Chinese Skating News, Pt. 3: A long & winding road to Beijing 2022

[Spun Silver]

Moskvina chooses theOr music and I can't help thinking about her when they skate it. Maybe "my way" skated by B/K refers to Moskvina's way (or the highway).

 

[Japanfan]

I have no idea what was the story behind Boikova/Kozlovski choosing the music, but I wouldn’t just assume that at their age there is nothing that they decided for themselves. We really don’t know what they are dealing with in their day-to-day lives. 0It is very presumptuous to dismiss them just because of their age. Life experiences happen at any age.

I wasn't referring to younger skaters particularly, just skaters in general. Your example of Ando is a good one. But in general I think the music is over-used and that not many skaters do it 'their way' (the same could said of many other professions/activities), and skaters arguably have less freedom under CoP, although I think there is always room for creativity and originality.

From the Korpi thread, bold mine:

The way I view success in life now could hold true in any sport or in any other profession. The first measure for me is how well I’m able to live life by my values. This is something I really needed to practice after I stopped with my sporting career and I know many athletes have similar struggles because for years they have always had somebody tell them what to do – either the coaches, or the Federation, or the parents. The big challenge for me was to realize how to coach myself now and how to know if I’m living a happy successful life."

And this is not to deny that skaters bring their unique personalities and styles to the sport.

Another example is Surya Bonaly exuberantly throwing two back flips into her program at a competition (maybe her last Worlds?). That remains a highlight to me in the 20 years or so I've been following FS.

 

[Sylvia]

It was his [Zhang] injury not hers [Yu]. She actually skated their SP as a solo before while he was injured and recovering.

This was an August 2019 article posted earlier in this thread that stated Hao ZHANG "underwent two leg operations and had been sidelined from training for three months":

Figure skating veteran Zhang Hao back on ice - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Yes, those on the list [qualifiers for the National Winter Games in Feb 2020] are the ones who have qualified rather than the final entry list, which will be out after Jan 5. For example, I'm not sure at all that Yu / Zhang will compete given the recent circumstance.

(During Dec 18-22 if anyone had questions regarding the ranking they could contact the Fed - that's what these 2 dates meant.)

Thank you! I wonder how many Chinese entries are allowed per discipline? ETA that I found some 2016 CNWG results posted on the first page of this thread: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...ding-road-to-beijing-2022.97764/#post-4697775

 

[Gris]

Thank you! I wonder how many Chinese entries are allowed per discipline?

I think it's 18 for singles and 8 for pairs and dance.

 

[aftershocks]

Peng/Jin placed first and second at their GPs this fall and just came in second at the GPF. That seems like a pretty successful pairing to me.

P/J are competitive and cute together, but they haven't skated cleanly all season. Nor have they ever broken through consistently in living up to their huge talent and potential. I realize that P/J are beloved by many fans, but they got breaks this season and in part they somewhat benefited from Sui/Han having been out with injury during the GP for three seasons. Yet still, even then, P/J haven't yet broken through to the degree anticipated by many of their admirers, especially considering their superlative talent and their generally good programs.

Of course, Peng is skating injured this season, but let's face it that they were not clean at GPF in a poor field (chock full of talent, but with everyone way off their game). P/J just managed to make the fewest mistakes at GPF, yet they still weren't considered slam dunk enough to overtake uncharacteristically shaky performances by Sui/Han.

Let's forego even discussing the mishaps of M-T/M and in particular, the three inexperienced young Russian teams who looked tired, slow and overly cautious. Fortunately, the young Russian teams performed better at Russian Nationals (except for continued miscues by the unexpected GPF bronze medalists, M/G). It could be the fact of Russian Nationals looming so close to their GPF debuts that had the nerves and fitness of the young Russian pairs running amok in Torino.

