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- Aug 16, 2018
Bingo. But also, I think sponsors need to know that at least there's "a way" to go to the Olympics if needed.
2025-26 Japanese Pairs and Ice Dance
- Thread starter mikeko666
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- Dec 28, 2013
Lol I remember that! Actually I meant UtaShin. I was gutted when they split. I think he had some family/financial issues that interrupted his training in Canada a while back, partnered a fellow Waseda University student and trained in Japan for a few years, then formed a team with Azusa. Can't remember offhand if he worked with someone else as well.
I don't know how important Olympics hype is in Japan but I'm sure that Japanese sponsors do know. There was a similar situation when KanaDai tried to qualify for previous Games, so... The sponsors apparently know what they need.
Although for RikaShin, 2030 Olympics would be a more realistic goal.
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- Mar 1, 2014
There is a significant difference between these situations: KanaDai had teamed up one season prior to the Olympic season and earned the required tech mins before Nationals 2021 (they even had the highest international scores out of the Japanese dance teams at the time). They had a realistic chance of making the Olympic team (if not for the double fall that occured in the RD at Nationals
).RikaShin or any of the other teams (other than UtaMasa, who already have them) won't have the opportunity to earn their tech mins before Nationals (it would be highly unlikely to achieve them so soon after teaming up anyway) and the federation is putting an even higher hurdle for them to earn them later at Golden Spin with the requirement to achieve Worlds tech mins (instead of the lower tech mins needed for the Olympics and 4CC) at Sectionals.
I said in The Edge that the battle for the Olympic team spot seems to become fierce, but realistically I'd say it's very unlikely that any team other than UtaMasa will get to go. As you said, 2030 is indeed a way more realistic goal for any of the newly formed teams. The question is - will any team have the opportunity to earn the Olympic tech mins in time at all in case an alternate team needs to be ready (due to injury or illness)?*
As for sponsors - do you refer to those sponsoring the domestic competitions or the athletes? Also, I'm not sure what's meant by "they know what they need"?
*ETA: Now that I think about it, I'm not actually sure whether the skaters who fill the additional quota spots for the team event have to meet the minimum technical standard?
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Required TES for Golden Spin is reduced to 85
JSF updated today (October 2)
JSF updated today (October 2)
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- Aug 16, 2018
That's a lot loool
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- Jan 17, 2022
Did they finally notice that they wouldn't have any Dance teams at 4CC if they had to achieve Worlds minimums domestically first? Yoshida/Morita are the only team with 4CC minimums, and who knows if they'll be at 4CC.
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- Aug 16, 2018
Yeah, that's the thing. So when Ikura/Koshiro said their goal is to hopefully be selected for 4CC, the implication is that they have to be the 1 team that wins the only 1 spot for Golden Spin, as that is the only dispatch that allows them to get tech minimums for 4CC (and Olympics).
I know JSF has cancelled Bavarian Open assignment, so no one is getting sent there for Olympic minimums (it's too close to Olys anyways). Not sure about Challenge Cup.
This is what I mean when sponsors need to know that there's "a way" to go to the Olympics:
1. The ice dance team who gets the Olympic team event spot isn't set in stone yet until Nationals (no JSF rule saying the team that is sent to try qualify the individual spot is the one getting the team event spot)
2. There is a way for newly made teams to get Olympic TES minimums before the Olympics (meaning, the sole ice dance team who has Olympic TES minimum right now is not automatically qualified by the virtue of being the only team who has Olympic TES minimums)
3. The minimum criteria to be sent to the 1 competition to get Olympic TES minimums is made to be more feasible to achieve by newly made teams (done today by JSF with the reduction)
FYI, Shingo's local TES when he first debuted with new partners:
- with Azusa Tanaka: 97,95
- with Ayumi Takanami: 86,49
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- Apr 17, 2022
It sucks that JSF will only send 1 team to Golden Spin and not 2
Does Japan still have 3 slots for 4CC? But even if they only have 2, the more teams that have the minimums the better, as who knows if UtaMasa would like to do 4CC considering how close it is to the Olympics...
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Also it's hard to get TES min at first ever inernational comp for a brand new team, especially for those skaters who are very new to discipline and still figuring out dance elements. They should be sent to comps as much as possible to get experience and feedback.It sucks that JSF will only send 1 team to Golden Spin and not 2
Does Japan still have 3 slots for 4CC? But even if they only have 2, the more teams that have the minimums the better, as who knows if UtaMasa would like to do 4CC considering how close it is to the Olympics...
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- Sep 22, 2024
Btw. It seems UtaMasa decided to go back to their Phoenix free skate. I wonder if it's final choice of they want to try it at challenger next week and see how will go. I get they were frustrated after chinese nebelhorn. I liked this program in their first season it was nicely choreographed so I'm curious how it will look now when they've improved a lot as a team.
The idea of sponsorship is to use the publicity of the athlete/artist/event to highlight the sponsors' product. The companies who are into sponsorship usually analyse a lot of data: how much media attention the athlete/sport gets, how many mentions in social media there are, the audience data etc. Hence I assume that they can analyse KanaDai publicity data and assess if the involvement would be worth it in case if the team does not actually go to the Olympics (and that's the question to answer). Refers to any sponsors anywhere.
