Purpose of rule allowing some to skate in GP events but not Worlds? | Golden Skate

Purpose of rule allowing some to skate in GP events but not Worlds?

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
I know people on both sides have valid opinions on age restrictions in the sport. However, I don't really understand the point of allowing skaters of a certain age to participate in the GP but not senior Worlds. The problems I have are:

1) It's confusing for fans to see skaters do exceptionally well against top seniors but not be allowed to skate against them at big events (i.e. Mao in 2006)
2) It's actually harder on the athletes, who either have to sit out the second half of the season or reconfigure their programs to meet the different set of requirements at Junior Worlds.
3) In some ways, it can lead to questions about whether the winners of big events were really the best in the world at that time (i.e. again, Mao in 2006)

I've never actually heard an explanation of why this is the policy of the ISU and was wondering if there was an official position of the organization as to why this is how things work.
 

bytheriver

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2016
I know people on both sides have valid opinions on age restrictions in the sport. However, I don't really understand the point of allowing skaters of a certain age to participate in the GP but not senior Worlds. The problems I have are:

1) It's confusing for fans to see skaters do exceptionally well against top seniors but not be allowed to skate against them at big events (i.e. Mao in 2006)
2) It's actually harder on the athletes, who either have to sit out the second half of the season or reconfigure their programs to meet the different set of requirements at Junior Worlds.
3) In some ways, it can lead to questions about whether the winners of big events were really the best in the world at that time (i.e. again, Mao in 2006)

I've never actually heard an explanation of why this is the policy of the ISU and was wondering if there was an official position of the organization as to why this is how things work.

Is there a difference in eligibility anymore? I thought they eliminated all differences in age eligibility amongst ISU events in the early ‘10s. Maybe in the 2013 season?
 

AsadaFanBoy

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 14, 2014
Is there a difference in eligibility anymore? I thought they eliminated all differences in age eligibility amongst ISU events in the early ‘10s. Maybe in the 2013 season?

If it was changed, it was changed later than 2013. I'm not entirely sure. Radionova competed on the Grand Prix circuit in 2013, qualified for the GPF that year, but unfortunately for Lenok she was too young to compete in Sochi. (her placement at RusNats might have been different if she knew she was competing for an Olympic spot)
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Is there a difference in eligibility anymore? I thought they eliminated all differences in age eligibility amongst ISU events in the early ‘10s. Maybe in the 2013 season?

Maybe I'm confused, but I thought not everyone skating in the GP is eligible for Worlds. Is that not the case? The last example I can think of is Julia in 2012-13 not being eligible for Worlds. I brought it up because I didn't know which new Russian seniors are age-eligible for Worlds. (Are all of them?)
 

MalAssada

Medalist
Joined
Jun 28, 2014
It changed after Sochi. Now skaters must have turned 15 before the start of that season to compete in seniors.
 

hanyuufan5

✨**:。*
Medalist
Joined
May 19, 2018
Just a guess, but might it have something to do with there having been a Junior Worlds but not a Junior Grand Prix back when the rule was made?
 

DSQ

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Country
United-Kingdom
Just a guess, but might it have something to do with there having been a Junior Worlds but not a Junior Grand Prix back when the rule was made?

They had a JGPF back in 1998 so probably not.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
They had a JGPF back in 1998 so probably not.

But the rule was started in 1996-97, at the same time that the minimum ages for seniors and juniors were tightened up. So they knew that the JGP was on the horizon, but it didn't exist at the time.

There may also have been some sense that they wanted skaters like Lipinski and Plushenko on the GP even though they would not be old enough for 1997 (and in Plushenko's case 1998) Worlds under the new rules without grandfathering.

The next batch of young stars would not have that advantage to get into Worlds, but maybe could benefit from some senior experience with lower pressure the year before moving up fully.

There was also a "junior world medal" loophole that allowed junior world medalists who didn't meet the age minimum to compete at Worlds, which lasted through 2000.

Probably at the 1996 Congress they already knew that Junior Worlds was going to move from December to March and the JGP would eventually hold its final in late autumn, although that was further in the future than the advent of the JGP itself.
 
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