Meanwhile, Yu/Zhang looked good together, but Yu's heart never seemed to be fully engaged with the partnership. No matter how she tried, she always seemed to be just going through the motions, and she was uncharacteristically inconsistent. Y/Z did seem to have some promising new programs in the practice clips that were released awhile back. I had some hope that they might finally come together on all cylinders. But I suppose Zhang's age and injuries were inevitable. It's too bad for Yu, as from the few chances we got to see Yu/Jin, they had something special and indefinable, very different from what Jin now has with Peng, which hasn't been fully realized.

Yu/Jin appear to have been connected on an emotional and a spiritual level, which can't be bought, manufactured or cobbled together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBNzrR-mkKg

Ah, it's a revelation looking back on Y/J's partnership. They simply seemed to complete each other and to communicate without words. I wonder how long they had been skating together -- probably since they were very young. Let's recall that there was never anything wrong with Yu/Jin's partnership. They simply were not fully supported by their fed once it was determined that Zhang needed to make a partner switch because Peng was too young, intimidated and inconsistent paired with him. While Peng clicks better with Jin, they still haven't carved out a sweet spot together, and Peng's inconsistency still lingers. By now with full fed support, development and encouragement, Yu/Jin would probably be on a par with, if not beating Sui/Han. I can almost imagine how great Y/J would be able to perform the programs choreographed for P/J this season. Alas...

Here are Y/J at 2014 GPF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRNS5PbRYQ
Ah, chills go up and down my spine from their very first move in this program...

Just over a year later, Y/J still had the same programs and costumes, and likely were already being told they must switch partners, which is probably partly the reason for Yu's miscues in this same program that starts out beautifully.
Y/J were two-time World Junior champs and 2013 JGPF champs. The CBC commentators were full of praise, despite the problems Yu had in this 2016 4CCs performance:

2016 4CC YU JIN LP CHN CBC

www.youtube.com

What a sad, too late wake-up call when the CBC commentator says: "For me, these two are the future of Chinese pairs skating."

Meanwhile, at the time, apparently Hongbo Zhao was enamored with the up-and-coming dynamos, Sui/Han, in addition to feeling loyalty to venerable Zhang who still wished to compete...

Sui/Han have grit, determination, fierce will, tricks, staying power, engaging entertainment value and cojones. Yu/Jin had some kind of otherworldly magic.

And Peng/Jin? Yeah, alright sure, promising talent and they are respectable competitors. But when will they put it altogether? IMO, P/J (although they are an interesting team) do not have the magical presence Yu/Jin possessed together. What we witness in these past Y/J performances is likely why Yu's heart and spirit were seemingly so ravaged by the split, she was never able to be all there with Zhang, even though she tried.

 

[aftershocks]

Country with so many potential male partners, and they will need to import? I struggle to understand that they can’t find decent pair partners, considering they have 700 million males.

Pairs partnering is much more than just a notion. It doesn't matter how many millions of males are in China. Not all of them are figure skating athletes. Even among a small, select pool, it would still be difficult to find a partner who matches sufficiently well enough physically and emotionally to give a new partnership a try. As someone mentioned earlier, in Yu's case, she also needs a partner with some pairs experience, in addition to someone who is a good physical match.

A Chinese TV clip/video about regrouping the teams, not just these two, but also less visible juniors. Hongbo Zhao explaining the reasons and process. The video has segments about Sui/Han also.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/av9476229/?from=search&seid=12341261868973575905

Zhao explains that not only these two teams are regrouped, but several younger teams as well. It is common practice, especially in younger groups. With Seniors it is harder and more needs to be considered. It has nothing to do with athletes' individual issues/relationship but for a bigger picture of what works the best, gives best outcomes in major competitions/Olympics.

He says that for fans and non-professionals it is hard to understand, but the specialists watch the training, the specifics of each skater, have their methods of observation, and while it is a gamble to exchange partners in a pair, the technical considerations of professionals with more than 20 years of experience are reliable.

