ISU warns Skate Canada

[Shayuki]

I wish they were concentrating on real issues rather than something truly silly like this. If I brought a box of chocolates to school and gave them to a teacher it's not because I was trying to bribe them, it'd be because I appreciate the job they're doing.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

For GPs, it is standard operating procedure that those costs for officials -- travel, rooms, meals -- ARE covered, either by the host fed or by the ISU.

From the Announcement for the GP series:

The Organizing ISU Member will pay travel expenses based on economy airfare rate for all Skaters/Couples and Judges invited to its ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating event from their domicile to the event and return. The travel expenses of the Referees, Technical Controllers, Technical Specialists and the Data & Replay Operators are covered by the ISU. ...

The Organizing ISU Member will pay accommodation and meal expenses for all Skaters/Couples, Referees, Technical Specialists, Technical Controllers, Data & Replay Operators and Judges from dinner on the day preceding the first official practice through breakfast on the day after the Exhibition. ... ​

From the Announcement for Skate Canada International:

4.1 Meals and Lodging

The organizer will provide and cover the expenses for rooms and meals for all Competitors and Judges participating, beginning with dinner from Wednesday, October 25, 2017 until breakfast on Monday, October 30, 2017. ...

The organizer will provide and cover the expenses for rooms and meals also for the ISU Representative, the Referees, the Technical Controllers, the Technical Specialists, the ISU Grand Prix Coordinator for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, the Data and Replay Operators, the Technical staff of ST SPORTSERVICE and the Anti-Doping Control Team during the same period as indicated for the competitors. ...

4.2 Travel Expenses

The Organizing Member will pay travel expenses based on economy airfare rate for all Competitors invited to its ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating event, for all Judges invited as well as the Anti-Doping Control Team, from their domicile to Regina and return. The travel expenses of the Referees, Technical Controllers, Technical Specialists and the Data & Replay Operators are covered by the ISU.... ​

Thank you. I had a feeling that was the case, but wasn't sure. So, yes, I did write that in the hope that you would give the difinitive answer.

Since this is the case, there is no need for additional gifts for officials. They are already getting thanked.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Regardless of if the ISU and or Fed was paying for the Officials, etc lodging and more. They still get a gift at the gala (usually) from one of the local sponsors. In this case it would have been the company that makes Tessa's earrings but it wasn't her line that was given.

Skaters also receive a gift at some of these gala dinners and so that would make sense.


Either way, this is being blown way out of proportion, as it's not a huge deal and someone's looking to put blame where it doesn't exist.

Moving along.....

 

[draqq]

I would rather see them gift the ISU eyeglasses so they can judge better. Zing!

 

[withwings]

According to the articles, they were from Tessa's line. And therein lies the problem.

The problem is/with you. With an dirty eye everything seems to be dirty.

 

[matcha]

Conflict of interest, yes. Bribery, no.

Lmao as if anyone these days can be bribed with a pair of $80 earrings!

 

[karne]

Since this is the case, there is no need for additional gifts for officials. They are already getting thanked.

I disagree. It is quite nice to receive a small gift as well, and some of them can be quite good. I've gotten drink bottles, coffee mugs, a backpack, all sorts of things. My favourite gifts are competition pins with the competition name on it. I stick them on my skate bag. Though admittedly, the competition that gave officials those warm thingos that you can stick to your socks and stay warm for hours was very genre-savvy.

However, I think in this case Skate Canada was rather foolish. Even if it was not a direct conflict of interest, it doesn't take much looking to see the appearance of one. I'm sure there were other gifts that could have been given that didn't contain such an issue.

 

[college pat]

what is this, mean--that they think what .

tessa gave judges earrings & things, who else. only a warning,

should have made them give them back so no perceive warning.



isnt bribery against the law in business. isn't the sport run like a business.

so this practice is wrong, business law, business ethics--

bribery means 1) corrupt solicitation, acceptance, or transfer of value in exchange for official action.

2) is the act of offering someone money or something valuable in order to persuade
the act of giving money, goods or other forms of recompense to a recipient in exchange for an alteration of their behavior that the recipient would otherwise not alter.

for me bribery isn't just for the winning.

What about the high scores the dance is getting.

the inconsistencies in scoring this year. it noticeable in the pairs, men's, ladies

tessa in dance but due to salt lake it doesn't just affect one disciple pairs/dance or even singles.

this on top of the doping from russia,

wasn't bribery taken care of in salt lake bribery. didn't that include gifts from skaters as well to officials to stop perceive judging .


last a whole another thing when your country involved--defend.

 

[moriel]

I am waiting for some of the canadians fans to speak up here.
As many of them were screaming for clean sport and principles in the russian doping threads, their oppinion on this would be rather interesting. I mean, in the other threads they claimed Canada was like 100% for clean sport, i´m sure they will find this unaceptable =)

popcorn, please

 

[Mathman]

From the second article:

The value of these earrings is comfortably below the amount, 200 Swiss francs (approximately $200), at which International Skating Union ethics rules require that recipients either decline a gift or report it and then turn it over to the ISU.

The ISU can't be bribed by some lousy $80 earrings. Better throw in some complimentary Patrick Chan ice wine to get the value up to $200.

