ISU to allow "neutral" skaters from RUS/BLR to compete at 2026 Olympics

[Skating91]

Who else ? It's not even about speculation at this point. She was most likely involved one way or another.

You can't just ban someone because you don't like the look of them, or if they didn't hug the athlete coming off the ice, or because they win too much. We live in a rules based order.

 

[4everchan]

You can't just ban someone because you don't like the look of them, or if they didn't hug the athlete coming off the ice, or because they win too much. We live in a rules based order.

Toxic behaviour is being put in code of conducts in some countries. Of course, it's not everywhere so I agree, it's not in the rules.
But you know what is in the rules ? No dope.

 

[aroundtheworld778]

Just getting back to Adeliia's size and growth spurt for a second, Dave had another Russian skating analyst, Elena Betchke, give her point of view on Adeliia's size and she said Adeliia doesn't look like she's gonna grow anymore, that she hit the genetic lottery, and that she's Russia's most consistent skater, the rest of the girls are very inconsistent. Either way, Adeliia will be 19 by the time the Olympics hits and, like others have said, a lot can happen between then and now. I just hope the pressure on Adeliia to stay tiny and consistent these next years doesn't break her. The whole country is watching her. It's a lot of pressure for a young skater who is unexperienced on the world circuit.

 

[lariko]

Rules, laws and guidance must take into account the most recent developments and the changing outlook of the society. Calcifying the laws, ignoring them, and creating alternative past is all wrong. ISU and IOC are in the wrong atm by producing this ridiculous hybrid. And people who try to make it about specific athletes going to the Olympics to win make me sick on my stomach.

 

[SubRosa]

The ISU loopholes so far have not made me happy. Remember the one that rewarded a team including a suspended athlete with a bronze medal? I haven't yet digested that one. So no... I don't trust Rus Fed to ever do the right thing here and look for the truth and transparency... but I also do not trust the ISU and their wishy washy rules about who they will eventually let participate and potentially win medals for you know who

"I haven't yet digested that one." Me too, me too. This resonates with me so much. I was all set to start the season with Cranberry Cup when CAS handed down the bronze medal decision, and I just went, that's it, I can't with this sport anymore. The Summer Olympics was on, then the US election season, there were other, much more interesting things happening in the world, and I pretty much gave the fall season a pass. Now, I'm a lifer, I don't think I'll ever be able to turn my back on figure skating fandom completely. (Figure skating fandom = the Mafia?) But there is some irony, given how much I loathe the scoring system for the Olympic team event, that that is the only Olympic figure skating event I'm looking forward to, because it will be guaranteed Russian-free.

 

[gmyers]

The ISU loopholes so far have not made me happy. Remember the one that rewarded a team including a suspended athlete with a bronze medal? I haven't yet digested that one. So no... I don't trust Rus Fed to ever do the right thing here and look for the truth and transparency... but I also do not trust the ISU and their wishy washy rules about who they will eventually let participate and potentially win medals for you know who

There was no loophole. The competitor in the team event was Russia Olympic committee. The rules say people move up when the competitor is disqualified. Women could only move up if the competitor in the event was disqualified. Russia Olympic committee was not disqualified so no one moved up in women’s

 

[gmyers]

"I haven't yet digested that one." Me too, me too. This resonates with me so much. I was all set to start the season with Cranberry Cup when CAS handed down the bronze medal decision, and I just went, that's it, I can't with this sport anymore. The Summer Olympics was on, then the US election season, there were other, much more interesting things happening in the world, and I pretty much gave the fall season a pass. Now, I'm a lifer, I don't think I'll ever be able to turn my back on figure skating fandom completely. (Figure skating fandom = the Mafia?) But there is some irony, given how much I loathe the scoring system for the Olympic team event, that that is the only Olympic figure skating event I'm looking forward to, because it will be guaranteed Russian-free.

Because of isu rules there will be no Russians in Olympic figure skating

How can any Russian pass the no implicit test and never met eteri or Valieva test?

