KendallKlaire

Ahhhh, YES! That's it! Thank you!

Absolutely agree. This reminds me of what Oksana Baiul(?) said in a recent interview about how quads are impressive for a second, but what's interesting about the rest of the program? People get bored of things so fast. Sadly, as excited as I should be about women jumping quads, I am already bored or unimpressed by it because the girls doing them are mostly Eteri girls who seek to win above creating a complete program. Because I know that the judges will go crazy with points even without transitions, great skating skills, or interpretation, what even is figure skating now? On another topic... can anyone link me the video where Yuzu's triple axel is being used in a classroom for ISU training to recognize a perfect +5? Not that they know one when they see one haha

Thank you for your response! Because I am not from China or HK I was very curious what the situation was there. It is quite sad how people attack each other online just because of what they like, though it may ultimately be dangerous to go against the grain with the CCP in charge...I am still quite curious how Yuzu will be received if he does compete in Beijing. I remember the Chinese commentators waxing poetry about his performance which was quite moving to hear, but again, we'll see.

Perhaps this is off topic but I find Yuzu's apparent popularity in China fascinating (I am not Chinese so correct me if I am wrong) Obviously Japan and China are hardly warm and friendly with each other, yet Yuzu is overwhelmingly more popular than any Chinese skaters (even Sui/Han) or Chinese-American skaters (ala Chen/Zhou). This is interesting in the context of China cracking down on celebrities that promote "unhealthy fandom behavior" which includes many Japanese and Korean celebrities. This sadly extends to male celebrities that "promote" effeminately since the Chinese government is quite concerned about preserving traditional masculinity in the nation. Now I am not seeking to write an essay about how I think Yuzu perfectly embodies femininity and masculinity on the ice, but given these recent developments I wonder if China's feelings (mostly the government's) toward Yuzu will change? Or if they are acknowledging Yuzu as being above these crackdowns. If we are going to breakdown into traditional ideas of masculinity, then being good at a sport is one way to be considered masculine, no? According to Beijing 2022's Twitter they seem quite desperate to have Yuzu compete to draw interest and now the Chinese embassy is acknowledging Yuzu's popularity in China. Yuzu also has those healthy gyoza products selling in Hong Kong if I'm not mistaken? I just think Yuzu's in a very interesting position and I wonder what his reception will be if he does go to Beijing next year.

I love reading lengthy posts! (Forgive me for mine) I definitely agree and see a lot of the points your are making because the last three (four?) years of the Nathan-Yuzu "rivalry" has been infuriating to watch. Nathan absolutely has the technical prowess, but the narrative directed by the scores he receives from the judges, ESPECIALLY in regard to PCs, is just suspect. No American figure skating commentator/journalist points this out because they are completely on board with Beijing 2022 redemption story for Nathan. I remember someone had made a chart/graph documenting how scores and PCs had changed season by season for the last few years and the dramatic improvement of Nathan's PCs between the 2016-2017 season to the 2017-2018 (the Olympic season) is simply baffling. From that I believe it was clear that US Figure Skating wanted that 2018 gold medal for Nathan because at the time he was their best hope and Nathan really seemed like he did not wish (or care) to continue skating after the 2018 since he was going off to college to become a doctor (or whatnot). After Nathan bombed his SP the media turned on him, but when he landed 6 quads in the free skate they pretty much boasted about that for the rest of the Games as his "redemption" which I thought was complete overkill. He landed 6 quads so he had nothing to lose, he rose in the ranks from 17 to 5 place because all the competitors in-between weren't landing a ton of quads to get the points, and even with that many quads he didn't beat the world record score Yuzu had with just a 4 quad layout. If anything the whole 2018 Olympics proved Yuzu had the stronger mentality for the Games and didn't need to land all the quads to get high scores. Yuzu is the complete package while Nathan is not. I do believe that after the 2018 Olympics Nathan did find some more passion with skating than he had before so I am not nearly as put off by him as I was before. But the narrative that he dominates over Yuzu by the media is really misleading. While it's true that he has beat Yuzu in all their matchups, the scores do not reflect reality. In addition, Yuzu has been hindered by injuries and even his asthma since 2017 and I don't believe he is in his top physical shape (ankles and knees can only take so much). The American media would NEVER mention any of this since Nathan gets ridiculous scores that crush Yuzu's. 2021 Worlds and the fallout honestly was just painful to watch. Yuzu crushed the short program, but was underscored by at least a few points. Nathan, despite a FALL still got third. WHAT? Then, despite what Yuzu has claimed, I do believe he probably suffered an asthma attack the night before the free skate. Brian knew something was up because he was late and he sought the attention of a Russian doctor. The backstage footage of him really just hammered in that something was wrong. Did the American media say anything? Nope. Instead they said because Nathan crushed his free skate and Yuzu was seemingly so affected by Nathan's performance that Yuzu had "settled" for bronze. Ugh. As much as I have loved seeing Yuzu continue competing after 2018, it's hard to watch how the ISU and the federations just push him down. They know that he aims for the 4A so they lower the BV. Why not do that to all the quads since so many young skaters are sacrificing their bodies for them? I also believe the JSF is oblivious to what Yuzu brings to figure skating since it is obvious that they are pushing Yuma to be his successor (if the skating show pamphlets and promos are anything to go by). The JSF and ISU are just dumb if they think anyone is going to replace Yuzu's charisma and popularity in the sport anytime soon.

