2021 Worlds are still on

[4everchan]

Very little of the calls for boycotting the Beijing games have been centered around Covid but due to human rights abuse issues, though some has been tied to the virus. I tried to Google and find the article, but I remember seeing an article last year where it talked about the only people that got hurt from the 1980 boycott was the athletes; if countries do boycott or want to make a statement about China, I hope that they find a way to do it without refusing the athletes the choice to go and compete. Athletes don't have a choice in where the Olympics get held and it would really stink that they work so hard and then don't get the option to go.

this is the Canadian Olympic Committee stance about the games too....it is not the athletes' responsibilities to achieve better human rights ....and previous boycotts haven't obviously helped much

ETA : forgot to mention : an interesting approach was for Canadian members of parliament of all parties and some athletes including Olympic Champion Jean-Luc Brassard, asked in an open letter to host the games but somewhere else...

 

[Jontor]

Well, you can say that Sweden is having the "dress rehearsals" for Worlds now at Globen City Arena's as the Melodifestivalen started this weekend and will go on for 6 weeks (5 heats, finale on 13th March). This is a huge event with lots of artists and their teams competing for a place at 2021 Eurovision Song Contest in May. Before the live TV competition on Saturday nights there are days of rehearsals before that.

For Melodifestivalen they have changed the arena to Annexet adjacent to the Globe Arena. Annexet is usually used for concerts and ice hockey so they might do the same for FS Worlds.
Each team is separated as much as possible and everyone needs to wear a tag that beeps/vibrates if you are too close to other teams/workers.
And of course there are strict regulations on hygiene etc. and there is no audience.

We'll see how it goes, first week seemed to go OK with no reported COVID cases.

 

[alexocfp]

Well, you can say that Sweden is having the "dress rehearsals" for Worlds now at Globen City Arena's as the Melodifestivalen started this weekend and will go on for 6 weeks (5 heats, finale on 13th March). This is a huge event with lots of artists and their teams competing for a place at 2021 Eurovision Song Contest in May. Before the live TV competition on Saturday nights there are days of rehearsals before that.

For Melodifestivalen they have changed the arena to Annexet adjacent to the Globe Arena. Annexet is usually used for concerts and ice hockey so they might do the same for FS Worlds.
Each team is separated as much as possible and everyone needs to wear a tag that beeps/vibrates if you are too close to other teams/workers.
And of course there are strict regulations on hygiene etc. and there is no audience.

We'll see how it goes, first week seemed to go OK with no reported COVID cases.

MF makes too much money to cancel. The televote cash alone is insane.

Also, promise me you’ll choose a good song. haha

 

[pearly]

Not sure when this document was published and if it has been posted here before. The ISU gives answers to some questions regarding travel to Sweden, bubble, testing and the event: https://www.isu.org/docman-document...ments-96/25494-wfsc2021-general-qa-media/file

Summary:

Negative tests before and during the event will be required
A bubble will be set up
No audience allowed at this time
Athletes and their teams will be exempt from current travel restricitons to Sweden
Worlds will be a qualifying event for Beijing (as well as Nebelhorn).

 

[zanadude]

Speaking of World Championships held on ice in late March, the World Women's Curling Championships in Switzerland were just cancelled.

 

[vla13]

It appears the "bubble" does not require a prior quarantine nor as of now a negative covid test upon arrival at the event, just a negative PCR test before arrival to Sweden, so I'm not sure how effective the "bubble" will be. I hope it is, but I feel like most bubbles have required quarantining before entering it, and this seems to allow athletes to arrive the day before practices start. :/

 

[macy]

It appears the "bubble" does not require a prior quarantine nor as of now a negative covid test upon arrival at the event, just a negative PCR test before arrival to Sweden, so I'm not sure how effective the "bubble" will be. I hope it is, but I feel like most bubbles have required quarantining before entering it, and this seems to allow athletes to arrive the day before practices start. :/

how are skaters going to miss several days of training before competing at a world championship? their feds aren't going to pay for all that extra time staying in a hotel either. there is only so much they can realistically do and quarantine is not one of them. the bubble worked well for Skate America.

