Should worlds take place during Olympic year

[kenboy123]

So what the athletes that form the sport doesn´t matter to the sport... ok dokey

The point is that the Olympics are not actually a big event... It was never supposed to be, professionals were not supposed to be allowed to compete, so... It holds no actual importance...

The athletes' view on the Olympics is based on hype more than anything else, but does not change the fact that the Olympics is not actually an actual big title in the sport itself...

 

[cruzceleste]

The point is that the Olympics are not actually a big event... It was never supposed to be, professionals were not supposed to be allowed to compete, so... It holds no actual importance...

The athletes' view on the Olympics is based on hype more than anything else, but does not change the fact that the Olympics is not actually an actual big title in the sport itself...

It wasn´t suppoose, that it is past.

Now it is the biggest event. That´s the present.

 

[Erin9]

That is only because it holds personal importance to them, not because it is supposed to be seen as actual big title...

I’ve always considered the Olympics to be more prestigious personally and professionally in figure skating than World’s. That’s certainly the impression the skaters give off. Which is really all that matters imo. How prestigious an award is depends on the value the participants place on it.

I wouldn’t say the Olympics are the most prestigious for all Olympic sports, but I would for skating.

 

[Koatterce]

Worlds and the Olympics have different focuses.

World championships are just for that one sport. Athletes to do their best, see where they are relative to others, and if they do well, they have their world title/medal. It's focused on the world of that one sport. Within the sport, the world titles/medals are the most prestigious.

Olympics are for the general public. Athletes from different sports all go and show the world what they can do, and hopefully win/medal or do well. There's a lot more exposure to the world which can lead to more opportunities, such as sponsorships, media attention & more fame, more funding, etc. And also gain fans. Being known is practically more helpful than being relatively unknown. And at least for athletes from more prominent countries, they don't need to medal to get media attention. So there's a lot more of a personal impact for the athletes, which can help their sporting career or post-sport life.

So in terms of sporting prestige and within the sport, world championships are more important and of higher prestige. But they don't provide athletes with as much opportunity from outside of the sport as the Olympics. So they may not want to turn down the Olympic opportunity, even if it means they might not do worlds and therefore not gain prestigious titles within the sport.

But both are important, just for different reasons, and it's up to the athletes to decide what they want to do.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Or the way I look at it, should the Olympics be getting in the way of the normal season?

The Olympics cause too much disruption - competitions have to be moved from their regular slots to make space for them. And the competitions in that part of the season (the heart of the season) end up being squeezed together. For the top skaters, it means that they have the GP Final, Nationals, Europeans / Four Continents, the Olympics and Worlds in quick succession. And that is a lot. It is next to impossible for them to compete at their highest level for the whole of that time.

Worlds are far more important than the Olympics, because they are how the slots are decided for the following season. That is why the top skaters in each country should be sent to Worlds rather than the Olympics. The Olympics only matter for bragging rights.

And I'm not just talking about figure skating. The Olympics has this effect on the World Cups for ski sports too. (I don't follow other sports, so I don't know how it affects their seasons. But, I'm sure it's a similar story).

Also, as I have said many times, I do not like the restrictive additional rules that the IOC puts in place for the Olympics. Having to have citizenship of the country you represent is ruining Pairs and Ice Dance in particular, where there are lots of multi-national partnerships. And having lower numbers of entries than Worlds is restricting the opportunities for skaters from smaller countries to get exposure and, hence, sponsorship.

So, for me, it would be best to get rid of the Olympics, and let the season run as normal.

Either that or turn the Olympics into a collective gathering of World Championships being held together. But keep them running to their own rules rather than the restrictive IOC rules.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[lyrichord]

Probably vast majority of current elite skaters wouldn’t be in the sport or even heard of it, if they hadn’t seen xyz skating idol at the Olympics as a kid. Not sure about other countries, but World championships have practically zero ratings in US.

Props to any Olympic medalists for showing up at post Olympics worlds though, after going through the crazy media tours and still having to train. I miss the pre 1994 old days when everyone showed up though.

 

[chopinskate]

As a viewer: Yeah! It's fun to watch our favourites again!

More from an athletic point of view: The athletes are tired, and injured, but this is an opportunity to see what new talent we might be talking about in the new quad, in the absence of the usual favourites. But maybe decide spots using the results of the OWG.

 

[zounger]

Yes

 

[Ballade88]

I think these sentiments are just coming out because people are pulling out and the US doesn't have as many medal threats as they did in the past. I think once Worlds is over, a lot people will be glad we have it during Olympic year.

I see a few people have mentioned Mao's amazing 2014 Worlds performance but I'll also remember 2014 Worlds for Carolina's Kostner (SP), Akiko Suzuki (SP), Tatsuki Machida, Jeremy Abbott, Park So Youn (FS), Savchenko/Szolkowy etc.