Uh huh, yeah. That sounds very logical and reasonable. It's great pr spin too, and a very well thought out way of explaining why they did what they did to a young, successful team in Yu/Jin who seemed only to need support and encouragement after mesmerizing international audiences while winning two Junior World championships, a JGPF championship, a Youth Olympics, two Chinese National championships and a slew of medals on the JGP and senior GP. Even if it is a sensible and earnest explanation coming from Zhao, such 'regrouped' pairings that don't consider whether or not they are splitting a very compatible and successful budding senior partnership in the process of their 'gambling exchange,' is rather problematic, IMHO. Not that my opinion matters or amounts to a hill of beans in the scheme of things.

Everyone seemingly agrees that the pairs swap that partnered P/J and Y/Z seemed to work at first, especially for Peng/Jin who showed promising possibilities right away, but still have yet to break through consistently as a dominant and reliable top team. Y/Z experienced greater difficulties for a variety of reasons. If Zhang was a bit younger and his body not so worn out, and if Yu had been able to find her heart again with the new pairing, perhaps things might have been different. Y/Z certainly looked good together physically, but emotionally it was taking more time.

The references in this thread to hearsay about Jin wanting to split with Yu in the first place do not ring true to me. It sounds suspiciously like more p.r. spin. Or else, once Jin and Yu were told they needed to switch, Jin might have felt more amenable to being told what to do, without ever actually having had any particular problem with Yu. But since Jin may have been more amenable to the directive, that may later have been turned into gossip that he wanted to split anyway. Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't Jin want to adhere to on-high demands with the way he and Yu were slighted once the fed's decision had been made? Apparently, Jin was more amenable to following orders, while Yu fought rebelliously against the fed's demands with passion and sorrow.

In any case, Jin landed on his feet right away with a promising new partnership, while Yu struggled with Zhang, and now she is without a partner two years out from the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Apparently, Jin was more amenable to following orders, while Yu fought rebelliously against the fed's demands with passion and sorrow.

....well.... of course, in north American's view if it is in "China" then a normal management decision is "following orders".... jawohl mein kommandant .... Is it viewed as "following orders" when a manager at work matches up two employees in a team for best outcome based on their abilities? when in rowing, trapeze acrobatics or bobsled 2 athletes matched up on weight and abilities? when a movie director matches up a leading man and a lady for best production?

And as to Yu "fighting rebelliously"..... oh, what big words "fighting"... "rebelliously".. i guess an athlete stating a request or a preference for something, if it is in "China", must be a freedom fighter! a revolutionary! because there are no normal interactions between a skater and federation..

Plus.... i never read about any "rebellious fighting" by Yu... care to give a link?

In any case, Jin landed on his feet right away with a promising new partnership, while Yu struggled with Zhang, and now she is without a partner two years out from the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

• First of all, Yu and Zhang did very well as far as medals and placements.
• Second, Zhang is not retiring. He said in an article posted on Dec. 28th that "he is injured, recovering, and will return to skating. Retired? i did not retire.

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- and last but not least. If Zhang does not recover and skate with Yu, the Feds will find her a right partner. After all it is China, and they get their business done... a.k.a.. currently a LEADING country in Pairs...

 

[aftershocks]

Maybe you weren't following the thread here, TA, when there were reports of Yu posting comments on social media about not wanting to split with Jin. It's not a secret that Yu was emotionally upset about having to split with Jin.

I don't know exactly how Jin felt, but in response to the suggestion that Jin wished to split with Yu, which I doubt, I in turn speculate that Jin may have been more willing than Yu to 'follow orders,' because they were not being supported to receive new programs or new costumes, which was hampering their growth as a team.

As Zhao explained in what you cited, decisions are made for 'regrouped' pairs, thus the skaters involved in regrouping apparently do not have a choice in these matters, if they wish to continue skating for their country.

I didn't say Yu/Zhang never won any medals. I said they looked good physically and their pairing seemed promising in the beginning, but their partnership was not successful on all cylinders, particularly in terms of consistency and emotional commitment on the part of Yu. They did struggle to fully meld as a team, which is not uncommon for new pairings.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Maybe you weren't following the thread here, TA, when there were reports of Yu posting comments on social media about not wanting to split with Jin. It's not a secret that Yu was emotionally upset about having to split with Jin.

