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Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2020 21:00:33 GMT
The World Figure Skating Championships scheduled to take place March 18 to 22 in Montreal have been canceled amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, organizers said Wednesday.
The International Skating Union and Skate Canada announced the development in a statement, saying they "have closely monitored the provincial and federal health authorities' position on the spread of the virus" and respect the need to take protective measures for the sake of participants and fans.
The event was to feature double Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, fresh off a gold at the Four Continents in Seoul last month, as well as Shoma Uno representing Japan on the men's side, and world No. 1 Rika Kihira in the ladies' competitions.
In February, Hanyu revealed he was planning to execute a quad axel at the worlds but expressed both disappointment and relief after the announcement.
"The cancellation is unfortunate, but I'm relieved that the risk of infection to the athletes, to all the spectators and the business and operations staff, is reduced even if only by a little," Hanyu said.
An increasing number of large-scale events have been canceled or postponed worldwide due to the spread of the new coronavirus believed to have originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December. The World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, previously set to begin Friday in Seoul, have already been postponed due to the virus.
According to World Health Organization data, more than 118,000 cases of the virus have been confirmed worldwide, leading to nearly 4,300 deaths. South Korea, one of the hardest-hit countries, has seen more than 7,700 cases, while Canada has reported 93 infections so far.
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Post by Admin on Apr 17, 2020 19:06:26 GMT
World championships for figure skating and short track speed skating, originally postponed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, have now been canceled altogether.
“Mindful of the escalating negative COVID-19 developments, the resulting world-wide human tragedy and the measures taken by the public authorities as well as logistical challenges the ISU Council during its on-line meeting held on April 16, 2020 concluded that a postponement of the pending 2020 ISU Championships is not possible,” the International Skating Union (ISU) said in a statement.
The ISU will hold an online meeting on April 28 to discuss the 2020-21 skating season. The World Cup/Grand Prix seasons for figure skating and speed skating typically start in late October and November. Skate America, the first Grand Prix figure skating event, is scheduled for Oct. 23-25.
The world figure skating championships will not be held for the first time since 1961, when worlds were canceled after the entire U.S. team was killed in a plane crash en route to the event. The other times worlds were canceled were for World War I and World War II. Worlds began being held annually in 1896.
When 2020 Worlds were first postponed in March, the ISU said they could be rescheduled for later this year, but not before October. Montreal would have hosted the event.
The short track worlds were due to be hosted in Seoul. When they were postponed in March, the ISU said they could be rescheduled, but not before mid-October.
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Post by Admin on Oct 14, 2020 20:42:27 GMT
In consultation with the City of Ottawa and the Government of Ontario, Skate Canada has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Skate Canada International. The event was scheduled to take place from October 30-31, 2020 in Ottawa, Ont., at TD Arena. We are incredibly thankful for the effort and support provided by the International Skating Union (ISU), the Skate Ontario Section and all our partners over the past months and are saddened that the hosting of Skate Canada International is no longer viable.
Skate Canada has closely monitored the federal, provincial and municipal health authorities position on COVID-19. Given the evolution of the health crisis and our prudence for the health and safety of the athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers, the appropriate course of action was to cancel the event.
“This year is unlike any year before and we’ve seen significant challenges on the operation of competitive events due to the global pandemic. As a result of the continuous shift in requirements across the country and the recent 28-day shut down in Ontario’s hot spots, which includes Ottawa, it became clear that it would not be possible to host this event,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO, Skate Canada. “The inaugural Skate Canada International was first held in 1973 in Calgary and since we’ve hosted 46 incredible events across the country. We look forward to continuing the legacy of Skate Canada International in 2021.
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Post by Admin on Oct 19, 2020 20:43:30 GMT
The ISU was informed of the cancellation of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating – Internationaux de France, that was scheduled to take place from November 13-15, 2020 in Grenoble (FRA). Following the announcement from the French President Emmanuel Macron on October 14, 2020 to put in place a curfew in the Grenoble area and in consultation with the City of Grenoble, the FFSG made the difficult decision to cancel the event. They closely monitored the health authorities position on COVID-19 but given the evolution of the health crisis and their prudence for the health and safety of the athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers, the appropriate course of action was for the FFSG to cancel the event. The ISU regrets that the hosting of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating – Internationaux de France is no longer viable and thanks the FFSG for their continued effort and support. Following a decision of the ISU Council due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events are primarily domestically run events with domestic Skaters and Skaters who train in the host country or respective geographical region. For further information on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, please visit: isu.org/figure-skating/events/grand-prix-of-figure-skating
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Post by Admin on Oct 22, 2020 22:57:12 GMT
The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, a top-level February event for non-European skaters, has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The competition, which would have taken place in Sydney between national and world championships, was canceled by the International Skating Union council “considering the pandemic developments and related impact on the organizers and participants.”
It’s the third top-level skating event to be postponed or canceled so far this fall, following December’s Grand Prix Final (postponed indefinitely) and late October’s Skate Canada (canceled). Other lower-level and junior international competitions have also been canceled.
Past Four Continents champions include 2022 Olympic medal contenders such as American Nathan Chen, Japanese Yuzuru Hanyu, Chinese pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong and American ice dance couples Madison Chock and Evan Bates and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue.
The skating season begins in earnest next week with Skate America, the first event of the fall Grand Prix Series, restricted due to the pandemic to mostly American skaters such as Chen and Hubbell and Donohue. The event will not have ticketed fans in Las Vegas.
Four Continents Championships for short- and long-track speed skating were also canceled.
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