 

[bookofcharms]

It's not a 'bubble' if everyone just turns up and skates and fingers are crossed.

I can think of several ways that an effective quarantined bubble could be created which accommodates training but it would cost a lot of money and take a lot of planning and require a strictly self-enforced honesty policy amongst all nations.

However, I'm truly reconciled to the fact that it's likely the ISU will just be crossing its fingers for Worlds and hoping it goes well. Like another poster said, there's no money for any kind of effective quarantine or true bubble. The athletes will just end up travelling in economy class on commercial planes from all around the world and showing up to skate. I used to be a bit troubled by this, but I think after that competition in Russia a couple of days ago, I've realised there's no point in even bothering to worry about it. It'll all just happen, come what may.

 

[ruga]

ISU has organized speed skating events this season with bubbles and everything, so maybe they'll use their experience for figure skating? Telling skaters not to train for 10+ days and then skate will result in a huge mess during competition and you don't want that in Olympic qualifier. I doubt that sports events that have taken place recently had mandatory quarantine.

But heyy we are getting a song!

ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2021 official song performed by Måns Zelmerlöw and Polina Gagarina - International Skating Union

The Swedish Figure Skating Association and the International Skating Union (ISU) are proud to announce that the official song for the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships will be performed by international artists Måns Zelmerlöw and Polina Gagarina. The single will be released on February 19...

www.isu.org

 

[bookofcharms]

There’s ways of incorporating quarantine measures into the training process that have been effective in other sports. But again these measures are expensive and require a great deal of planning.

And these are for sports that require multiple matches etc. So if a couple of teams are effected by rona it would destroy the competition.

However if Worlds is a superspreader, that’s not actually the ISUs problem if they get the event completed. The athletes just have to go home and deal with it themselves.

 

[anonymoose_au]

Telling skaters not to train for 10+ days and then skate will result in a huge mess during competition

Well ideally with a bubble the athletes would arrive almost a month before the event so that they can both quarantine and have training time, like with the Australian Open.

This is hugely expensive though, so unfortunately the ISU has to go with a "cross your fingers" approach.

 

[el henry]

There’s ways of incorporating quarantine measures into the training process that have been effective in other sports. But again these measures are expensive and require a great deal of planning.

And these are for sports that require multiple matches etc. So if a couple of teams are effected by rona it would destroy the competition.

However if Worlds is a superspreader, that’s not actually the ISUs problem if they get the event completed. The athletes just have to go home and deal with it themselves.

Welcome to Goldenskate @bookofcharms. Post long and post often.

I agree that effective measures for a real bubble would be best. Even a semi-bubble like US Nats would at least be a start. If they actually go through with this, we can only hope for the best

 

[Winnie_20]

You can have a bubble and train daily during the days before the event. It’s not rocket science. You have the skaters in a hotel, you transfer them to and from the arena daily by bus, they aren’t allowed to go anywhere else, voila. Heck, aren’t the event hotels at Worlds next to the arena in Stockholm?
The ISU has experience with this, as has been mentioned more than once in this topic. Strict rules to follow. What makes FS so special that what works for the speed skaters, wouldn’t work for the figure skaters?!

 

[bookofcharms]

I think the issue is having a system to ensure that the skaters, coaches, workers etc aren’t going to become infectious in the middle of a comp due to rona contracted back home or in transit that didn’t show on the pre-entry test.

The simple ‘bubbles’ will just mean that in such a case they will only transmit rona to the other skaters and not the broader community.

It gets more complex and expensive when thinking of a plan to stop spread within the competition itself.

Other sports have dealt with this by requiring strict bubbles and regular testing back home pre competition (including whole households of the athletes and coaches) and then charter flying in the athletes for the comps.

Obviously there is no money in skating for that though.

The nightmare situation is what would happen if there were mid competition positive tests.

