

If the ISU is at all willing to go for anything less than the full extravaganza...there won't be as many details to be double checking...

But I think the main thing people have against Cinquatta is his attitude toward the skaters ( and it has been so for years ). Almost every time he opens his mouth, he proves they are just grist for the mill . His regard for the fans is pretty non-existent, too..the recent Europeans was held in an unheated building . Not good for the skaters, and you could see the audience sitting bundled under blankets with blue noses for hours at a time. When asked about it he said "It's a winter sport." Where was the planning and attention to detail ?

Maybe World's can't take place as quickly as we would like..but there's no reason it can't be done much sooner than October.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

^^^^^
Colleen..Is this a competition for the fans or for the skaters? From what I've read, the skaters are more patient. Fans can only speculate. Skaters have to drop everything and get their gear (music, costumes, etc.) ready, personal items, visas accepted, make reservations for hotels, hopefully are in a position to practice. the international judges will also have to be ready. There should be a list of replacements if some can not make it.

TV coverage is dependent on networks. That is an unknown at this point. Many of the LIVE spectators may well have to get involved in getting their monies (admissions and flights) back from the Tokyo Worlds and may not consider another trip. Another unknown. Will there be enough interest in an earlier Worlds? A less spectacular Worlds will numb the effects on the skaters.

This is an event for the Skaters who have practiced their skills all year. IMO, they should be considered moreso than the fans.

I agree Cinquanta is not the best when it comes to interest in figure skating, but then I am not impressed so much with speed skating. The two go together (why, I don't know?) to form the ISU. Whoever heads the ISU is the leader of the pack, and in this crisis, he has to deliver the best for the skaters, and imo, not worry about the fans. That's his job, and he knows more about that than I or any other fan.

 

[Nadine]

I gotta tell you the more I read the more disgusted I get day to day, and that's the honest to God truth (though there was the brief hilarious respite with Hersh's article). Still, it's hard to hold one's tongue.

So I will say this, I stand strong & firm in my belief that Worlds should not be held, absolutely nothing will persuade me otherwise.

And I'll be blunt as can be, I am viscerally disgusted with this "ME, ME, ME", "NOW, NOW, NOW!" culture. :disagree: No respect whatsoever.

The country of Japan was rewarded these World Championships, no other, and as a courtesy to them it should be cancelled in the event they cannot hold it within a reasonable time frame, which is the month of April. And as it has been very obvious from the beginning they cannot hold it, then it should be cancelled. Period. And My God I'm not even going to talk about the reason why, chief among them the dead.

NOT thrown together like some mickey mouse, ticky tack toe event to whomever, just for the sake of having it!!!! This is why countries are awarded such a prestigious event at most a couple of years ahead of time, at worst 6 months, not 6 weeks!

Anyhow, I'm not going to go on & on about this issue, just couldn't hold my tongue any longer. I've said my piece this past week, now I await the final word from the ISU. Like the old proverb says silence is golden...

 

[Mathman]

The country of Japan was rewarded these World Championships, no other, and as a courtesy to them it should be cancelled in the event they cannot hold it within a reasonable time frame, which is the month of April. And as it has been very obvious from the beginning they cannot hold it, then it should be cancelled. Period. And My God I'm not even going to talk about the reason why, chief among them the dead.

I do not see how canceling Worlds benefits the dead.

 

[Spun Silver]

^ Neither do I. And there are some very much alive Japanese skaters who should be celebrated right now. I would be very surprised if most Japanese did NOT want them to skate.

 

[colleen o'neill]

Joe ..I agree with you that the main reason for any rescheduling should be for the benefit of the skaters and the sport itself.( A point I've been reiterating for days.. ) If the competition cannot be arranged in a way that takes what is best for the athletes into consideration , then I think cancellation is preferable ,accompanied by a temporary bending of ISU rules to make sure skaters do not lose eligibility through no fault of their own.

I only made referrence to the fans because there has been the odd voice raised in sympathy with Speedy saying the fans will complain no matter what he does. This is probably true , but he's never really shown much concern for the fans before ( except as a source of revenue) , so I doubt he'll be losing any sleep over it. I mention TV coverage because I believe that is an important source of revenue to the ISU, and a major stipulation for whoever hosts the event.

The skaters will be patient if they must , and will do their best to meet whatever demands are made of them. They have no alternative , but I think most would rather the event be held sooner as opposed to later for training and health considerations.

On another note..Nadine ..The death and destruction caused by this ongoing disaster is horrendous and heartbreaking , but that is not, in itself , the reason for cancelling or postponing the event. The reason is that it was not possible under these circumstances for the host country or the ISU to guarantee the safety and well being of the athletes , or an orderly competition.