The ISU (and Federations) Couldn’t Kill the Sport of Figure Skating Faster if They Tried
Part 1: The COVID Disaster
The 2020–21 season has brought to light in more stark contrast the issues the ISU and the sport of figure skating have had for most of this sport’s history. COVID has made it more and more clear that through a refusal to change, an unwillingness to put skaters’ health and safety first and a refusal to modernize (among issues like systemic racism and discrimination, and a huge financial barrier to entry), the ISU, and federations are unwittingly killing the sport of figure skating and putting every athlete involved at risk in the process.
Figure skating is governed internationally by the International Skating Union (which also governs speed skating and synchronized skating) and in each country by a federation. Both the ISU and individual federations play a role in the actions that are killing the sport and putting athletes at an undue risk of harm. The ISU sets many of the standards, and therefore, in my opinion, holds a higher amount of the blame, but many individual federations also play a role in impacting the sport at a domestic level, which feeds the international issues.
In my opinion, the issues fall into two connected categories; health and safety and the refusal to change. The former is the more pressing issue, especially in the midst of a global pandemic and will therefore be the focus for the majority of this piece, but the governing bodies’ refusal to change contributes to many of the health and safety concerns as well as contributing negatively to the popularity of the sport overall. There are, of course, more issues than I address here, but these are some of the most obvious and pressing in the 2020–21 season.
There are in fact, so many systemic issues pervading the ISU as well as a huge number of federations that I have no hope of addressing all of them fully, but each part of this essay series will cover some of the most pressing issues in as full detail as possible.
Health and Safety
COVID
I’ve had lots to say over the last year about the way the ISU, Russia, the US, and other federations have handled COVID, hosting competitions, and putting athletes (especially the young ones) at risk, on my podcast, Flutzes and Waxels. In summary, the ISU and many federations have done the bare minimum (if that) to add in safety precautions and keep athletes, coaches, officials, and sometimes audiences safe.
Let’s take a closer look at what the season has looked like and where both the ISU and federations fell woefully short of doing everything they could to protect athletes, their families, and the people they train with. COVID is a deadly virus that could kill any number of people in these groups, or, as we’ve seen from various athletes, could lead to lung damage, heart issues, or a whole host of additional long-term consequences we don’t yet know about.
This inherent issue with attempting to do anything in 2020 has been exacerbated by the severe lack of planning from the ISU. Following the ISU and their meetings and communications all year has been an exercise in frustration. Each communication with something resembling a plan for events came up at the 11th hour before each event or set of events unless the government of the host city/country made the decision to cancel for the ISU, like the cancellation of 4 Continents by Australia.
Let’s talk about some specific instances of lack of COVID protections for those involved in the sport.
Minimum COVID protocols:
When push came to shove, the ISU eventually came out with minimum standards for events hosted during the pandemic, but they were woefully inadequate to actually protect the people in attendance during a highly dangerous, highly contagious pandemic. A summary of these restrictions is included below. Listed out like this it may look like a lot, but a huge number of these restrictions are either super basic (like including hand sanitizer and checking symptoms), not required, or super vague and therefore meaningless.
- Not allowing chaperones
- Reducing the number of coaches allowed to attend
- Checking for symptoms
- Some testing for COVID
- A liaison between the event and public health authorities
- Very basic hygiene measures like mask wearing (in select locations, with many exemptions), social distancing, hand washing, etc.
