ISU bans Russia and Belarus from competitions

[CrazyKittenLady]

Honestly I'm surprised that the Russian subforums are still up. The diving one I used to read already closed all Russian subforum.

Why should the Russian subforums be closed? This is a figure skating board and there is still figure skating going on in Russia.
Honestly, cancelling everything Russian will not be a solution to this conflict.

 

[Kittosuni]

With everything that is going on I wonder if more Russian skaters will seriously consider representing other countries. And even immigrating to other countries.

The fall of the soviet union forced coaches to go abroad and eventually jumped started some of the best skating schools in other countries. I wonder if its going to happen again especially when that coaching money in Russia dries out.

 

[AlexBreeze]

With everything that is going on I wonder if more Russian skaters will seriously consider representing other countries. And even immigrating to other countries.

The fall of the soviet union forced coaches to go abroad and eventually jumped started some of the best skating schools in other countries. I wonder if its going to happen again especially when that coaching money in Russia dries out.

I'm not sure that any fed would want to invite Russian skaters right now.

 

[wakuwaku]

All those ISU and IOC mottos about sport neutrality and uninvolvement with politics turned out to be lies in the end. I see.
I don't get why so many people are glad about that decision though and considers it as just. It's not like Russian skaters started that war, isn't it? When punishing innocents for crimes they didn't do - just by their belonging to certain nationality or country - became a virtue here?

With everything that is going on I wonder if more Russian skaters will seriously consider representing other countries. And even immigrating to other countries.

I won't be surprised if Russian sport officials will seriously consider making their local analogue of IOC and ISU governing bodies - with their own rules and competitions (like it was in chess and box). In that case Russian athletes will have their motivation to stay as well - but their area of competition will be directed to Russia, China and Middle East region.

 

[Jaana]

Why should the Russian subforums be closed? This is a figure skating board and there is still figure skating going on in Russia.
Honestly, cancelling everything Russian will not be a solution to this conflict.

Why should there be any subforums?

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Why should there be any subforums?

I guess it's just a common way to organize message boards.

 

[4everchan]

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/paralympics/ipc-backtracks-bans-russia-belarus-from-beijing-1.6371077

The paralympic committee finally changed their minds. No athletes from Belarus/Russia to compete.

 

[lariko]

I’m wondering how other skaters will fare without a heavily politicked nation present that generally has the highest PCS and GOE reserved for them.

Other feds that get favourable scoring will of course still be present but we nevertheless might see some of the fairest scoring in years.

I think it will be the opposite, tbh, and the two remaining feds with push for as many places on the podium and in top 6 as they can get, particularly if Russian quotas are gone (and, yes, they should be or this is all weak sauce). I think they will do it rather blatantly. I also want to see if there will be low scoring for Russians skating under different flags—it is in human nature to do so.

It will be interesting to see in its own way, but it will have little to do with what will happen on ice. After all, the whole idea of fair scoring is nebulous.

I expect that people would declare it fair, but for me, the scoring fairness litmus test will be Grassl, Litvintzev, Ryabova, You and Gubanova. If all of them are scored low, despite skating clean, I wouldn’t see scoring fairness as improved.

 

[skylark]

I certainly don't think there will be less excitement at Worlds 2022. There'll be more. Opportunities will spring up for more skaters. The Possibility of Surprises means more excitement and desire. Will there be an 'asterisk' by the skaters' names? No. Every competition depends on who shows up, who has a bad day, who has the skate of their life. Who brings freedom and beauty to their performance and athleticism.

Perhaps the most shocking phrase to me was: "They have done worse to themselves, there will be no interest in figure skating without Russian athletes." --V. Piscev. Combined with what so many of the Russian athletes say or at least allude to or seem to believe, that you've failed if you're not on the podium, I find it sad and discouraging. Especially because I really love a number of Russian skaters.

It's in my head still -- I learned in childhood: "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." As an adult, I believe it.
Competition can bring out the best in persons.

The skaters I find the most interesting, enchanting, and entertaining are the ones whose skating combines athleticism with purpose and intention -- beyond who comes out ahead. Those purposes and intentions are various and unique to skaters: passion, musical expression, performance, edges, emotional connection with audiences, artistry, joy, desire to communicate, sheer enjoyment of skating .... the list goes on.