 

[Osmond4gold]

I am waiting for some of the canadians fans to speak up here.
As many of them were screaming for clean sport and principles in the russian doping threads, their oppinion on this would be rather interesting. I mean, in the other threads they claimed Canada was like 100% for clean sport, i´m sure they will find this unaceptable =)

popcorn, please

As others have pointed out, The ISU can't be bribed by $80 earrings, which was well within ISU guidelines. And speaking of cheap shots, would you like some water with that popcorn?

 

[trains]

It's always been standard practice for competitors at important competitions like challenge, Canadians and internationals to get a "loot" bag at registration.It is usually a sport bag with the competition name and year embroidered on it. It has things like sponsor samples, a program, a key chain or some such things etc. This happens right from juvenile to senior. Judges have always received some sort of gift at the end of the competition and this happens right down to the local competition level. It's usually a dish or a pen set or something. Earrings would be light and easy to fly home with.

 

[GGFan]

Do I think any bribery is involved? No. But I think it's important to think through these issues without thinking about the specific individual involved (that is I think Tessa is great and I don't think Canada was doing anything evil here).

Gifts have always been very tricky ethically. Generally in these kinds of situations as long as the gift is under a certain amount it should be fine.Let's remember however than when we're discussing officials some things have to do with appearances. I'm very risk averse so if I were an official I would be very wary of accepting gifts lest anyone start to question my impartiality. As an athlete I also wouldn't want to feel like there was some obligation to buy small gifts for judges--perhaps I wouldn't even want to buy a gift but I would feel like I was at a disadvantage competitively if I did not.

Sometimes we hold some individuals like fiduciaries to higher standards. I think given its history I would have more stringent rules in place for figure skating officials. It's already a very small community, with some grey area behavior. I would either have a blanket ban or I would set up something alternative like a charitable fund for small gifts.

edit: I think the ISU did the right thing by issuing a warning and couching it in terms of the appearance of impropriety.

 

[brightphoton]

It's always been standard practice for competitors at important competitions like challenge, Canadians and internationals to get a "loot" bag at registration.It is usually a sport bag with the competition name and year embroidered on it. It has things like sponsor samples, a program, a key chain or some such things etc. This happens right from juvenile to senior. Judges have always received some sort of gift at the end of the competition and this happens right down to the local competition level. It's usually a dish or a pen set or something. Earrings would be light and easy to fly home with.

I've been given loot bags too, and I have never been given earrings, much less $80.

Y'all must be hanging around some rich folks, acting like getting free jewelry is just like getting a free pencil or tote bag.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

It would make sense to have a strict ISU rule for ALL GP events that the only gifts given to judges is allowed to be done so after the event is over and most importantly at the banquet for all to see. Heck..it might even benefit the local sponsors if they made a public declaration of the gifts.

 

[moriel]

As others have pointed out, The ISU can't be bribed by $80 earrings, which was well within ISU guidelines. And speaking of cheap shots, would you like some water with that popcorn?

Nah, ill have my tea.
Overall, i just think that, while it is not a major bribe, it looks kind of meh overall, and doesnt match the high standards declared by some users across other threads.

 

[ancientpeas]

okay.. I'm Canadian, I'm very pro clean sport and I think this was a bad idea and that next time Skate Canada needs to use better judgement in choosing what gifts it gives. Pretty easy to give gifts that have no tie with any competing skater. It is about optics and this isn't the right kind.

I do think blaming Tessa is wrong though. If you want to blame anyone then blame the people or person who made the decision and the people or persons who approved it. Right the wrong by making better choices next time.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Hey... they could have at thrown them a bone at the GPF with a few more +3 GOE

That's the funny thing. It didn't exactly seem to work given the judges didn't give them OTT PCS in their FD.

Lol at perceived bribery with $80 earrings. And LMAO at the ridiculous notion of comparing this to Russian doping and cheating.

Trying to smear Skate Canada over earrings. That's some desperation right there.

 

[ice coverage]

Do I think any bribery is involved? No. But I think it's important to think through these issues without thinking about the specific individual involved (that is I think Tessa is great and I don't think Canada was doing anything evil here).

.... As an athlete I also wouldn't want to feel like there was some obligation to buy small gifts for judges--perhaps I wouldn't even want to buy a gift but I would feel like I was at a disadvantage competitively if I did not. ....

edit: I think the ISU did the right thing by issuing a warning and couching it in terms of the appearance of impropriety.

Want to be super-clear that the issue here was *not* about an *athlete* giving gifts to judges.

I do not see anything in Hersh's reporting to suggest that Tessa was involved in Skate Canada's decision to give Hillberg & Berk earrings as gifts. (And again, the gifts to judges were not even from Tessa's collection for H & B.)

As far as I can see, Tessa's only so-called "involvement" is that Skate Canada decided to give earrings from her collection as gifts to skaters (to skaters, not to judges).

I think it's fine that the ISU gave a warning about appearance of impropriety to Skate Canada about Skate Canada's decision.

Contrary to the title of this thread, Hersh did not report that Skate Canada was warned "for perceived bribery" -- which is hyperbole, IMO.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Those earrings must be spectacular enough to be mistaken for being worth much more. Maybe some thought they received loot bags likes those at the Oscars. Had they known it's only a $70 gift, those upright judges might have kept them, for re-gifting at least.

The jewelry company just scored a great publicity.