- Regular disinfection of things like door handles
- “Sufficient” hand sanitizer
- “If possible” keeping doors open
- Physical distancing of 1.5m (as opposed to 2) must be maintained except for during practice and competition (for the purposes of figure skating, this means on practice ice and warmups)
- A “hub/bubble concept” meaning athletes, officials, etc. cannot leave the hotel/designated area *Note this isn’t a real bubble as the ISU refuses to implement quarantine periods and therefore there is no substantial mitigation of risk, especially with international flights*
- The Opening Reception, ISU Officials & Judges Dinner, Closing Banquet, Hospitality area at the hotel, Organized Excursions (tours) are not allowed
- Package with measures must be provided
- If a tracing app is available in the host country participants must be “made aware” of it, but are not required to use it
- Daily temperature checks for everyone entering the building including spectators
- In the athlete lounge it “is advised” to not have furniture to discourage loitering there
- Grab and go food is mandatory, no buffet style food or self service
- Accredited media must be “limited in number”
- Skaters microphones must be sanitized between each use in the mixed zone, and skaters must be 1.5m from press
- The technical controller will draw start numbers
- There must be a “separate room for the purpose of isolation”
- Award ceremonies and opening ceremonies must abide by guidelines
- Volunteers must abide by the same requirements as all other accredited personnel
- Breaking any of these guidelines will result in removal from the event and are subject to disciplinary procedures
New additions in the lead up to worlds (and therefore not applicable to every other event this season)
- On site testing for all attendees
- A negative test 72 hours prior to arrival
- 5 day health checklist prior to the event
- Recommended use of air purifiers
- PCR test on arrival with a “quarantine” in the hotel room until results are received
- Isolation must be maintained if the person tests positive OR “doubts” occur until a decision is reached re participation
- It is “strongly recommended” to host the medical meeting and the team leaders meetings virtually
- It is “strongly recommended” that there be no other guests in the official hotel
- It is “highly recommended” that staff in contact with participants of the event be “tested regularly”
- Medals must be placed near the podium for the skater to put on themselves
- Skater are now no longer allowed to be mask-less in a variety of places, including the Kiss and Cry and the Mixed Zone
- Attendees must present two negative tests to receive their accreditation
- Photographers won’t have access to the judges stand for medal ceremonies
- Only 2 team leaders will be present for the starting order draw
- All available dressing rooms must be made available
- There will be no medal/flower presenters at victory ceremonies
- Press conferences “if possible” are to be held virtually
Read the ISU’s entire document here and the figure skating specific appendix here.
A new addition which has not been clarified as of the writing of this piece is “Positive PCR COVID-19 test in an asymptomatic person who has had a COVID-19 infection in the past” this is now mentioned in the COVID protocol guidelines, but it references a document became publicly available only at some point in the last week of February.
This new rule states that if an athlete has a doctor’s note stating that they have had COVID in the past, if they are asymptomatic it will allow them access to the event. While skaters who have previously had COVID may not be contagious, there are many factors that contribute to whether or not this is actually the case, including how recently they were symptomatic, how long ago they were diagnosed, and exposure to other variants of COVID. While I hope these are all taken into account, the ISU’s desire to do the bare minimum this season leaves me skeptical.
Now that the documentation is available, it is clear that some thought has been given to this issue, which is surprising considering how long it has taken for the ISU to demonstrate any forethought in regards to health and safety as it pertains to COVID. The requirements include a minimum of 48 hours in quarantine within the hotel as well as a second test and may require “Further testing for antigens and/or antibodies, Cycle threshold (Ct) values.” This information will be compared to past tests, and there will be continued monitoring by the medical team. A decision will then be made regarding admission to the event “bubble” (which isn’t a bubble).
This all seems okay on paper except for 2 primary factors. First, 48 hours is not nearly enough incubation time for the virus, and if a previously infected person has been infected with a new strain, 48 hours will likely not be enough to determine if they are contagious. It is good that there will be an opportunity for additional measures, but unless we know for sure that they must be done, they are useless. While the documentation states a minimum of 48 hours, this is where we hit the other sticking point.
Because skaters need to only arrive the day before the first official practice (at any hour), unless they are an alternate, in which case they can arrive the first day of practice, that leaves an extremely small window between the first test and day 1 of competition. First practices are on Monday the 22, and the ladies and pairs skate the short program on Wednesday the 24. That gives only 48 hours, and not more for half the competitors between arrival and event, meaning the likelihood of an asymptomatic skater with a past COVID diagnosis is extremely likely to be allowed to compete only 48 hours after said test.
Additionally, the official standards for health at worlds appear to be finalized on February 25, 2021, with only 4 days before the entry deadline for the world championships, meaning that even if skaters and federations had some indication of the procedures they could expect, nothing was finalized until, again, the 11th hour, preventing skaters from making an informed decision about whether attending the world championships is worth the risk.
