New Skating Event at Olympics?!

I just came across this article. It's pretty interesting, cause it would be big news if this happened.

Quote:The International Olympic Committee's executive board announced Monday it is ``looking favorably'' at the addition of seven events for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and has given President Jacques Rogge the final say in the matter, a decision Rogge is expected to make at the end of April based party on how the events come off in 2011.

One of these new events would be a new figure skating event. A team event like World Team Trophy. Skating Union President Ottavio Cinquanta says he is 99.9% sure this will happen The article also mentioned how they could add synchronized skating as an Olympic event if they wanted to, but they aren't going to. I always thought synchronized skating should be an Olympic event, and it it's not really fair that it's not.

I have mixed feelings about this right now...

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/sports_globetrotting/2010/10/skating-boss-on-team-event-something-spicy.html

I actually like this idea!

I like it too!!! Thanks for news- I haven't hear about that before

Tell me one thing: skaters will skate the same programs at team event and single competition?

europeanfan wrote:

Tell me one thing: skaters will skate the same programs at team event and single competition?

Looks like it.

As with Star, I'm 50-50 on implementing the team event. WTT was a big success (and the one next year will most likely be too), but it's a whole different thing to incorporate it during the Olys when some skaters/teams will have to pretty much compete twice. Skaters who will be participating in their respective events and the team event will have to reach their peak differently and I can't imagine how that's going to be like.

I kinda hate how Speedy is wishing for some "spice" to happen in the team selection too. While it can be a great opportunity for the #3 or #4 skater to actually compete at the Olys, selecting who will be on the team is going to create some really unnecessary drama IMO esp. if the top skater/team of a particular nation declines from getting on the team (and have others take their place) should they prefer to focus on their individual events...and rightfully so. It's going to be quite awkward too if skaters give excellent results in their team portion but bomb their actual event, or vice versa.

Yeah, I can picture it now "so and so gave the performance of her life, broke records, had the highest score ever, and did by far better than anyone else did in the ladies LP event.... But she did it in the team event, where her country earned 2nd! In the ladies event overal she only earned 3rd, and it was against the same top competitors. I think she should get a gold medal too. Is this really far? And ..."

On the other hand they could be right about it maybe spicing things up, and gaining some interest in the sport. It could also be a good chance for more skaters to compete in the olympics.

Overall though, I don't think I like this idea yet. I think it may steal some of the importance from the singles events, not to mention the extra preparation and competing some skater may have to do that would rather not... but then again now that I think about it, the skater who wins the olympics isn't always necessary the best skater in the world. Sometimes it's just the skater who peaked at the right time, and handled the pressure well. But everyone automatically thinks that they are the best skater in the world afterwards. Maybe when there is more than one gold medalist, the other skaters who win gold medals will get more recognition too. I'm sure it will never be considered the same as the single events gold medal, but.... Idk...

If they skate the same program twice, then I don't like this idea. And I agree this will be more stressful for skaters.

Of course I want more skating events but not like this one- maybe better idea would be adding all scores from single competitions? Idea of team event obviously was made in favor of USA, which invests much money in figure skating, but doesn't have such superb results like few years ago. Team event will make this sport more popular in USA.

So seem like this event is probably going to happen now:

Cinquanta said the cancellation of the 2011 World Team Trophy will not affect the International Olympic Committee's acceptance, already provisional, of having a team event on the program at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia The IOC was to make its final decision after seeing how the 2011 World Team Trophy was handled.

``They will probably confirm what they have already decided: that there will be a team event in Sochi,'' Cinquanta said.

- http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/sports_globetrotting/2011/03/japan-earthquake-isu-president-world-figure-skating-will-move-to-north-america-or-europe.html

I still have mixed feelings about this...

This is not gonna work. Top athletes won't want to perform twice, so the competition will end up not having the best skaters from each country, therefore, not representing their true power as teams.

Why not include synchro skating? Even Worlds is apart for them, it's not fair.

alyssa wrote:

This is not gonna work. Top athletes won't want to perform twice, so the competition will end up not having the best skaters from each country, therefore, not representing their true power as teams.

Why not include synchro skating? Even Worlds is apart for them, it's not fair.

Yes, I agree about the synchronized skating. Instead of having some skaters skate in two whole events, when many of them may not even want to, why not add synchronized skating instead? It's a whole discipline that is not even included in the olympics at all.

0O
As Alyssa said - Top athletes might not want to participate!
Yuna won't ever step in such a country team -_
She is the lone best from Korea!

Maybe if they do a continent thing - it might work
Skaters from Asia Vs Skaters from America lol
Skaters from Europe hehe
That'd be pretty fun -

But again - from a different point of view -
competing with each other - then doin the same pros twice as a team!
The stress and tension -
Won't be a good idea! (unless the team compet be reserved for the skaters who came out 4th-7th in ther nationals - while the tops only participate in single events...)

i'm personally very excited and curious about this event. i can't wait to see how it turns out.

