jitterbug70

Hi, I don’t suppose this has been posted yet?

That would be a brilliant setup!

This made me cackle I used to study in Sydney and 4CC 2021 would be at the height of the Australian summer, RIP the organisers' airconditioning bill

The media just reported that Sophie Trudeau has tested positive for COVID-19. I'm relieved the Quebec government pulled the plug when they did, although the ISU and Skate Canada should've done it much sooner. The Australian F1 has also been called off, and the ATP announced that men's tennis tournaments scheduled over the next six weeks will be cancelled.

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“At the time of publishing this statement, the ISU has not been informed of any specific decision from the Quebec Health Ministry in regard to the ISU World Figure Skating Championships scheduled to be held in Montreal on March 16-22, 2020. Pending such a decision the ISU continues with its preparation and implementation of precautionary measures. The ISU will communicate any decisions of the competent authorities as soon as they are available.” Reading between the lines, ISU’s statement today implies that unless ordered specifically to cancel by the relevant authorities, they will proceed with Worlds as planned.

Unless if by “legend” they meant retired Canadian skaters 🤔 I’m trying REALLY hard to give the ISU the benefit of the doubt here.. still struggling to find any upside though 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

A couple of reasons off the top of my head, although I'm sure there are more: 1. The sheer difference in the number of spectators at Jr Worlds vs. Senior Worlds (Bell Centre can accommodate approximately 20,000 people) and the international demographics who are likely to be present. 2. The side activities planned for Senior Worlds encourage open mingling which increases virus transmission risks e.g. red carpet for 1,000 fans as skaters arrive; the Fan Festival with meet and greet between skaters and fans, food trucks, DJ and music acts, interactive exhibits etc. All these run counter to recommendations for social distancing.

I can attest to this - I just cancelled what were supposed to be non-refundable “promo fare” flight tickets only 6 hours before departure, and the airline agreed to convert it to travel credit that can be used towards any destination in the next 12 months. Same with the ground package that I had booked with a tour agency. While it’s unfortunate that the ISU/Evenko insist on not refunding tickets, I hope everyone here who’s cancelling the trip can at least recoup some costs from the airline/accommodation provider. It’s breaking my heart to see posters desperately trying to sell off their Worlds tickets at such deep discounts through no fault of their own.

This would've been amazing... IN A YEAR WITHOUT A CONTAGIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAK! The mind boggles.

I read an article in The Guardian about how most music festivals in the UK are insured against scenarios like adverse weather but not communicable disease specifically, and I'm wondering if that might be the same for the ISU. I also wonder how much of the ticket revenue and sponsors' money have already been "sunk" into paying the venue, vendors, hotel, etc. and if there is enough liquidity left over to refund all ticket purchasers even without an insurance payout. I completely agree that the right thing to do (at minimum) is to offer full refunds to those who are no longer able/want to attend the event, with the best case being a closed door competition with no spectators. I'm just wondering if the event's financial position at this stage (presuming no insurance payout) allows the ISU/Skate Canada to do that. If anyone here is familiar with event management or project accounting I'm very interested in whether you've experienced something like this before.

It sounds like the guidelines only apply to personnel needing accreditation e.g. journalists, photographers, etc.

Did we ever get an answer about whether the ISU Awards nominees who aren’t competing at Worlds like Eunsoo and Kaori will be obliged to show up anyway? Or will non-Worlds participants just be quietly dropped off the list because heaven knows this entire farce was never meritocratic in the first place.

Guess who is being proactive and planning to reschedule events to mitigate COVID transmission risks? Not the ISU... Since it seems Evenko, et al are confident that their enhanced precautionary measures will be sufficient, I hope everyone who does decide to go will have a great and safe time! On the off chance that they decide to cancel the event or hold it behind closed doors, they'd better not announce it TOO late. It's a long and expensive flight to Canada not only for fans but also small Fed skaters and it'd be gutting if they spent all that money for nothing. Fingers crossed for everyone!!