You can read the guidelines here, but as a summary of information not listed in previously available documentation:
- They insist on calling this a bubble in spite of the essentially non-existent quarantine time
- Per a graphic on page 4, the ISU was perfectly content for spectators to be allowed into the venue for the event (thankfully per the official website, no spectators will be allowed by the Swedish organizers)
- Additional confirmation that chaperones will not be allowed for minor competitors (which ties into an additional safety issue we’ll cover in part 2)
- They “must” arrive on Saturday “or at least Sunday” for the event
- A PCR test will be taken on arrival at the arena and then must isolate while waiting for results (up to 24 hours)
- Team leader is responsible for helping monitor their athletes for signs and symptoms and reporting any
- Everyone must fill in an online health report before being allowed access to the venue
- People may request a test before departure from Stockholm, but must request it at least a week in advance
- Skaters must warm up in the designated warm up area (where masks are not required)
- Masks are required, and N95 masks are recommended
It also includes clear allowances for travel to and participation in worlds
Skaters will not be permitted to travel to Stockholm if:
- They begin to experience symptoms after the required pre-travel test
- If the pre-travel test is positive, even if they are asymptomatic
- Those considered “risk contacts” will also not be allowed to attend
Skaters will not be allowed to compete if on arrival:
- They test positive
If skaters display symptoms they may be allowed to compete after a negative test (during which time they must isolate).
Skaters may be allowed to compete if they have been in contact with someone with a positive test. Specific factors in determining this are not laid out in this document.
This document is alarmingly short and makes clear that the bare minimum has been done, but by no means does it actually meet the criteria for a true bubble.
Lack of transparency:
The above is the perfect demonstration of the lack of transparency from the ISU. I certainly hope skaters, federations, and officials have wider access than the general public, but with only a couple of weeks until the beginning of the world championships, changes are still being made and full information has only just become available. The ISU has been slow in creating the necessary guidelines and even slower in sharing these guidelines with the public, and from the look of things, from skaters and federations as well. This prevents athletes and federations from the opportunity for informed consent when deciding whether athletes will participate in these events or not. Without transparency, and without transparency in a timely fashion, it is impossible for athletes and their federations to make an informed choice about whether or not attending an event is worth the risk, even without all of the additional pressures placed upon them to compete in a pre-olympic season. This is especially true since the ISU abdicated the responsibility of making a decision about Olympic qualification to the federations. They would only choose to make a decision after federations had made their submissions for worlds, meaning federations had only 2 options: 1. Refuse to submit entries, call the ISU’s bluff and hope for the best, or 2. Submit to the pressure from the ISU and put athletes at risk. These were not, however, always the only options. Had federations opted to work together and decide as a group of moderately sized to large federations, to not send skaters, this would have left the ISU with no choice. This not, however, what has actually happened. Most major federations have already announced their world teams, leaving the rest with no real choice. No federation will willingly give up their Olympic spots, and no athlete is likely to either, which is why it never should have been up to federations.
On the federation side, when it comes to lack of transparency, we’ve seen the Russian federation and Russian media, etc. insist that skaters who withdraw from events due to illness do not have COVID, only for the athletes themselves to later come forward with a story about their experience with COVID, many of whom experienced some significant long term effects, including lung damage and some of when have been hospitalized. This means that even when it appears that an event has been handled relatively safely, it is impossible to know for sure because of this history of lies, mistruths, and partial truths.
On top of wider implications (like the health and safety of their athletes and the country as a whole), the Russian federation also risks taking themselves out of the running for next year’s team event by having so many skaters’ careers ended prematurely or having their ability to compete significantly impacted. We don’t know what skaters’ health will look like another year from now after their COVID diagnosis, but we do know many continue to experience active issues, like breathing problems, for prolonged periods of time, even when they are no longer COVID positive.
The US is not much better in regards to transparency. At US nationals, Paige Rydberg had a positive COVID test and had to withdraw. The only reason we have any knowledge of this, though, is because Paige herself made a public statement about the positive test. US figure skating to this day has said nothing. Paige later reported via her social media that she later tested negative for COVID, which US Figure Skating also did not publicise.
Additionally, Tom Zakrajsek tested positive for COVID within 10 days of the designated arrival time for US nationals, and yet his skaters were all allowed to attend and compete, while other skaters withdrew due to contact with a positive person in that same timeframe. It remains unclear whether these other skaters were forced to withdraw, and for some undisclosed reason Zakrajsek’s skaters were allowed to compete or if these other skaters simply made the right decision to respect the safety of others. It is important to note, though, that (supposedly) withdrawal from the event after contact with a positive person within 10 days of arrival was mandated by US Figure Skating. These questions remain unanswered, and though we haven’t heard of any positive tests from skaters who participated at US Nationals, the above lack of transparency means that there is no way to trust that no one contracted COVID, since US Figure Skating has made it clear they would not disclose a positive test. While it is possible no one got sick at US Nationals, with this record, it would be irresponsible to believe this is the case.