Or maybe you need to describe this situation with another choice of words. "Posting comments on social media about one's preference" is not ""fighting rebelliously" and not exactly a "revolution against a skating federation"..

Chinese pair skating system works marvelously..... simply great.. and if it ain't broken, don't fix it... and "if it is not like yours, does not mean it is bad".

 

[aftershocks]

Hey, the Chinese pairs discipline was built upon Bin Yao studying Western technique and performances, and the current Chinese pairs teams heavily base their repertoire upon Western music and choreography. They might in fact be better off exploring more of their own cultural themes and traditions in order to incorporate more personal authenticity into their programs and in turn help further elevate the pairs discipline internationally (I may share more thoughts on this idea later, which I have been thinking about for awhile based on a book I've been reading).

But to your point, of course the way the Chinese fed manages their program and their skaters works for them, and it is obviously political in nature. I don't criticize that. I'm just offering my critical opinions specifically in regard to Yu/Jin. Sure it all worked out for Peng and for Jin as well. But we don't know that Jin was unhappy skating with Yu. So Jin would likely just as well have stayed with Yu had they been allowed to continue to skate together. My chief critique is that Yu/Jin were not a faulty team. They had many successes, and simply needed to be supported in order to continue progressing. In looking back, it appears to me that Sui/Han were favored by Zhao as the up-and-comers, and that Zhang's needs also took precedence. Yu/Jin's and Peng's needs were subordinate. As I said, it obviously worked out for Peng/Jin, but Yu/Jin were already a highly successful team. It was Zhang/Peng who weren't working out well and their problems precipitated the 'regrouping' decision.

I don't question Chinese fed's 'regrouping' enterprise and authority, I only question breaking up a successful team in order to serve an older athlete. In general, the 'regrouping' blather serves as p.r. for the decision they made which received bad publicity until fans felt the switches seemed to work. And the regrouped pairings did work physically and emotionally for Peng/Jin (although I feel that Jin was stronger with Yu). The change seemed to work physically well for Yu/Zhang too, but never emotionally well for either Yu or Zhang. Emotions should never be completely disregarded.

You can blather on ridiculously about the semantics of an athlete reacting in a courageously 'rebellious' manner all you want. I said nothing about anyone mounting a 'revolution' against the Chinese fed.

 

[Madhatter]

Or maybe you need to describe this situation with another choice of words. "Posting comments on social media about one's preference" is not ""fighting rebelliously" and not exactly a "revolution against a skating federation"..

Chinese pair skating system works marvelously..... simply great.. and if it ain't broken, don't fix it... and "if it is not like yours, does not mean it is bad".

You seem to have been following a different forcible-split drama from me.

Actually, you seem to be following a different sport altogether.

 

[Tinami Amori]

The change seemed to work physically well for Yu/Zhang too, but never emotionally well for either Yu or Zhang. Emotions should never be completely disregarded.

One does not get to pick a business associate one is paired up with in any business, based on "emotionally well" criteria.

 

[hanca]

And the regrouped pairings did work physically and emotionally for Peng/Jin (although I feel that Jin was stronger with Yu). The change seemed to work physically well for Yu/Zhang too, but never emotionally well for either Yu or Zhang. Emotions should never be completely disregarded.

Actually, I disagree. When Peng started skating with Zhang, I really loved how expressive, full of life she was. Zhang was just cold, expressionless guy, and she was the one who made the pair look alive. But gradually it became clear that she wasn’t that happy, and her spark became weaker and weaker. When the pairs were split and rearranged, I admit I did have some doubts (especially about the way it was done). But skating with Jin help Peng get back her spark. Alright, I admit that Yu didn’t look very happy at all, but I couldn’t see her having the same spark as Sui or Peng have. Yu is more introverted and doesn’t project her emotions, so she actually fit very well next to Zhang. Emotionally they are pretty similar.

 

[aftershocks]

One does not get to pick a business associate one is paired up with in any business, based on "emotionally well" criteria.