I agree with all your points. Even with Canada opening the borders, Japan is still on alert and I don't think Yuzu would risk traveling yet. I could see him going at some point between now and November since he does have some time before his first competition to get some assessment by the TCC team. But Yuzu's a man now, he is much more responsible with his decisions and I believe he has a good idea of how to train. He probably knows it's in his best interest (and his family's) to remain in Sendai with remote coaching. There's a lot more pros than cons in staying in Japan, I wouldn't blame him in the slightest for staying. Again, we may both be wrong lol

It certainly is puzzling isn't it? Haha As far as NBC is concerned I think they're trying to boost Yuzu now that it's an Olympic season. They know that Yuzu is the draw in figure skating which is still one of the most watched sports during the Olympics. Given how dismal the ratings were for these past Olympics, NBC is getting using Yuzu's popularity and boosting his profile early. The skeptical side of me, however, sees this as NBC's strategy of "let's boost up Yuzu so when Nathan beats him it will seem more impressive". Now I do believe Adam is smarter and more aware than he lets on. He may not act or say good things when he's on camera or in the spotlight, but I believe that's the personality or image he tries to portray. From his latest interview he has largely the same observations I, and most of us, probably have about mens skating in the last ten years. Given how much he praised Yuzu, I wonder how much pressure NBC puts on their commentators to boost Nathan? Or is that just their own doing? From what I can tell, most (if not all) mens skaters really respect Yuzuru - especially because of his longevity. I mean, how many skaters can say that they're an Olympic medal contender for three cycles?? Though, yeah, Yuzu himself does not seem as driven to win as the previous two - but if he goes then of course he'll do his best!

I actually agree! When you look up the word origin for 'woman' it's basically Old English for 'wife' which is just sad...Lady on the other hand, while yes, still implies some connection to a man, is a term that means it's a woman who deserves respect and you should obey. I'm not much of a fan of the word woman, I'd prefer being called a lady. I know that isn't universal, but I think the whole issue of what to call women's skating is such a non-issue compared to other problems plaguing the sport.

I agree that the 2022 Olympics have a great storyline with the Yuzu vs. Nathan plot, it's what the media craves (turning athletes into characters of overdramatized plot). Although we do not know if Yuzu will be going to Olympics, I think it would be very surprising if he is not chosen as the flagbearer (though certainly they may choose an older veteran). Yuzu doesn't seem as determined to be going to the 2022 Olympics as he did for 2018. His goal is the 4A, if he goes to the Olympics he doesn't seem that interested in defending his gold. Which is why it is going to be so annoying to watch how NBC will narrate the mens event. They will make it the Nathan show. I don't think they will be making any sort of case for Yuzu this time because he's lost to Nathan in every matchup since the last Olympics. In addition, Yuzu has lost to his successor (Yuma) already so they're probably going to treat Yuzu more like a has-been (unless he lands the 4A prior to the Olympics). NBC will not care if Yuzu was injured or if the judging was suspect. I really don't think the IOC or ISU will care about how judging is perceived. If the media hypes up the Nathan against Yuzu, the non-skating fans will believe it. When I was in graduate school and talking about figure skating, they were absolutely shocked when I said that I did not think Nathan was the best. I do not even think they had heard of Yuzu (and I was in school during the 2018 Olympics). Watching NBC's coverage of the Olympics in 2018 and even now, it's honestly gross how they hype up the frontrunners so much. I do not blame Simone whatsoever at her decision to step back during these Olympics - I felt like it was quite dehumanizing how they simply referred to her as the GOAT all the time. In any case, the IOC and ISU will not care about how figure skating judging is perceived. They will just think the audience will believe the narrative that is fed to them and in 2022's case the most prominent narrative will be that Nathan is better than Yuzu and will stop him from a third gold.