I mean I have not read any theory anywhere on how Russians will be eligible!

Maybe one theory! Isu picks someone who blatantly doesn’t enforce its rules.

haven’t they all met eteri and Valieva?

Haven’t they all been on sanctioned tv station channel one

Haven’t they all been and sponsored by sanctioned companies Russian nationals?

I was researching all the companies on the boards and the very first one I researched was sanctioned for war support

The whole Russian nationals was sanctioned companies

Channel One sanctioned

Almost all skaters competed with Valieva on channel one

So please give me a theory on how any Russians that competed at nationals or on channel one are eligible especially when isu says it will hire a law firm to make all the decisions.

Isu hires law firm
Law firm picks people to screen skaters
Isu has maybe put up a real wall of separation here.

 

[4everchan]

There was no loophole. The competitor in the team event was Russia Olympic committee. The rules say people move up when the competitor is disqualified. Women could only move up if the competitor in the event was disqualified. Russia Olympic committee was not disqualified so no one moved up in women’s

The competitor in the women's segment of the team event was KV. She was d/q other women should have moved up. The loophole was exposed by many here. You are entitled to your opinion but there has been enough of a grey area here in the rules for federations to lead all this appeals. The rules were not crystal clear.

 

[gmyers]

The competitor in the women's segment of the team event was KV. She was d/q other women should have moved up. The loophole was exposed by many here. You are entitled to your opinion but there has been enough of a grey area here in the rules for federations to lead all this appeals. The rules were not crystal clear.

Valieva was the representative of the Russia Olympic committee in the team event. She was not competing for herself.

 

[4everchan]

Valieva was the representative of the Russia Olympic committee in the team event. She was not competing for herself.

yes, I read you correctly the first time. That's how some people read the rules. That's not how other people, including the Canadian Olympic Committee and Skate Canada's lawyers and many many many skaters around the world, read it. And that's definitely not how, as a fan of many sports, I see things. You can repeat it as many times you want, you gotta admit that many people do not read it the way you do. That's why I wrote that it never was clear for many... and still isn't. We will see if the ISU change their language for the next team event... It will then confirm (or not) that it wasn't clear

 

[lariko]

The selection will be most likely handled easy from ISU side. Strike out anyone Russians put forward who are on the Ukranian list and/or training with CSKA, Tutberize and/or Plushenko. This produces a decent Team B, though probably not medalists save for pairs. Gorbacheva, Lutfullin-as-new-Semenenko, Khabibulina/Knyazhuk and either Khudaberdieva/Bagin or Khavronina/Naryzhnyi. It works, but it sucks because none of it is right. I am going to check back in February to see if I called it. A predictions contest, smthng.

 

[gmyers]

The selection will be most likely handled easy from ISU side. Strike out anyone Russians put forward who are on the Ukranian list and/or training with CSKA, Tutberize and/or Plushenko. This produces a decent Team B, though probably not medalists save for pairs. Gorbacheva, Lutfullin-as-new-Semenenko, Khabibulina/Knyazhuk and either Khudaberdieva/Bagin or Khavronina/Naryzhnyi. It works, but it sucks because none of it is right. I am going to check back in February to see if I called it. A predictions contest, smthng.

I just wouldn’t predict anybody who has been at a nationals or channel one cup. Both of those events could be seen as nonverbal implicit support as they are sponsored by sanctioned war suppliers/supporters.

 

[Mathman]

I just wouldn’t predict anybody who has been at a nationals or channel one cup. Both of those events could be seen as nonverbal implicit support as they are sponsored by sanctioned war suppliers/supporters.

It's hard to predict things, especially the future . If the ISU had wanted to take a hard line they could have said, no Russians period (and Ilia Malinin is out because his parents were Russian).

But they didn't. What they did say was -- well, I can't figure out exactly what they did say, and I have a suspicion that they are still trying to figure it all out themselves. I expect a series of "clarifications" that don't really clarify anything.