The quote I most admire from February is: "Could not be more grateful to have lived out our Olympic dream." --Ashley Cain-Gribble, on her Olympic experiences and skates with Timothy Leduc. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaNd0cTPKR_/

Finally, the skaters I've re-watched obsessively since January are Emily Bratti/Ian Somerville, newly partnered Ice Dancers who came 5th at US Nationals and 5th at Four Continents. There's just nothing like their joy in skating, their gorgeous unity of movement/rhythm, beauty and harmony. It's about pure dancing and skating. Best place to watch them, at 50m: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu9qB6EeO3k.

I'm happy that I'm not a "pairs-only," "women-mostly" or "only-men" watcher. How would I ever have found Emily and Ian then?

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I think it will be the opposite, tbh, and the two remaining feds with push for as many places on the podium and in top 6 as they can get, particularly if Russian quotas are gone (and, yes, they should be or this is all weak sauce). I think they will do it rather blatantly. I also want to see if there will be low scoring for Russians skating under different flags—it is in human nature to do so.

It will be interesting to see in its own way, but it will have little to do with what will happen on ice. After all, the whole idea of fair scoring is nebulous.

I expect that people would declare it fair, but for me, the scoring fairness litmus test will be Grassl, Litvintzev, Ryabova, You and Gubanova. If all of them are scored low, despite skating clean, I wouldn’t see scoring fairness as improved.

I actually think the Russians competing for other countries are usually underscored. I would love to see someone like Gubanova get her fair scoring.

 

[lariko]

I actually think the Russians competing for other countries are usually underscored. I would love to see someone like Gubanova get her fair scoring.

If they will get scored higher, it would be an interesting message opening intriguing possibilities, but it has to come with a relaxation on transfer rules out of Russia, otherwise, well, it’s so many layers of hypocrisy that it will be suffocating. Unfortunately, I don’t think men can transfer out of Russia because they will be in a violation of draft rules? I have no idea how it works for guys who have the university exemption if they try to leave.

 

[Lechat]

This. I hope we are blaming certain Russian individuals who are doing the wrong thing, not Russia or Russians. Of course Russian culture has bad parts, but so does every culture. I am grateful for all that Russian athletes and coaches have contributed to figure skating over the decades, and I love the beautiful Russian culture as a whole. I pray for Ukraine, and I also pray for all the people in Russia who have been funneled into following a man who does not have their best interests in mind. I hope we can all have compassion on them too.

it’s not russian people fault if their president is mentally sick. He has nothing to lose, he 70 years old and he’s a billionaire.
He wants a CCCP union but in 1990 people were starving.
I want to thank all the russian persons like Urgant who are against this war

 

[beachmouse]

All those ISU and IOC mottos about sport neutrality and uninvolvement with politics turned out to be lies in the end. I see.
I don't get why so many people are glad about that decision though and considers it as just. It's not like Russian skaters started that war, isn't it? When punishing innocents for crimes they didn't do - just by their belonging to certain nationality or country - became a virtue here?

You can get to a point where neutrality effectively endorses values that are so strongly against the values of your organization that talking action is done to preserve the overall goal of the organization. The IOC has a stated creed of racial equality and excluded South Africa from its competitions for decades while South Africa's Olympic Committee had a stated 'white athletes only on our Olympic teams' policy during the apartheid era.

 

[lariko]

I'm so happy that I'm not a "pairs-only" or "women-mostly" etc. watcher. How would I ever have found Emily and Ian then?

I watch everything, even ice dance, and for me, the hardest hit for removal of the Russians out of competition is in men, so the impact is beyond loving pairs and women.

 

[yume]

I'm just curious---do you think the competitive worth is generally reduced in post-Olympics' World Championships (other than this year)? Many times, top Olympic medalists and other participants choose to skip that year's Worlds. Do you really think the medalists at those Worlds are less worthy?

Yes it's generally reduced but not to that extent. Post-olys worlds still have a more competitive fields than this year worlds. There is always most of the big guns and at least one olys medalist who compete in each discipline. Now all the favorites for medals in pairs are out (even China). It isn't just the same comp.