 

[CoyoteChris]

There are several factors to consider about the new strain and they are all related in a difficult multi variable problem. 1. The growth in numbers vs. the achieved total numbers. Judging by your graph, the first one is high but the second one is still quite small. 2. The severity of the new strain. If is the same or worse, that's one story. If it is similar to flu let alone common cold - it is another one. There's a saying in Russia: if you are burned by milk you will blow at the cold water. 3. The effect of vaccines and secondary immunity on a new strain. 4. The negative consequences of the quarantine vs. humanitarian and other aspects of the lenient approach (what Sweden had and Russia has now).

We know that Spanish flu lost its power not because of quarantine or vaccines but because new mutations proved to be less lethal. Maybe we have the same now.

Maybe! But maybe not.....

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[CoyoteChris]

I heard about this, the scientists have actually named it the "EEK" mutation which doesn't bode well...

I hope it doesn't/hasn't reached Russia.

The E...K is an interesting virus

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[CoyoteChris]

Very little of the calls for boycotting the Beijing games have been centered around Covid but due to human rights abuse issues, though some has been tied to the virus. I tried to Google and find the article, but I remember seeing an article last year where it talked about the only people that got hurt from the 1980 boycott was the athletes; if countries do boycott or want to make a statement about China, I hope that they find a way to do it without refusing the athletes the choice to go and compete. Athletes don't have a choice in where the Olympics get held and it would really stink that they work so hard and then don't get the option to go.

I do agree with you....I am sure many worked hard to get into the Olys of 1940 also.....and would have worked hard to get into the Olys of 1944. That was war.....but with this virus mutating as it is, this is war also....Maybe Sam is right and it will peter out....we all hope so......Even the South Africans are having success with the J&J vax and have ordered 9 million doses.....but in the end, the virus will decide...and its mutants....

 

[eaglehelang]

ISU has organized speed skating events this season with bubbles and everything, so maybe they'll use their experience for figure skating? Telling skaters not to train for 10+ days and then skate will result in a huge mess during competition and you don't want that in Olympic qualifier. I doubt that sports events that have taken place recently had mandatory quarantine.

But heyy we are getting a song!

ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2021 official song performed by Måns Zelmerlöw and Polina Gagarina - International Skating Union

The Swedish Figure Skating Association and the International Skating Union (ISU) are proud to announce that the official song for the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships will be performed by international artists Måns Zelmerlöw and Polina Gagarina. The single will be released on February 19...

www.isu.org

Badminton Thailand did(held in Jan 2021). At least 7 days quarantine + testing negative before departure.
And tests every 3 days.

BAM coaching director Choong Hann tests positive for Covid-19

The team will still compete at the Asian leg of the BWF Tour as scheduled tomorrow.

www.freemalaysiatoday.com

That was how India's top women singles player got tested positive. So did another player from India. Remember they need to test negative before entering Thailand :

Nehwal tests positive for COVID in Thailand: BAI

(Reuters) - Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has been withdrawn from the Thailand Open after testing positive for COVID-19, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) said on Tuesday.

www.thestar.com.my

Sai Praneeth out of Thailand Open due to COVID-19 positive test

(Reuters) - Indian shuttler B. Sai Praneeth has been withdrawn from the Thailand Open after testing positive for COVID-19, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Tuesday.

www.thestar.com.my

In short, testing negative before departure/upon arrival does not mean testing negative 7, 10 or 14 days later.
And yes, other sports have conducted rigorous testing due to rules of host country.

If its my country(in Asia), its 14 days mandatory quarantine regardless citizen or non citizen.

 

[Skater Boy]

I know right now World's is on but should I be cynical and there is still a chance it will be cancelled? I am just worried that we still seem to be fighting the pandemic.

 

[ruga]

I know right now World's is on but should I be cynical and there is still a chance it will be cancelled? I am just worried that we still seem to be fighting the pandemic.

For Worlds to be cancelled, either ISU or Swedish authorities would have to make this decision. So far, ISU seems very determined to organize it, so the only possibility is that Sweden doesn't allow it (by cancelling tournament or restricting entry to the country). AFAIK Sweden has had one of the most lenient quarantine measures, in Europe at least, and professional athletes have exemption on entry, but anything may happen in the coming months of course.