Canada might not compete at world figure skating championships — if they happen

[ribbit]

I'm not saying world's should go on, or people should be required to go to world's - what I'm saying that they shouldn't go on 2019 rankings. Best thing is to give max spots to every single country, or gives 2019 spots and allow additional ones to be earnt by participants who choose to go.

Well, that's a different issue, but okay. The total number of Olympic spots available isn't determined by the ISU; it's set by the IOC. And in recent cycles the IOC has been cutting, not increasing, the number of figure skating spots (and spots in other sports--figure skating isn't being singled out). I'd love to see more skaters have an opportunity to compete at the Olympics, but I don't think that's going to happen. So assuming that the number of spots remains the same for this cycle, what is the fairest way of distributing them?

One solution would be to use the 2019 Worlds results; another would be to use the 2021 Worlds results. Neither of these, I think we agree, is ideal, and both risk being unfair to some skaters (with, probably, some overlap in the group of skaters who are most negatively affected under each plan). Another solution would be to award some fraction of the spots using the 2019 Worlds results, and make more spots available to be earned at Nebelhorn. Perhaps the current rule that a country can earn a spot at Nebelhorn only in a discipline in which it currently has no spots could be suspended for this year, giving skaters from countries whose depth in a particular discipline has increased a chance to earn a second or third spot for their country. But then the skaters/countries who would have received spots (or more spots) based on the 2019 Worlds results and who see those spots put up for grabs at Nebelhorn would feel that the new system was unfair. What's the formula that results in the least unfairness to the smallest group of skaters?

(Remember that in all cases, spots are earned for one's country, not for oneself--"participants who choose to go" to Worlds or Nebelhorn to compete are earning spots for their federation, which the federation may choose to award to another skater. And, of course, they aren't simply choosing to go or not; they're choosing whether to accept their federation's assignment to compete, but they have to be assigned to the event by the fed first.)

Edited to fix typo.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

One solution would be to use the 2019 Worlds results; another would be to use the 2020 Worlds results.

^^ 2020 Worlds was cancelled, so there aren't any results. Did you mean a different year or a different event?

 

[ribbit]

^^ 2020 Worlds was cancelled, so there aren't any results. Did you mean a different year or a different event?

Yes, you're right--meant to write 2021 and posted too quickly. Will edit.

 

[ice coverage]

But they did make a change after 2018 that could potentially reduce the big-country spots a bit. The number of automatic "multiple" entries is now limited to then number of skaters who made the free skate at worlds, though they can duke it out at Nebelhorn with the small feds to get back one entry lost under this rule.

.... Perhaps the current rule that a country can earn a spot at Nebelhorn only in a discipline in which it currently has no spots could be suspended for this year, giving skaters from countries whose depth in a particular discipline has increased a chance to earn a second or third spot for their country. ...

As alluded to by NanaPat, it no longer is true that a country can earn a spot at Nebelhorn only in a discipline in which it currently has no spots.

*Hypothetical* examples, if/if/if 2019 Worlds placements were used to determine 2022 OWG spots for Ladies:

- Because Tursynbaeva placed 2nd at Worlds (as her country's only entry), Kazakhstan would receive one OWG spot, plus it would be possible for a lady other than Tursynbaeva to compete at Nebelhorn to try to earn one more OWG spot for Kazakhstan.
- Because Lim placed 10th at Worlds (as her country's only entry), South Korea would receive one OWG spot, plus it would be possible for a lady other than Lim to compete at Nebelhorn to try to earn one more OWG spot for South Korea.

Just for grins, if/if/if 2019 Worlds placements were used with the post-2018 rules, the first 24 OWG spots for Ladies would be allotted as listed below. (With 6 additional spots to be contested at Nebelhorn.)

3 spots for Russia
3 spots for Japan
2 spots for USA
2 spots for Canada
Plus 1 spot each for:

Kazakhstan (with the possibility of earning 1 more spot at Nebelhorn)
South Korea (with the possibility of earning 1 more spot at Nebelhorn)
Belgium
Azerbaijan
Hong Kong
France
Germany
Bulgaria
Slovenia
China
Czech Republic
Great Britain
Estonia
Brazil​

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... I kinda think given how there's not been a ton of competitions for most skaters that perhaps a good option would be for the ISU to say this is 2019 Worlds 1 year late and the event is made up of everyone that was scheduled to go to Worlds in 2019 makes up the competition for 2020. Give those skaters a chance to go to the Worlds that got cancelled on them...just a thought, the ISU is in a tough spot on how to handle the event given the situation.

Don't know what you are trying to say?

2019 Worlds took place as normal. Then one year later, 2020 Worlds were cancelled.
The ISU already had announced that for 2021 Worlds, countries will have the same number of spots that they had earned for 2020 Worlds. (Other than the requirement for TES minimums, the ISU never has control over which skaters are chosen by individual federations to fill their spots.)