It's not about pairing based on emotional compatibility, but it is about recognizing that an emotional connection can be helpful in developing a successful team. I said 'emotions' should never be completely discounted in terms of a pair being able to work together well. Choreographers, like Lori Nichol, e.g., often work on the basis of personalities and emotions to bring out more expressiveness, which can improve PCS values.

Or else, like Yu did, skaters can try to push their emotions to the side and see how well that works for them. Yu's heart never appeared to be fully aboard in the Zhang partnership, compared to her former performances with Jin. I do think Yu tried but struggled to retain her former emotional depth. Still, I thought it was possible that Y/Z were beginning to come together better after seeing those released program clips last year. But apparently, something hasn't worked out.

We'll see what happens going forward.

When Peng started skating with Zhang, I really loved how expressive, full of life she was

Great if that's what you saw between Peng/Zhang when they first started. I wasn't following them that closely, so I don't know exactly when they started together. I saw them on the GP and I never felt they melded well as a team. It was like a father/ daughter pairing. Indeed, Zhang was rather emotionless in his skating. He seemed to improve somewhat with Yu, as he appeared to very much desire to skate with Yu. Perhaps Yu's emotional depth as a skater appealed to Zhang, combined with her talent and her more mature look vs Peng.

In my previous posts, I never specifically commented on Peng/Zhang's relationship, except to note that it was seen to not be working well, possibly due to the age difference, but also because Peng often made mistakes. Peng seemed to be more in awe of and somewhat intimidated by her older partner. After Peng was paired with Jin, she exuded more lightness of spirit, and IMO she began to smile more and to show a livelier side of her personality.

The rest of your observations, I generally agree with.

 

[barbarafan]

It's not about pairing based on emotional compatibility, but it is about recognizing that an emotional connection can be helpful in developing a successful team. I said 'emotions' should never be completely discounted in terms of a pair being able to work together well. Choreographers, like Lori Nichol, e.g., often work on the basis of personalities and emotions to bring out more expressiveness, which can improve PCS values.

Or else, like Yu did, skaters can try to push their emotions to the side and see how well that works for them. Yu's heart never appeared to be fully aboard in the Zhang partnership, compared to her former performances with Jin. I do think Yu tried but struggled to retain her former emotional depth. Still, I thought it was possible that Y/Z were beginning to come together better after seeing those released program clips last year. But apparently, something hasn't worked out.

We'll see what happens going forward.



Great if that's what you saw between Peng/Zhang when they first started. I wasn't following them that closely, so I don't know exactly when they started together. I saw them on the GP and I never felt they melded well as a team. It was like a father/ daughter pairing. Indeed, Zhang was rather emotionless in his skating. He seemed to improve somewhat with Yu, as he appeared to very much desire to skate with Yu. Perhaps Yu's emotional depth as a skater appealed to Zhang, combined with her talent and her more mature look vs Peng.

In my previous posts, I never specifically commented on Peng/Zhang's relationship, except to note that it was seen to not be working well, possibly due to the age difference, but also because Peng often made mistakes. Peng seemed to be more in awe of and somewhat intimidated by her older partner. After Peng was paired with Jin, she exuded more lightness of spirit, and IMO she began to smile more and to show a livelier side of her personality.

The rest of your observations, I generally agree with.

The lightness might have been because she no longer was being thrown haphazardly halfway down the rink in throws that there is no way of landing. And when she was hurt from the fall (hitting her head on the ice) he stood around joking and laughing while she was checked out by a doctor.

 

[Sylvia]

I just looked on the Chinese figure skating association's website: http://www.cfsa.com.cn/cfsa_portal/html/header.html

@Gris or anyone else who can double check... the list of entries for next month's Chinese National Winter Games hasn't been published yet, right?

 

[Gris]

the list of entries for next month's Chinese National Winter Games hasn't been published yet, right?

I just checked and they haven't updated the entry list yet.