Meanwhile, in Canada, the national championships were cancelled to protect athletes and the community in Vancouver from COVID, but Skate Canada faced backlash from people like David Wilson, Jack Gallagher, and Phil Hersh for this cancellation. The crux of their arguments seem to be that other federations jumped off a bridge and so Skate Canada should have too. However, as demonstrated above, there was no way to truly know if other events were safe, and there is plenty of evidence that the majority of events held in Russia were not, so to criticize Skate Canada (while neglecting to note the role the BC government played in cancellation) is disingenuous and dangerous.
Lack of oversight:
While the ISU set minimum standards for COVID protocols, they haven’t demonstrated any enforcement of these protocols. One of these standards was that there was to be no banquet at events, and yet at Rostelecom, the event finished with a banquet (which was plastered on social media) and Rostelecom resulted in several COVID diagnoses, both confirmed at the source and suspected to be. This includes non-Russian skaters invited to participate at Roselecom, like Eva-Lotta Kiibus, per this article. And yet, the ISU has done nothing to sanction the Russian Federation for flouting these rules for athlete safety, even when it resulted in demonstrable harm to athletes.
If the ISU sets standards and federations receive no worthwhile sanctions for disregarding them, there is no reason to expect federations who disagree with the standards to follow them, whether they are in regards to COVID or anything else.
It is clear that the protection of skaters is not a priority for the ISU, given their desire to go ahead with worlds in spite of the fact that it goes against their own event mitigation guidelines. Read my thoughts on this and a quick demonstration of this here.
Missed Opportunities:
While the way figure skating was handled this year was horrifically irresponsible, it didn’t have to be. With planning, forward thinking, and a little willingness to change, the ISU could have taken advantage of the lull in other sports this year without putting the lives of skaters, coaches, and officials at risk.
While most people advocating for a new style of competition have been pushing for virtual events, we’ve seen that it is nearly impossible to do so in such a way to make judging fair, and the closest approximation of a safe and fair virtual event (Skate Canada Challenge) was expensive, time consuming, not scalable, and ultimately not ideal.
A better solution would have been what a variety of other sports have done, to create hub cities for competition and keep athletes there long enough to form a real bubble. It would have been more expensive than simply ignoring the existence of COVID, but it would have been safer, allowed for competitions to actually happen, and allow for the majority of competitors to actually compete. With three hub cities, one in Asia, one in Europe, and one in North America, the ISU would have been able to send at least the majority of eligible competitors to one for the Grand Prix season, and by keeping skaters there for several weeks and having them compete more than once, a two week quarantine and an additional week of training afterward would have been completely justifiable and doable. Instead, the ISU plowed ahead with minimal precautions, no enforcement of those events, and the majority wound up cancelled anyway.
There is so much to unpack when it comes to the ISU’s handling of COVID in particular, and there was no way I could cover it all, never mind the lack of precautions taken by federations, both at Grand Prix events and domestic championships. In short, they have also demonstrated only the bare minimum when it comes to safety procedures in most cases, and in some, didn’t bother with even the minimum. They have also demonstrated a willingness to lie or withhold information about COVID cases among skaters.
Read about some of the MANY COVID cases we were told not to worry about this season, as well as find a selection of the ISU’s late and woefully inadequate documents through various phases of the season.
And for anyone who has read this far and believes that it is safe to host events in rinks at all at the moment, I would encourage you to read this article from the CBC detailing the many ways in which arenas are high risk for transmission. It is predicated on hockey practices and games, but the science very much applies to figure skating.
And now to bring us back to “The ISU (and Federations) Couldn’t Kill the Sport of Figure Skating Faster if They Tried.” This is both harsh and a little tongue in cheek for the purposes of the rest of what I’ll be covering in part 2, but when it comes to COVID this is very much literal.
The ISU and skating federations very much risk killing or ending the careers of all of the athletes involved in the top level of our sport. We’ve seen skaters’ careers ended. We know there are skaters with lung and heart damage from COVID, and we know there are more skaters, coaches, and officials who are sick now or will likely get sick in the future who could literally die for the sake of attending competitions as if things are normal. They aren’t. And if the ISU would accept that and adapt there is a real chance less athletes would have suffered, and that is to say nothing of the increased risk of community spread in the locations of these competitions and where these skaters train.
For everyone who loves skating and wants it to happen I genuinely ask you, even if you don’t care about the athletes as people, is this really worth the risk? And if you do care about the athletes involved, why is it okay to put them at risk for our entertainment?