If post-Worlds did not exist, Yuka Sato and Daisuke Takahashi might not have been World Champions and that would have been very unfortunate indeed.
I think the men's discipline is more watered down this year although there are still the silver medalist and Nathan Chen, who was considered a strong medal contender at the Olympics. The ladies event is still pretty packed with the current OGM and current bronze medalist, not to mention additional darkhorses that were not able to make it out of their own cutthroat nationals for the Olympics team this year. I find it very ironic and funny that Hersh goes on and on about how less important and watered down a post-Olympic worlds is and yet the stats say that no American skater was able to even medal in the last two post Olympic worlds, so that says something about the actual competition level of these worlds and about US skating imo.

 

[ladyjane]

I love the Olympics. They've been a let down in Figure Skating some years, but not this one. And of course, any skater values a medal from a competition every 4 years more than a yearly one. That's not really the point, is it? To let this one every 4 years competition determine that another all-important competition should not be held, is strange. Why are we even discussing this? I know, I went into it too, and am posting. But to me, that there should also be a Worlds is Obvious. The Olympics are extra, and, yes, terribly important to any sportsman. Long live the Olympics, and may it be a goal to strive for. It's not a reason to cancel a Worlds. Come on, so many skaters who couldn't participate in the Olympics (think of those who qualified but still weren't allowed to go) or who had bad experiences there. I hope the ISU will not let go of the Worlds in an Olympic year ever. Never. One can of course discuss timing etc., but that's it. I wish to see S/B in dance (and they weren't invited to the OG for unclear reasons, no evidence of doping what-so-ever), I wish to see what happens in the Mens and Ladies, and I certainly wish to see what happens in Pairs! Not just this week, but for many years to come.

 

[Manitou]

Actually the pressure to maintain the number of allowed WC participants is a good thing, as it potentially forces a federation to send the best skaters they have under the circumstances.
As to the question "does it make sense to have WC in Olympic year?", I don't think it's a concern for us fans. The more figure skating the better. Imaging that FS is over now and we have to wait until the next fall. This way we have yet another competition to watch.

 

[labgoat]

I'd like to share this clip from gymnastics narrated by the great Jim McKay...about some stars growing up fast in international sport, others fading at the first frost and the hearty perennials who hang in there to win when others are absent. It is relevant to our discussion about Championships with many withdrawals.

It is beautifully spoken..begin the clip at 5:10 where withdrawals from 1979 World Gymnastics Championships due to injury are listed followed by Jim McKays feature on life in sport until 9:30. Very moving discussion of how things change so quickly in sport and how opportunities open up to give an overlooked star the spotlight...in this case Nelli Kim who had her tens and her titles but someone else was always the star...it was her chance in the spotlight all alone..

https://youtu.be/Nb4ElK4Bwpk

 

[Skye]

I'm actually curious to hear what the skaters think about this.

 

[Off My Rocker]

Definitely YES. Most of my reasons have already been mentioned by others, but these are the first 3 that I immediately thought of:

• the number of entries at Olympics is significantly reduced from the number that could complete at Worlds.
• some countries’ IOCs (think Sweden/Majorov) have a minimum placement requirement to enter Olympics
• it provides the opportunity for up and coming skaters who may play a factor in the next quad to strut their stuff

And of course, us fans can never get enough skating!

 

[Des15]

When I watch a list of athlets of this (or 2014) year, I think no((

 

[blue eyed birds]

Hersh missed Alpine skiing in his list of sports. The World Cup finals, what you could consider the equivalent of Worlds, are still held in Olympic years and this year's just took place last week.

This reads very sour grapes of him, but that's his modus operandi.

 

[vavavoom]

Short Track also has a WC the same year. I would not be surprised if there are more of these, but the authors simply did not check correctly.

No, it should not be eliminated and no, it is not an anti-climax.

To me, he dwells upon a first World "problem"... or is just out of ideas of what to write about.

 

[Diok]

*NO* as not everyone goes to the competition and it is weakened and if i were to win a world title on an olympic year i wouldn't be as satisfied as my main rival isn't here.

 

[MIM]

Yes, Without post Olympic Worlds, I couldn't have watched Mao winning her 3rd WC, Soyoun's beautiful Swan, W/P's emotional "Maria", Machida's heatfelt East of Eden.

 

[iluvtodd]

Yes! I love the opportunity for those to shine @ Worlds, especially after a difficult Olympic experience. In the case of retirements or withdrawals, it gives a chance to the skaters next in line from their respective federations. It's a look ahead to the next Olympic cycle. So, I'm all for it!