2025 -26 Grand Prix Final Pairs Free Skate

[BlissfulSynergy]

Japan Fed will likely to push as much as they possibly can for favorable perception of R/R PCSs

LOL! R&R have great SS. The rest of pcs categories for them, they are consistently overrated. They do not express music well. They skate over the music. But, they have good choreographers who help camouflage their pcs weaknesses with music selection and choreo. Not that it matters if TPTB are determined to place them on top no matter what, like at GPF. Still, there are more eyes on the Olympics, so judges will be questioned if the crowd sees blatant favoritism and unfairness. Especially if C/M skate as well as they skated at GPF and don't win in their home country over an R&R with mistakes.

 

[Reah]

What 'fraud' do you refer to in 2018?

The Chinese judge who, a few weeks after Pyeongchang, was found guilty of cheating in the final to the detriment of S/M and sentenced to a two-year ban (after which he was able to continue unchallenged).

 

[Reah]

You mean Massot doing the double instead of triple jump in the 2018 sp.

No, I was actually referring to the fresh impressions from the weekend to point out how the stories (and what could possibly be concluded from them) are becoming increasingly similar...

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

It's no coincidence that Japan fed sent their up-and-coming team, Nagaoka/ Moriguchi to train with Savin.

Sadly, I am getting the feeling that Japan fed and others are gonna be over-hyping Naga/Mori, too. Nagaoka is a bit inconsistent sometimes on solo sbs jumps, and especially throws, where she has a tendency to doublefoot landings. Judges ignored a slight doublefoot during N/M's last competition.

Regarding junior pairs results, which I didn't get to see those performances yet, but the victory ceremonies were on Peacock stream, spoiling it for me. Anyway, it looks like Japan and China are shoring up youthful talent in pairs. If Russian athletes are allowed back soon, it's looking like Japan, China, and Russia are gearing up to dominate in pairs. But once again, there can always be some unpredictability. I just wish there was a way forward for less political outcomes and more fairness.

 

[lariko]

Umm, Pav/Svia are still trying to grow aesthetically. They are technically solid but magical? Eh, no. There could be other teams, however, I would not count out to meet the moment, including C/M, Hase/Volodin, Deanna/Max, and possibly even Efi/Mit and K/O. I'm personally not interested in S/H being there and trying to win gold or get on the podium based on their past glory.

Once again, I am not talking about anything realistic. I am talking a miracle. And my point is that the Olympic judging is not flexible enough to respond to a miracle. It has a built in conservative factor (i.e. hive-mind) and internal politics.

Russian pair juniors look decent atm. But since there is no word on inclusion, the Chinese skaters are likely to come back strong next quad.

 

[Isk]

Pairs free skating in pictures

 

[Miya88]

The Chinese judge who, a few weeks after Pyeongchang, was found guilty of cheating in the final to the detriment of S/M and sentenced to a two-year ban (after which he was able to continue unchallenged).

really ?? so british judge should be banned for what he did in ice dance

 

[Reah]

Reah said: The Chinese judge who, a few weeks after Pyeongchang, was found guilty of cheating in the final to the detriment of S/M and sentenced to a two-year ban (after which he was able to continue unchallenged).

I remember it as if it were yesterday (the matter is somewhat more complex, as two Chinese judges were involved who had already been warned by the ISU because they had previously been noticed as, well, “cheaters.”). Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to recall this in order to see S/M's actual achievement in a different light. For those who couldn't have known or didn't notice at the time (almost 8 years ago):

“Two figure skating judges have been suspended by the International Skating Union (ISU) after being found guilty of bias during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang and one will miss out on officiating at Beijing 2022 as a result.

Following an investigation, Chen Weiguang and Huang Feng, who are both Chinese, were found to have given skaters from their own country "preferential marking".

[...]

The investigation into Huang Feng found a similar level of suspicious scoring.

He gave the second highest grade of execution scores to the Chinese pairs team of Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, who won the silver medal.

It was found he had awarded them a score of plus three in seven different elements, which none of the other judges did, while at the same time he gave Wenjing and Cong's rivals, the German couple of Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot, the lowest score of all the judges.

It has emerged Feng had already been warned about his conduct a month before Pyeongchang 2018 following suspicious scoring at the 2017 ISU Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, but was still allowed to participate as a judge.

In discussing Weiguang's case he ISU concluded: "There is evidence of preference for the Chinese skater and prejudice against his strongest competitors.

"Her [Weiguang's] marks were completely unrealistic."

The report into Huang also concluded that he "obviously favoured his pair also vis-a-vis the other top candidates for the Olympic gold medal".

[...]”

Source: insidethegames.biz, Wednesday, 20 June 2018

Originals:

https://media.insidethegames.biz/media/file/110530/Case+2018-06%2C+ISU+vs.+CHEN%2C++Final+decision+for+Publication%2C+18.06.2018.pdf

https://media.insidethegames.biz/media/file/110531/Case+2018-02+ISU+vs.+HUANG+Final+Decision+for+Publication+18.06.2018.pdf

Once again, a “too successful” German pair is in the crosshairs of “certain interests and manipulations,” this time from two sides at once. It is to be hoped that H/V, Savin and Co. in Milan will take a close look at the protocols in good time and, if necessary, lodge an objection before it is too late. In Pyeongchang, everything was silently endured and swept under the carpet because they had won, but this time it could turn out very differently...