Honestly, this is weird... For the sake of a 'team,' will somebody be a martyr and sacrifice his/her own shot of getting gold in a single discipline... I'm not too sure about this!

I'm not yet sure how I feel about this new event.
But klarification (this is OT), I love your new sig!

I wish that they did the team event AFTER the individual events were over if they had to do it - that way, the skaters will have the opportunity to focus on themselves before they go for a team event. But skating the same programs twice at the Olympics would be really stressful nevertheless, although I feel that some of it would be alleviated if they did the individual events first and the team second. However, it looks like they are doing the team first and then individuals.

I am not a fan of the entire concept in the Olympics - I think the World Team Trophy is a great idea especially to encourage the development of figure skating in numerous countries, but an Olympic event? Figure skating is very much an individual sport and therefore individual medals should be awarded at the highest level.

Alokya wrote:

I wish that they did the team event AFTER the individual events were over if they had to do it - that way, the skaters will have the opportunity to focus on themselves before they go for a team event. But skating the same programs twice at the Olympics would be really stressful nevertheless, although I feel that some of it would be alleviated if they did the individual events first and the team second. However, it looks like they are doing the team first and then individuals.

I am not a fan of the entire concept in the Olympics - I think the World Team Trophy is a great idea especially to encourage the development of figure skating in numerous countries, but an Olympic event? Figure skating is very much an individual sport and therefore individual medals should be awarded at the highest level.

Yes, ITA. Hopefully they will at least do the team event AFTER all the other figure skating events. I hope they don't even consider doing it at all unless it can be after the others.

It seems the IOC is going to go through with it: http://figureskatersonline.com/news/2011/04/06/figure-skating-team-event-added-to-sochi-programme/

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Like you guys have said, it could add unnecessary pressure to the athletes; but this could also encourage countries to develop strong skaters in all disciplines.

maybe they can give the spots for athletes who are the alternatives?

i like this idea. i just want to see more skating events at the Olympics. i just hope that there will be no controversies just like in team gymnastics but anything can happen i guess

See this post from ontd_skating:

http://ontd-skating.livejournal.com/1073835.html#cutid1

I don't have time to look up the real source on the ISU website but the poster really summed it up well. Very interested to see this ICE project too. Scott Hamilton is not my favorite person in the world but this is a very interesting idea... (I so love how they call him Scoot... cracks me up every time)

The ISU Council was pleased to acknowledge the decision of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirming the inclusion of the Figure Skating Team event into the program of the Olympic Winter Games (OWG) of Sochi 2014. As previously announced, the 10 best national teams, composed of one Single Lady Skater, one Single Man Skater, 1 Pair Skating couple and 1 Ice Dance couple shall participate in the Short Program of the Team Event. The best 5 teams after the Short Program will then skate the Free Skating. Basically the same skaters who qualified for the individual Figure Skating disciplines (Ladies, Men, Pair Skating, Ice Dance) in the OWG , or the entered substitute/s, are permitted to participate in the Team event. Subject to IOC confirmation there may be some limited possibilities to change some Skaters between the Short Program and the Free Skating.

The ISU in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee is currently working out the detailed qualifying system to determine the 10 teams competing in the Figure Skating Team event at the Sochi 2014 OWG. The qualifying system will be based on the results of ISU Figure Skating Events preceding the 2014 OWG. The qualifying system under preparation will also indicate the applicable entry/substitution procedures, in particular for Members qualified among the 10 teams but not having qualified individual skaters/couples in all the disciplines of the individual Figure Skating events of the OWG. The qualifying system and entry rules and procedures will be announced as soon as submitted to and approved by the IOC.

News from USFSA's FB about the olympic team event:

* The team event will begin on the 6th, the day before Opening Ceremonies. The top 15 nations in figure skating will have one entry in each discipline and points will be awarded based on the finishes in both the short programs and free skates (and dances). The top five point-earners from the first segment will skate in the free programs and the top three countries in points will stand on the podium!

* The team event will be back this year, in a similar but not exact fashion in Japan called World Team Trophy. While this is going on this year we hope to educate the public more about our new team event!

* The team members will have to be taken from the Olympic Team. Everyone will submit an 'intent to compete' form prior to the U.S. Championships in Boston.

* Two of the disciplines may change after the SP/SD to the FS/FD. So up to six entries may be on the podium at the end. Strategy will play a part.

* Sorry, as a reference to earlier, the top 10 nations will take part. Not 15.

* Regarding Synchronized Skating: We don't really have a say in the matter, but we hope that it does someday become an Olympic event!

This is from a Q&A posting on the subject. If you have questions you'd like to ask on this subject, here is the link:
https://www.facebook.com/usfigureskating?ref=ts&fref=ts