As sad as it is, a scripted video apology is as good as it gets for figure skating apologies...As was brought up either here or on Twitter, Evan L. just claimed his Twitter was hacked when he said that horribly homophobic thing about JW. What just makes the whole situation disappointing is that Nathan, the 3 TIME WORLD CHAMPION, is supposed to be the best of figure skating (and certainly the best for American skating). But the fact he rambled on all these things as a 23 year old is just such a let down. As a 23 year old Yuzu had his second gold medal and never had a media flub as far as I know. I feel bad for the fans that were let down by Nathan. All hail the American icon Amber Glenn!

Yeah I think the beginning of his answer was just a complete misfire...even worse by the fact that I do not think the interviewers even said the words "gay" or "homosexual" in their question (correct me if I'm wrong). Like I said, I think Nathan just completely knee jerked and his answer came off as "macho" combative rather than what we would hope to be a progressive answer from a 3 TIME WORLD CHAMPION. Still, I am seeing some pretty nasty things being said about Nathan on Twitter (without mentioning him by name). I don't think he deserves that. It was a dumb, ignorant answer to be sure and definitely comes off as anti-feminine which is not good. But I think he was trying to match the "vibe" of the interviewers as I think most young "dude-bro" guys would (I'd call Nathan a dude bro for sure). The interviewers are clearly not interested in figure skating and Nathan was trying to swat down any connotations that he was gay or feminine in part over fear they would think less of him. His answer is disappointing as I thought he was more "woke" than that. I honestly thought Nathan was a decent dude (and I still do for the most part) but this is not going to reflect well on his character and what he really thinks of figure skating. I am very tired of the idea that skaters skating to more "modern" pop music is more exciting to watch and "groundbreaking". Have you seen Yuzu's Chopin performance at the Olympics? People were screaming over Chopin! It's not really about the music, it's about the performer. I know that Jimmy Ma's Turn Down for What routine got a lot of attention, but at the end of the day he got 10th place and figure skating is not any more popular. In order for figure skating to have a future it needs to embrace it's importance for LGBTQ athletes and make people realize that it's perfectly okay to embrace your feminine side. I think that is part of the reason why Yuzu is so popular. He embraces femininity, I'd argue his performances are often androgynous and he's remained successful for so long. The sooner the American (and other) media and ISU realize that the better.

I posted about Nathan's interview "flub" in the figure skating reddit, but I'll try to paraphrase my response. I haven't watched the interview that he did but from what I understand the interviewers weren't that interested in skating and Nathan was probably trying to vibe with them. That's probably why his answer was really badly worded and awkward. Regardless, his knee jerk answer/response is VERY reminiscent of American press coverage of skating in the early 2000s of Johnny versus Evan (favored to Evan because he's heterosexual and masculine so figure skating is NOT a gay sport). It's really disappointing that this mindset is still very pronounced, especially coming from Nathan. There's not really that many openly LGBTQ competing skaters so the fact that he says it's "dominated" by them is a very odd choice of words. I really hoped we were moving past this idea that traditional masculine = real sport. Blending "masculinity" with "femininity" is the true challenge of figure skating and it should be celebrated.

I absolutely don't want the opening ceremonies and disappointment about no Yuzu appearance to spill into negative statements about Naomi. As far as I know, no one I've seen has said anything negative about her, only questioned the decision to make her the final torch runner. Sadly, everything bad about the IOC has made everyone a cynic. It is untraditional to have a first time Olympian to light the cauldron, usually the host nation has an Olympic veteran which is where the questions come in. Naomi is certainly a worthy one to light the cauldron when we're talking about themes of the future and of hopes of peaceful diversity. But I'm not sure if that was conveyed clearly...Because of that I think that's where a lot of the skepticism derives. For all we know, Yuzuru may never have been asked to be part of the ceremonies and he probably skipped the torch running portion due to the pandemic and his health.

