I seem to remember both of your pairs teams withdrawing because of visa issues in the past, with the Russian passport holder in each pair having problems. It is possible that entry to the US was going to be a problem (unless they all have Dutch passports now?).I know why they withdrew from Nebelhorn: money problems. They could skate at a smaller competition close to home (I've seen them, I was there). But the withdrawal from SA? I really don't know. There could be an injury as they had withdrawn from a Dutch competition (close by, their rivals were there) a few days after an interview where they had been discussing the future and the intention to continue despite the money problems. That happened after Nebelhorn.