Again congrats to the medalists. After all, luck is part of the sport. But i don't want to watch.

My favourites are not Russians but i won't be extremely happy if they win something (maybe unless Mai Mihara suddenly shows up as she should).

Fortunately, history doesn't care for my opinion. No matter if someone won a medal because of many withdrawals, or savagely bombed but got supremely overscored, there will be just worlds medalist beside his/her name. No *.

 

[jenaj]

I certainly don't think there will be less excitement at Worlds 2022. There'll be more. Opportunities will spring up for more skaters. The Possibility of Surprises means more excitement and desire. Will there be an 'asterisk' by the skaters' names? No. Every competition depends on who shows up, who has a bad day, who has the skate of their life. Who brings freedom and beauty to their performance and athleticism.

Perhaps the most shocking phrase to me was: "They have done worse to themselves, there will be no interest in figure skating without Russian athletes." --V. Piscev. Combined with what so many of the Russian athletes say or at least allude to or seem to believe, that you've failed if you're not on the podium, I find it sad and discouraging. Especially because I really love a number of Russian skaters.

It's in my head still -- I learned in childhood: "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." As an adult, I believe it.
Competition can bring out the best in persons.

The skaters I find the most interesting, enchanting, and entertaining are the ones whose skating combines athleticism with purpose and intention -- beyond who comes out ahead. Those purposes and intentions are various and unique to skaters: passion, musical expression, performance, edges, emotional connection with audiences, artistry, joy, desire to communicate, sheer enjoyment of skating .... the list goes on.

The quote I most admire from February is: "Could not be more grateful to have lived out our Olympic dream." --Ashley Cain-Gribble, on her Olympic experiences and skates with Timothy Leduc. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaNd0cTPKR_/

Finally, the skaters I've re-watched obsessively since January are Emily Bratti/Ian Somerville, newly partnered Ice Dancers who came 5th at US Nationals and 5th at Four Continents. There's just nothing like their joy in skating, their gorgeous unity of movement/rhythm, beauty and harmony. It's about pure dancing and skating. Best place to watch them, at 50m: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu9qB6EeO3k.

I'm so happy that I'm not a "pairs-only" or "women-mostly" etc. watcher. How would I ever have found Emily and Ian then?

I can't wait for Worlds--to see Nathan again, especially. Also, KanaDai! And the Japanese pair. And our US ladies.

 

[skylark]

I watch everything, even ice dance, and for me, the hardest hit for removal of the Russians out of competition is in men, so the impact is beyond loving pairs and women.

I watch every discipline, too, although not every skater in every discipline, because of time constraints. I only used the "pairs and women" phrase to make a point, but unfortunately I wasn't very clear. I'll edit that for (hopefully) clarification.

 

[gstrain]

All those ISU and IOC mottos about sport neutrality and uninvolvement with politics turned out to be lies in the end. I see.
I don't get why so many people are glad about that decision though and considers it as just. It's not like Russian skaters started that war, isn't it? When punishing innocents for crimes they didn't do - just by their belonging to certain nationality or country - became a virtue here?

I won't be surprised if Russian sport officials will seriously consider making their local analogue of IOC and ISU governing bodies - with their own rules and competitions (like it was in chess and box). In that case Russian athletes will have their motivation to stay as well - but their area of competition will be directed to Russia, China and Middle East region.

Russia violated the Olympic Truce which is a tradition going back to 776 BC.

As you said Russian athletes could still compete in non-IOC/non-ISU events like Muhosransk Ice Challenge and Chita Figure Skating Championship.

 

[Ziotic]

I would also argue that since skating in Russia is state funded and some of the prize money goes back to the clubs it is effectively and economic sanction. Although the skaters may not directly approve of the war, they are funding state programs.

 

[lariko]

I would also argue that since skating in Russia is state funded and some of the prize money goes back to the clubs it is effectively and economic sanction. Although the skaters may not directly approve of the war, they are funding state programs.

If anything, I wish sports were state sponsored here in Canada, not taking funding from sports’ schools in Russia.