I also don't see any Fanyus on my Twitter feed attacking Naomi. More of the confusion and frustration of the opening ceremonies is definitely directed toward the organizers and the IOC. The JOC and opening ceremonies directors changed hands so many times over the course of the last few years (even in the last week!) Wasn't one of the musical acts or music directors dropped after controversy emerged a few days ago?? I really feel bad for Japan. They could have put on a show rivaling Beijing, but amidst the pandemic, corruption, and controversy there was really nothing they could salvage. It makes it feel like Naomi (who I have immense respect for) was chosen as damage control. She is without any doubt the most high profile Japanese athlete competing at this Olympics and I think having her light the cauldron was appropriate, but I almost feel it was a cop out in having a high profile athlete be the final torch runner than keeping the theme of recovery (if that was still the theme). I think with all the bad press the IOC and JOC wanted to have a high profile (first time Olympian) upstage it all. I never thought Yuzu would be the one to actually light the cauldron. That just wouldn't make sense. He's a WINTER athlete and he would never accept that honor in place of a summer athlete. I thought they may have gone for a Japanese Olympic veteran like Kohei Uchimura for example or ten year old children symbolizing the 10 years since 2011. Anyways, I always believe IF he was at the opening ceremony he would hand off the torch to the final runner. Perhaps he'll have a place at the closing ceremony? Summer handing off the torch to winter?

It certainly screams Haru Yo Koi... I was seeing some Japanese fans get quite upset with Vincent for obviously "borrowing" from Yuzu and using Chinese music instead. I am neither Japanese nor Chinese so I can't really join in the conversation there, but it is not the first time Vincent has taken after Yuzu with something (he did attempt a Romeo and Juliet program before it was axed in favor of Moulin Rouge I believe...) Vincent is hardly my favorite skater for various reasons, but it feels like he has to take after other skaters rather than build his own identity. From interviews it seems his mom is quite overbearing and nagged him for not being "more like Nathan". I do feel bad for him if that's the case, but he's a grown man now and he needs to step up. Being like Nathan has not helped him at all (Worlds 2021?). He lacks the great jumping skills of Nathan and the performance skills of Yuzu. I remember listening to him being interviewed on Ice Talk a couple years ago and he was quite defensive over his under or pre-rotation problems he had (and still has). His interview really didn't make me like him (though I know he was still just a teen at the time). If anything Vincent makes me like Nathan a lot more.

Perhaps this is shallow of me but I'm going to be REALLY curious how the crowd at SCI compares to 2019. I know the ladies competition is stacked which is why it may draw a crowd, but the men? I wonder how many people are willing to fly to Canada to watch SCI in person without Yuzu there...

I'm actually very surprised Yuzu's not doing SCI, but that probably has something to do with travel proximity? Nathan's obviously closer to Canada, but does that mean Yuzu's not returning to Toronto? But him going to NHK and COR make perfect sense. I still wish he went to the COC to try out the waters before the Olympics...I do hope that Yuzu does withdraw from the GPF (if he makes it in of course) so he would have time to properly prepare for Nationals and the Olympics

Although the first is probably what Yuzu (and most fans) are pulling for, I actually don't think the second one is that bad either and is probably the most realistic. Nathan going for Skate America is a no brainer and since he favors IDF as well, I don't think the JSF cares enough about IDF to send either Yuma or Yuzu there. The toss-up comes between Yuma and Yuzu because there are probably going to be multiple factors at play (skater's choice, the federation's choice, and perhaps even the host country federation's choice). Yuma is the new up-and-comer and the JSF is going to be pushing him to replace Yuzu as their future star so if he is selected for the NHK I believe that agenda will be extremely clear. However, Yuzu is still the one that draws a crowd and if he is selected for the NHK the JSF and ISU may just concede they need Yuzu to make money. I think that would also be why Yuzu may be selected for the COR. Since skating in Russia is still quite big, Yuzu could draw in an even bigger crowd than one they may get from just the ladies event. Plus, Yuzu is very popular in Russia so the RusFed may want Yuzu as well. Sucks it's so close to the GPF, but if Yuzu does want to strategize and save himself for Nationals for an Olympic spot I could see him withdrawing from the GPF. The reasoning for Yuzu going to the COR is the same he could go to SCI or COC to be honest. Yuzu is popular, draws in crowds, makes the federations money. But the ISU and even the IOC may encourage Yuzu to attend the COC because the Olympics will be in Beijing and he could generate some excitement and publicity for it. It may also be good if he can skate in China again and have some closure from the last time he participated in the COC before the Olympic Games. So really, apart from Skate America and IDF, I think Yuzu could go to any event. I personally would hope for COC and COR as weird as that sounds...