There are persons/companies who support sports/athletes simply because they like them but, to be correct, they should be called "patrons" and not "sponsors".
Yes, they do. It's 85 for dance.
It sucks that JSF will only send 1 team to Golden Spin and not 2
Does Japan still have 3 slots for 4CC? But even if they only have 2, the more teams that have the minimums the better, as who knows if UtaMasa would like to do 4CC considering how close it is to the Olympics...
According to the ISU Communication No.2732 about 4CC 2026, the Four Continents Championships will have open entries with each ISU Member entitled to enter up to a maximum of three (3) entries for each event.
So, yes, there are 3 slots for 4CC.
If there will be 3 or 4 teams who reach the minimums of 85 in Nationals, then JSF can simply change their minds again
I just think that they are not as optimistic as we are
ETA: Talking about open entries, I wonder what's the chance of the newly formed pair Kagotani/Honda to qualify for 4CC
... I haven't found any news about them since they announced the new partnership.
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- Mar 1, 2014
Thanks for the clarification (I had an inkling that’s what you meant). Yes, of course potential sponsors conduct market research before investing ressources. This doesn’t really apply to Kana’s and Daisuke’s case though. For one because Daisuke brought his popularity along with his two main sponsors at the time, Puma and Sky Court, into the partnership (and both of them immediately took on Kana as well). Puma had supported him as an amateur as well as a professional/retired athlete and prominently featured him in their campaigns (and sold collaboration products with great success) for over a decade at that point (they started sponsoring him even before he earned his Olympic medal and world title). In 2020 his popularity and brand image were so solidified due to his achievements in singles that they were way past the point of being dependent on if he’d make it to the Olympics as an ice dancer or not.
And then there are persons/companies who support athletes not only because they like them (and have known them personally prior to sponsoring them) but because they also have a direct connection with the respective sport already, which is the case with Sky Court (a real estate company) due to their President/CBO being a figure skater herself (her parents founded the company) and an acquaintance (due to performing together at Prince Ice World prior to the sponsorship) as well as a longtime fan of Daisuke (as is her mother). It is one of the most well matched sponsorships in figure skating I’m aware of. (Btw. Sky Court also took on Rena Uezono last year.)
Being very popular herself, I'd expect that Rika’s sponsors will stick with her too in her new endeavour, regardless of her Olympic prospects (after all she will finally be competing again, which increases her visibility). Let's see, if some of them are going to take on Shingo as well.
Thank you. Can you point me to the source stating this applies to the additional quota athletes?
I wasn’t able to find that particular piece of info.
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Thank you for your insight!
So much information, as always
The general rules regarding OWG qualification are published in the document about Milano Cortina Olympic Qualification System for figure skating (ISU Communication No 2696 had the link to this document). This document says in Section D4 that “the Minimum Combined Total Element Scores determined by the ISU for this Additional Athletes Quota may be different from the Minimum Combined Total Element Scores for the individual OWG competitions/disciplines. The applicable Minimum Total Element Scores shall be decided by the ISU Council and shall be publised in an ISU Communication at the beginning of the Olympic season 2025/2026”.Can you point me to the source stating this applies to the additional quota athletes?
The tech minimums for OWG and all other competitions are published in the ISU Communication No 2732.
I tried to insert links but there are problems with Chrome extensions and they don't seem to work
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- Aug 16, 2018
The link is here: https://isu-d8g8b4b7ece7aphs.a03.az...-Championships-2026-final-1753255571-5722.pdf
Copypasting the TES minimums for reference, released on 19 July 2025:
The note regarding additional athlete quota TES minimum is here (released earlier in January 2025). So I assume there are no difference between TES minimum for additional athlete and those who qualify for individual events, or ISU just.. forgets about this (not a surprise).
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- Aug 16, 2018
JSF probably: with whose money.....................
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- Apr 17, 2022
Random question - a few years ago (3? 4?) I remember seeing a 2-girls Japanese dance team competing in a lower level in Japan. The problem is I can't remember their names at all or the exact year, so I can't find them for the life of me
Does anyone know their names and have links to their performance? Pretty sure I saw someone in this forum posting a video of them years ago, so hopefully I can watch them again
Does anyone know their names and have links to their performance? Pretty sure I saw someone in this forum posting a video of them years ago, so hopefully I can watch them again
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2018
This post by Tomoki Kimura sends me, his banter with Koshiro and Masaya is so funny
Tomoki: Fifth photo (of the Instagram post) Two members (member numbers 02 and 03) of the Uji Lift Fall Club offering an apology that no one pays attention to.
Masaya: Wait, am I member number 01?? lol
Tomoki: I’m a newcomer, but please treat me well
Koshiro: I’d rather not treat you well lol. Let’s all become dependable men and quit this club immediately okay?
Tomoki: lol
Masaya: Let’s work hard at practice again lololol
Tomoki: Fifth photo (of the Instagram post) Two members (member numbers 02 and 03) of the Uji Lift Fall Club offering an apology that no one pays attention to.
Masaya: Wait, am I member number 01?? lol
Tomoki: I’m a newcomer, but please treat me well
Koshiro: I’d rather not treat you well lol. Let’s all become dependable men and quit this club immediately okay?
Tomoki: lol
Masaya: Let’s work hard at practice again lololol