 

[Gris]

The entry list of NWG is out

新闻

Senior Men (19)

Shijie Diao, Ho Chi Hin, Boyang Jin, Jiaxing Li, Luanfeng Li, Pengrui Li, Runqi Liu, Runda Lu, Chonghe Ma, Zhiming Peng, Qinglong Rong, Tonghe Tian, Yi Wang, Bofeng (or Pofeng) Wang, Juwen Xu, Han Yan, Liqin Yuan, He Zhang, Hanyu Zhao

Senior Ladies (18)

Yi Christy Leung, Megan Wong, Minzhi Jin, Hongyi Chen, Chenchen Sha, Lu Zheng, Shuhui Kang, Jiaxin Shi, Qijing Cao, Meiran Hou, Qingrun Chen, Xiangning Li, Wenwan Su, Yuxuan Ding, Xiangyi An, Guanru Jin, Shan (Ashley) Lin, Yi Zhu

Senior Pairs (6)

Lu Zheng / Lei Zhu, Cheng Peng / Yang Jin, Wenjing Sui / Cong Han, Feiyao Tang / Yongchao Yang, Weijia He / Junming Huang, Xuehan Wang / Lei Wang

Senior Dance (8)

Tong Liu / Quanshuo Ge, Xinyi Yu / Tianyi Liu, Shiyue Wang / Xinyu Liu, Hong Chen / Zhuoming Sun, Yuzhu Guo / Pengkun Zhao, Wanqi Ning / Chao Wang, Xuan Chen / Kaige Zhao, Shang Shi / Nan Wu

Junior Men (18)

Yudong Chen, Mutong Liu, Heung Lai Zhao*, Zixu Li, Geruiqi Mei, Qihan Zhao, Zhihong Liu, Fang-Yi Lin, Helin Liu, Zhibo Qu, Guangye Zhao, Jingtong Yang, Dawei Dai, Wenbao Han, Zhiyu Wang, Zhongyi Wang, Zhao Tang, Shuai Fang

* I wrote his given name as Xiangli in post #772 - corrected the spelling to the official (and Cantonese) one as I have only realized now that he is representing Hong Kong internationally. He has competed in JGP this season - ISU Bio

Junior Ladies (19)

Hengxin Jin, Yixuan Ding, Xuhan Zhou, Hiu Yau Chow, Ziye Li, Xiaoyu Xia, Wanyi Sun, Zuoying He, Mingyuan Wang, Anqi (Angel) Li, Adele Xiyi Zheng, Siyang Zhang, Wantong Zhao, Tong Mo, Shubing Wei, Jiaying Cheng, Xinhui Feng, Yixuan Zhang, Weng Chi Lo

Junior Pairs (7)

Yuchen Wang / Yihang Huang, Motong Liu / Tianze Wang, Jiaen Li / Zijian Wang, Huidi Wang / Ziqi Jia, Daizifei Zhu / Yuhang Liu, Yixi Yang / Shunyuyao Deng, Jiaxuan Zhang / Zhiyu Wang

Junior Dance (8)

Luchang Cao / Jianxu Chen, Yufei Lin / Zijian Gao, Tianni Lin / Yuelin Li, Yiran Zuo / Bolin Meng, Xuantong Li / Xinkang Wang, Xintong Qu / Suyang Li, Xizi Chen / Jianing Xing, Yu Lu / Chenhang Zhang

There is also a team event with 8 team entries, although I'm not sure whether there will be an actual separate competition this time - think it's likely they'll just add the results from individual events together.

Team Beijing: He Zhang, Shan (Ashley) Lin, Xuehan Wang / Lei Wang, Shang Shi / Nan Wu

Team Hebei: Jiaxing Li, Shuhui Kang, Xinyi Yu / Tianyi Liu (no pairs)

Team Inner Mongolia (host): Boyang Jin, Hongyi Chen, Wenjing Sui / Cong Han, Shiyue Wang / Xinyu Liu

Team Jilin: Yi Wang, Qijing Cao, Feiyao Tang / Yongchao Yang, Yuzhu Guo / Pengkun Zhao

Team Heilongjiang: Han Yan, Xiangyi An, Cheng Peng / Yang Jin, Hong Chen / Zhuoming Sun