 

[gmyers]

It's hard to predict things, especially the future . If the ISU had wanted to take a hard line they could have said, no Russians period. But they didn't. What they idid say was -- well, I can't figure out exactly what they did say, and I have a suspicion that they are still trying to figure it all out themselves.

Then ISU wouldn’t have been cooperating with IOC. By coming up with nonverbal implicit support test they can do blanket ban and still be cooperating with ioc!!

I mean whoever heard of a nonverbal implicit test?

Some people have praised the skaters who have been totally silent. Is that non verbal implicit support?

 

[Mathman]

That's how some people read the rules. That's not how other people, including the Canadian Olympic Committee and Skate Canada's lawyers and many many many skaters around the world, read it.

I think that the team situation snuck up on the ISU and caught them off guard. Skating is not a team sport, and even on "team" competitions the "teamness" of the format is pretty loosy-goosy.

Except for pairs. If a pairs team won the gold medal and then it was revealed that one partner was in violation of the rules, the other partner would not be allowed to keep his/her half of the medal. Smlarly if one member of a sychro team was discovered to have taken forbidden drugs, there would not be any question of allowing the rest of the team to proceed to the podium.

But a "team" competition with no teamwork, with everyone just performing as an individual and then adding up the scores -- I can see why there is discussion about whether the whole team is automatically out or whether they should just forfeit the points earned by the errant individual.

 

[Mathman]

Then ISU wouldn’t have been cooperating with IOC.

For whatever reason the IOC has backed away from its original stance in 2022 that the whole country of Russia was in violation of the spirit of the Olympic Charter, which aspires, through athletic competitins, to offer nations an acceptable substitute for shooting wars. The ISU went along.

Now the IOC has the ISU by the short hairs. The ISU has to go along with whichever of the movers and shakers of the world moves and shakes the hardest. They really have little choice except to make bizarre statements that can be interpreted many different ways and thus not make anyone mad.at them. Or do I mean, that make everybody mad equally?

I also believe that the whole doping thing is something of a red herring. Some athletes will continue to take performance enhancing drugs, drug enforcement agencies will continue to catch as many as they can, and on we go until next time.

 

[lariko]

Non-verbal expression is defined in 2680 (e) clearly enough. It is just a broader, capture-all category so they don't have to list all variations of the pro-war symbology, ribbons and badges that do not include text. If people pretend it's not clear enough, then nothing will be clear enough for them. That's why we had a 'no' before.

e. The special screening, organized in accordance with the IOC recommendations and reflecting the processes successfully used in other sports ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, will be conducted by an outside provider (such as SportRadar) aims to guarantee that no person who actively supports the war in Ukraine or who is contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies will participate as AIN and/or their Support Personnel. Any form of verbal, non-verbal or written expression, explicit or implicit, at any time since February 24, 2022 (being the date of the beginning of the war in Ukraine), in particular public statements, including those made in social media, participation in pro-war demonstrations or events, and the wearing of any symbol in support of the war in Ukraine, for example the "Z" symbol, are considered to be acts of support for the war in Ukraine.

 

[Kittosuni]

Any development on which names are they supposed to submit next month?

I'm trying to see if Rusfed even formed a committee specifically to address/ screen athletes but haven't heard anything. Rusfed ignoring this and totally noping out is a real possibility.

 

[AlexBreeze]

I'm trying to see if Rusfed even formed a committee specifically to address/ screen athletes but haven't heard anything

I strongly doubt that any separate committee will be created.

Rusfed ignoring this and totally noping out is a real possibility.

It's not.

 

[YagsFan]

I'm sorry, but I do not know how this "information" can be realistically discussed while adhering to these limits. World events are bigger than the good of "the product on the ice" as one member put it. I'll not break your rules and force you to censor me; I simply lodge my protest against them and express my dismay at the positive comments I've read on this topic.