Ah but don't you know that Yuzu was copying Nathan with LMEY?? *insert eyeroll here* Seriously though, I get so tired of when people say that Yuzu's upbeat, rocker programs are copying Nathan, just because Nathan had his Rocketman program. Yuzu has been doing these programs since before these younger guys were on the senior circuit. I also have to say it enrages me when people say Yuzu always does the same programs. With his piano programs he uses different pieces and adds different choreography every freaking time. It's better than when "Western" skaters (Americans and Russians mostly) skate to acoustic versions of pop songs over and over (even if the song is different). Moreover, with his Japanese programs, he skates to music from Japanese composers, all of the music sounds extremely different (Seimei sounds nothing like Joe Hisashi) and he tells different stories with each. I do get tired of when non-Japanese skaters skate to Memoirs of a Geisha because they are inspired by Japanese culture and they get praised for doing so, yet Memoirs is a soundtrack made by an American for a movie based on a book by an American man (he fabricated many details of it for a white audience which horrified the actual Japanese geisha he interviewed for the project). Rant over, I am excited to see what Yuzu is hinting for his short program. He seems very excited for it, so it's either something very quiet and beautiful and lots of transitions or if it's going to be something fast and wild ala Let's Go Crazy.

I also love the optimism of the original opinion, but I share the view of Neenah... Recently I believe Martina(?) made a very in-depth spread sheet averaging PCs of top male skaters of the last 10 years and it was noted that NC's skating skills are already averaging above Patrick Chan in his total senior career which is absolutely ridiculous. It seems to me that in 2018 and the seasons afterward, there has been a weird push by the judges (probably along with federations) to bump up the scores of upcoming male skaters. Skaters who moved up to the senior level in 2017 or 2018 and beyond. It's crazy to me that anyone would be coming close to Yuzu when it comes to skating skills, transitions, and interpretation but the judges have made it seem that these young guys are in the same league. I'm also not trying to attack Nathan or Vincent here, but they are benefiting the most off the new system and the push to get an American on the podium. I actually wouldn't mind if Nathan did win the gold in 2022 since I feel his attitude towards skating has improved so much since 2018. What I do mind is that his PCs (and others) are getting shot up because judges confuse jumping quads with skating skills that are getting left behind. I really don't know what to make of it. The ISU are crazy if they think jumping quads is going to draw an audience like they did in 90s. It's about the skaters themselves and sadly Nathan just doesn't have the pull that Yuzuru Hanyu has. They're in for a nasty awakening once Yuzu retires.

Going off topic (or wrong forum?) But does anyone know any good figure skating podcasts? I used to listen to IceTalk which I actually thought was pretty good and fair (as far as an American podcast goes). Jackie and Nick were pretty decent hosts and they got a lot of good guest skaters on the podcast. But now both of them are gone and replaced by Mirai Nagasu and Tara Wellman(A sports reporter?) who are not nearly as fair or good. Yesterday, in a fit of boredom, I rediscovered the podcast with the new hosts and tried to listen to the episode where they discussed the 2020 Japanese Nationals and I could not make it more than 5 minutes. They talked about how Nathan is much more exciting skater whereas Yuzu is a predictable skater (why they had to mention Nathan in an episode about Japanese nationals is beyond me). Then they kept mentioning about how Yuzu "missed" his spin in his short program. Um no? He did the spin, but the judges invalidated it for unclear reasons. Say what you will about Jackie and Nick, but they would have at least got that right. Anyway, I want to find a good podcast with not so terrible hosts. Unfortunately it's very hard to find something that isn't so nationally biased...

