ISU bans Russia and Belarus from competitions

[macy]

this was 100% the right decision. i am surprised the ISU finally took a stand against Russia and did the right thing for once. this has absolutely nothing to do with the athletes themselves and i feel terrible this competition is being taken from them, the 2nd worlds in 3 years.

however as others have said, Russian skating is state funded, their high results are all a part of Putin's propaganda and the athletes are being used. this is much, much bigger than the athletes and i hope the days of Russia getting slapped on the wrist not just for doping are coming to an end.

 

[crazydreamer]

This decision would feel a lot less fair without the cloud of doubt hanging over the entire Eteri team.

 

[eterialskating]

There's a difference in politics for Feds throwing their weight around on rules/scoring and politics your government is doing xyz so we aren't going to let anyone of those athletes compete.

And again I'm going to reiterate my point I've made in other threads, they have stepped into this arena now - they now going to ban an athlete for what their government does now the whats the standard and is it equally applied.

Well they've let the cat out of the bag now. Well I expect the same treatment of other countries athletes when their countries are also involve in wars. Not a chance. After all these countries other than Russia are such upstanding and moral paragons and their wars are always justified.

 

[lariko]

It’s funny, I actually have the opposite opinion. In women skating Russian skaters have actually reduced my enjoyment. That also extends to most of the Russian exports to other countries, the only exception really being Kurikova.

I know others find them unique, but something about the basic skating skills of Russian women is so off putting to me.

With that in mind, I don’t have the same issues with the other disciplines, T/M are probably my favourite pair.

I find certain male skaters offputting but I would not want their country to be excluded from competition to increase my enjoyment. If it was US and Japan I would not be gloating that finally, someone else could podium in the disciplines were they were leading for years and years and there is no end in sight. And they are not behaving any more modest than Russia about their podium finishes or pushing their skaters forward in PCSs.

They can’t even get out of Russia now, because RusFed imposed draconian measures to prevent skaters from switching. They held Samoilov for like 3 years for no reason…

So, yeah, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

 

[AlysaLiuStan]

This means Russia will only have one spot at next years worlds as well.

 

[VickB]

this was 100% the right decision. i am surprised the ISU finally took a stand against Russia and did the right thing for once. this has absolutely nothing to do with the athletes themselves and i feel terrible this competition is being taken from them, the 2nd worlds in 3 years.

however as others have said, Russian skating is state funded, their high results are all a part of Putin's propaganda and the athletes are being used. this is much, much bigger than the athletes and i hope the days of Russia getting slapped on the wrist not just for doping are coming to an end.

We do a have solid proof of doping ... maybe Russian athletes should have a doping check every 2 weeks by the International doping agency.

 

[eterialskating]

I find certain male skaters offputting but I would not want their country to be excluded from competition to increase my enjoyment. If it was US and Japan I would not be gloating that finally, someone else could podium in the disciplines were they were leading for years and years and there is no end in sight.

If you can't beat them then ban them. The Worlds after Olympics have always been considered second rate. This year it will be third rate and a circus of geopolitics.

 

[lariko]

If you can't beat them then ban them. The Worlds after Olympics have always been considered second rate. This year it will be third rate and a circus of geopolitics.

It remains to be seen if the judging for ex-Ru will be fair, and if they could make it or if they will be also banned based on dual citizenship. Pairs is the event that will suffer the most if ex-RU will be welcome. I wouldn’t call it 3rd rate, since it is a more expanded comp than 4CC, just not great.

 

[eterialskating]

This means Russia will only have one spot at next years worlds as well.

Oh another plus for the anti-competition mafia. What a joke that ideologies and politics have entered into this decision.

 

[Giu]

If you can't beat them then ban them. The Worlds after Olympics have always been considered second rate. This year it will be third rate and a circus of geopolitics.

Oh Gosh, this is a war! Russia invaded Ukraine!
No one is banning Russian skaters because they can’t beat them, this is part of the sanctions that Russia will have to go through for violating the freedom of another country! Blame it on Putin!
And please don’t say that is not fair to the skaters, remember that their Ukrainian peers are hiding form bombs while they are posting on Instagram!

 

[eterialskating]

Oh Gosh, this is a war! Russia invaded Ukraine!
No one is banning Russian skaters because they can’t beat them, this is part of the sanctions that Russia will have to go through for violating the freedom of another country! Blame it on Putin!

LOL as if that makes it somehow a moral and justified decision. Using sports to achieve geopolitical goals. How incredibly arrogant, distasteful and insulting to the spirit of competition.

 

[Giu]

LOL as if that makes it somehow a moral and justified decision. Using sports to achieve geopolitical goals. How incredibly arrogant, distasteful and insulting to the spirit of competition.

As other users have already pointed out, Russia has always used sport to assert the power of the nation.

We could also start a conversation about what is truly “arrogant, distasteful and insulting” but this is not the right place and, honestly, it’s not even worthy.

 

[lariko]

Oh Gosh, this is a war! Russia invaded Ukraine!
No one is banning Russian skaters because they can’t beat them, this is part of the sanctions that Russia will have to go through for violating the freedom of another country! Blame it on Putin!
And please don’t say that is not fair to the skaters, remember that their Ukrainian peers are hiding form bombs while they are posting on Instagram!

I am blaming it on Putin. However, I would appreciate if other posters didn’t do a happy dance because of Russians being banned and simultaneously criticized the ISU for taking ‘too long’. It’s one thing to support a decision, and another—to gloat over misfortunes of people who have no control over their destiny.

 

[Maomars]

As of right now I'm out as well from watching Worlds. Shouldn't go political, ISU.

Since when ISU was not political? Rusfed was always controling ISU via political means, the sporting programs in Russia were always state sponsored, the athletes are all received by Putin before the Olympics and are used as propaganda tools for his dictatorial regime.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

This means Russia will only have one spot at next years worlds as well.

No, it doesn't! There is no statement about such details as yet. They might just as well freeze the quotas, and it would be the fair thing to do, imo.

 

[chimi]

LOL as if that makes it somehow a moral and justified decision. Using sports to achieve geopolitical goals. How incredibly arrogant, distasteful and insulting to the spirit of competition.

If you want sports and the state to be completely separated then maybe you should not have state funded sports that are actively used for propaganda. Sport has always been political and it is naive to think otherwise.

 

[bluemonday]

There are many people who have forgotten the evil deeds of RusFed, who have used figure skating politically. Wouldn't it be absurd for these people to call for political neutrality now? Sadly, Figure skating has long been a political sport under Russian Tyranny.

 

[jenaj]

Well they've let the cat out of the bag now. Well I expect the same treatment of other countries athletes when their countries are also involve in wars. Not a chance. After all these countries other than Russia are such upstanding and moral paragons and their wars are always justified.

It isn't just that Russia is "involved in a war." Russia invaded a neighboring country with the intent overthrow the elected government and annex it to itself. It is the same thing Hitler did in Austria, on the pretext that Austrians were really German, and in Czechoslovakia, where ethnic Germans were living. It would be the same thing as China invading Taiwan. It was the reason for the first Iraq war, when Iraq invaded and took over Kuwait.

 

[lariko]

No, it doesn't! There is no statement about such details as yet. They might just as well freeze the quotas, and it would be the fair thing to do, imo.

I am just praying they won't go by Olympic results, because Team Russian Men suffered enough.

 

[macy]

LOL as if that makes it somehow a moral and justified decision. Using sports to achieve geopolitical goals. How incredibly arrogant, distasteful and insulting to the spirit of competition.

interesting you feel this way as this is exactly what Russia does.