Team Shanghai: Shijie Diao, Qingrun Chen, Tong Liu / Quanshuo Ge (no pairs)

Team Guangdong: Qinglong Rong, Xiangning Li, Lu Zheng / Lei Zhu, Wanqi Ning / Chao Wang

Team Sichuan: Luanfeng Li, Minzhi Jin, Weijia He / Junming Huang, Xuan Chen / Kaige Zhao

 

[Jeschke]

Wang/Wang

 

[Gris]

There are rumours that due to the recent coronavirus outbreak, all sports events before April, including the NWG of course, will be suspended. It hasn't been confirmed officially yet but I find this highly possible (Wuhan, the origin city of this outbreak has been shut down).

 

[Gris]

微博国际版

weibointl.api.weibo.cn

It is officially announced that NWG is postponed.

 

[nimi]

New interview with Han Yan

Account Suspended

He talks about why he quit for a while: “I felt like I didn’t receive a fair platform to train because I didn’t even have a coach before the 2018 Olympics" (...) "After the Olympics, I felt like I was the abandoned one, and that I was treated like a piece of trash.”

...and why he came back: "I kept dreaming about skating even when I didn’t skate anymore,” (...) “Then I realized that I was previously affected by people who looked at me with prejudice and an attitude, which was totally unnecessary. That’s why I decided to come back. I believe that I should keep doing what I like, and not care too much about what other people think or say." (...) "No matter where I train, as long as I can compete in 2022, it’s a success for me.”

 

[Japanfan]

The Chinese Fed does seem to have its favourites. I'm glad Han Yan found his way back and hope he stays in through to 2022.

 

[nimi]

Since his return from Seoul, Han Yan's on-ice training has been disrupted because of coronavirus quarantine policy. Damn

Han Yan Fan Van on Twitter

“Due to 2019-nCoV control policy in Beijing, #HanYAN has been asked to self-quarantine at home for 14 days after he came back from 4CC. No on-ice training since. In his livestream, he said he wanted to be at Worlds, but he’s waiting for coordination from CSA.”

twitter.com

 

[skatfan]

Since his return from Seoul, Han Yan's on-ice training has been disrupted because of coronavirus quarantine policy. Damn

Han Yan Fan Van on Twitter

“Due to 2019-nCoV control policy in Beijing, #HanYAN has been asked to self-quarantine at home for 14 days after he came back from 4CC. No on-ice training since. In his livestream, he said he wanted to be at Worlds, but he’s waiting for coordination from CSA.”

twitter.com

I thought the Chinese skaters had all gone to Canada to train before world’s. I guess only some of them went?

 

[barbarafan]

I thought the Chinese skaters had all gone to Canada to train before world’s. I guess only some of them went?

Good idea for sure. He should not have returned to China after 4cc's. Where are they training then?(the ones who did come to Canada early)

 

[nimi]

I thought the Chinese skaters had all gone to Canada to train before world’s. I guess only some of them went?

Yeah. Apparently some skaters (like Sui/Han & Boyang) are currently training in Canada, while others (Han Yan & Hongyi Chen) returned to Beijing.

 

[clairecloutier]

Yeah. Apparently some skaters (like Sui/Han & Boyang) are currently training in Canada, while others (Han Yan & Hongyi Chen) returned to Beijing.

Hate to say it, but it sounds like the A team for Worlds (Sui/Han, Jin) got taken care of, while the C team got the "hope for the best" treatment (as in, return to China and hope you make it to Worlds).

Peng/Jin seem to be in the middle (B team status?), as I saw a report somewhere that they were staying in Korea for 2 weeks after 4CCs.

 

[Dobre]

Travel visas being what they are it may have had more to do with who had previous access to travel to Canada. Jin, Sui & Han, and Peng & Jin all have Lori doing their choreography. (Han Yan too, but that's an old program).

 

[ManiDani]

It does appear that they farmed out selected skaters to different training areas to avoid the mandated quarantine. I really wish they could have managed to do that for all of the skaters. I wonder where Hongbo is. How can you effectively coach your athletes when they are in three different countries?