Honestly an upgraded Otonal, I think, would be his best bet to take command of the short program. If he jumps a 4Lo or even (dare I say) a 4A in the short program he could easily win the SP portion of any competition. Though because even with his 2019 version, he was inconsistent I do not think this is likely... (Plus: I do not want him to skate a program tribute to Johnny Weir) Personally I would love if he brought back Let's Go Crazy for the Olympic season. That program is so fast! I think there is so much speed and excitement in that program, Yuzu would have audiences eating out of the palm of his hand. Plus, with all that speed, it could build up proper momentum for a 4A...(though him planning a 4A in a SP is EXTREMELY risky) In the long shot he brought this program back I would hope he'd change the costume (I'm tired of hearing all the jokes about it, sorry!) I don't see him keeping LMEY to next season. Last season was about uplifting people during a hard time, next season it's back to competing to win. If I wanted to get my dream, I'd want Yuzu to do two Japanese themed programs for the SP and FS. He can keep his current long (I believe he will) but could use a softer themed short program like Hope and Legacy. But whatever Yuzu wants to do is what Yuzu is going to do

I completely understand that and agree, however, I am thinking of how Aljona's switch to represent the USA professionally just seems a bit... I don't know, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth as a fan. After Pyeongchang I had nothing but respect for Aljona since it was her FIFTH Olympics and she finally persevered to win gold and proved a woman in her thirties still has plenty left. I'm not at all surprised she would come out of her hiatus to compete again professionally and even switching nationalities to do it (Germany seems to be less than enthusiastic to support figure skating). With her resume Aljona deserves the best support any federation can give her so logically I know that the USA was probably the only country willing to give it to her. However...I don't know, perhaps I was being too hopeful, but I think it would have been great that a skater like Aljona would stay with a smaller federation to boost their profile or prestige in skating. Unfortunately figure skating is just on the edge of death in so many countries and smaller federations just don't have the support to boost S-tier figure skaters. At this point I would say only the USA, Russia, and Japan (and arguably Canada) have that power. I would have much preferred if Aljona stuck to coaching pairs in the USA as she would have been an amazing asset, but obviously she feels like she has more to give as a competitor. But wasn't TJ already paired with someone prior to Aljona? (Brynne?) Besides the allegations against him, he is also VERY young and inexperienced. It's an odd pairing, still it's Aljona's choice... I just think that if she had stuck to coaching (especially for the USA) she would have been a more valuable asset since she likely won't get citizenship before the 2022 Olympics. Logically - I understand her reasoning, she's not ready to quit competing yet. Personally - I find the change a bit strange and disheartening as a figure skating fan.

So ummm... are we going to talk about what's going on Aljona Savchenko and TJ Nyman and that whole mess?? I thought Redford was bad, but I'm very upset with Aljona if all of this is true... and we don't need to get into Nyman's disgusting actions

I think it may have been me who said that Yuzu may be the last to handoff the torch to the cauldron lighter? I believe that is still the most likely possibility if Yuzu does not run with the torch in Miyagi which is certainly very possible. Right now there's no way the games will be cancelled and Japan's government also said that they cannot (or will not) postpone another year (though I'd love to have the winter and summer Olympics in the same year!) I also do not believe it's up to Japan to decide. It is up to the IOC and they will not cancel. Could the Japanese government or the JOC do something to cancel or postpone? Yes, but there's probably too much to lose at this point sadly. It's really not as easy as a lot of people think. The JOC definitely NEED an athlete whose popularity exceeds the Olympics themselves (and certainly the government and JOC) and given the most recent polls that is definitely Yuzuru. Yuzuru is not only an accomplished athlete, but represents the strength and resilience of the Japanese people in the wake of disaster. Not only that, he's young and very handsome with a solid international fanbase. The JOC NEEDS him to bolster their image if only a little, it may indeed help sooth some of the tension with the Olympics this year. I do believe Yuzu could refuse if they asked him but I suspect if they did ask him to be involved it was back in 2018 and they may have even made him sign a contract. How would Yuzu have known about a pandemic then? (Sidenote: I did some very short-term contract work for the IOC and I KNOW that they will make you sign a contract for EVERYTHING). If he is not already locked in contractually, then he may feel obligated to do it because he does need the support of the JOC. Remember how the JOC had 8 Korean bodyguards meet Yuzu at the airport? I think that the JOC and Yuzu do have a good relationship. If he doesn't do them a favor he may not get their support for Beijing (and we know that the JSF isn't really supporting Yuzu well either). There's just so much going on behind the scenes that it's really difficult to judge. In any case, I would not hold it against Yuzu if he did participate in the torch run or in the opening ceremony. I'm not sure what the Japanese general public will think though, but I hope they do see he may not have much of a choice.