Update on 2022-23 Grand Prix Series

[Jumping_Bean]

I thought she has already been suspended? The investigation is ongoing?

(Mostly) Everyone who has a positive sample will be temporarily suspended until further notice (also called provisional suspension). This is to ensure fair competition and the protection of clean athletes. However, that does not mean that there is no ongoing investigation.

Athletes can request the testing of the B-sample (which has to be done with them present) and if it is positive, an official court case has to be opened against the (potentially) offending athlete. At court, athletes can bring forward explanations for the presence of a banned substance in their sample or offer evidence that they accidentally/unknowingly ingested the banned substance/a precursor substance. Based on this hearing and the evidence presented, the court decides on a punishment, which can range from a warning to a 4-year ban (or lifetime if you are a repeat offender). This punishment seems to usually be backdated, so if it takes a year to reach a decision in court and the sentencing calls for a one-year ban the athlete might get off with minimal additional suspension time on top of the provisional suspension and be able to return to competitions close after the ruling.

 

[Amei]

Waiting for GP assignments after another delay....figured this was an appropriate picture to post

 

[Jumping_Bean]

The ISU has confirmed that the fourth GP event will be held in Sheffield, GB and will be called MK John Wilson Trophy:



Official announcement on the website

Also in the announcement: "The lists of entries for the 2022/23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series will be published on the ISU website on Friday, July 22nd 2022."

 

[cheerknithanson]

Yay!!!

 

[snowflake]

Great news! Happy for British figure skating fans. I'm sure the assigned skaters will be worth watching.

 

[ucrgirl]

Also in the announcement: "The lists of entries for the 2022/23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series will be published on the ISU website on Friday, July 22nd 2022."

Finally!

 

[figureskatingandrainbows]

Apparently the MKJWT (idk how else to abbreviate it couldn't they have gone with something a little shorter) is taking place at the Ice Sheffield rink, which has a capacity of 1500. It's going to be a very cosy experience, that's for sure! If you're planning on getting tickets, I would buy them as soon as they're available, especially if a fan fave is going.

JWT? MKJWGP? GP UK?

 

[4everchan]

Apparently the MKJWT (idk how else to abbreviate it couldn't they have gone with something a little shorter) is taking place at the Ice Sheffield rink, which has a capacity of 1500. It's going to be a very cosy experience, that's for sure! If you're planning on getting tickets, I would buy them as soon as they're available, especially if a fan fave is going.

JWT? MKJWGP? GP UK?

Fear and Gibson should go there... so I would bet those ice dance tickets will sell out very quickly.

 

[yuumagical]

Apparently the MKJWT (idk how else to abbreviate it couldn't they have gone with something a little shorter) is taking place at the Ice Sheffield rink, which has a capacity of 1500. It's going to be a very cosy experience, that's for sure! If you're planning on getting tickets, I would buy them as soon as they're available, especially if a fan fave is going.

JWT? MKJWGP? GP UK?

JWT sounds like a good abbreviation to me, in the vein of IdF (or the earlier TEB). Thanks for letting us know which rink it's at, now I can hope that my fave doesn't go there so I get tickets more easily to wherever they go.

 

[fzztsimmons]

Can’t believe they missed the opportunity to call it Skate Britain

But I am SO EXCITED, I made a risky move to book cheap non-refundable hotel rooms before it was confirmed and it’s paid off because the price has already doubled! Cannot cope that I will get to see a grand prix in GB!!

 

[Arriba627]

Can’t believe they missed the opportunity to call it Skate Britain

But I am SO EXCITED, I made a risky move to book cheap non-refundable hotel rooms before it was confirmed and it’s paid off because the price has already doubled! Cannot cope that I will get to see a grand prix in GB!!

What is a good hotel to stay at for that venue, if you don't mind sharing?

 

[fzztsimmons]

What is a good hotel to stay at for that venue, if you don't mind sharing?

I would look at the budget chain hotels like
premier inn or ibis. Now, there is a premier inn (sheffield arena) directly across from ice sheffield, HOWEVER 1.3 miles down the same road is another premier inn (sheffield meadowhall) which is around £130 cheaper for a non refundable room when I looked this afternoon. The latter also has free parking and you could either walk/tram/drive to the rink I believe - that’s what I’m doing!

 

[icybear]

Fear and Gibson should go there... so I would bet those ice dance tickets will sell out very quickly.

I doubt so. They arent exactly mass fans attracting and they havent won anything major. P/C have won everything and the arena in IDF is always half empty. Figure skating isnt big in the UK so I expect the attendance to be more like a challenger competition

 

[4everchan]

I doubt so. They arent exactly mass fans attracting and they havent won anything major. P/C have won everything and the arena in IDF is always half empty. Figure skating isnt big in the UK so I expect the attendance to be more like a challenger competition

I would think ice dance has more of a following in the UK with Torvill and Dean etc... and of course, the UK doesn't have anymore competitive singles and pairs skaters so, I simply assumed that 1500 tickets wouldn't be hard to sell for Fear and Gibson... but I don't live there, and I have no clue about the amount of fans skating has in the UK... Hopefully, the event is a success.

 

[NanaPat]

I would think ice dance has more of a following in the UK with Torvill and Dean etc... and of course, the UK doesn't have anymore competitive singles and pairs skaters so, I simply assumed that 1500 tickets wouldn't be hard to sell for Fear and Gibson... but I don't live there, and I have no clue about the amount of fans skating has in the UK... Hopefully, the event is a success.

Hope they get some deep-pocketed Japanese fans to attend as well.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Can’t believe they missed the opportunity to call it Skate Britain

Absolutely brilliant!

But, you don't honestly expect our Fed to come up with something clever, do you?

But I am SO EXCITED, I made a risky move to book cheap non-refundable hotel rooms before it was confirmed and it’s paid off because the price has already doubled! Cannot cope that I will get to see a grand prix in GB!!

Typical!

But, I have to admit, at the same time I am surprised that this announcement has had an effect on prices at all, because figure skating is such a fringe sport in the British Isles. Nobody cares about it.

I hate to say it, but I genuinely believe that there will be lots of empty seats. The only way there will be a full house is if there are lots of foreign fans. But with the way so many flights are getting cancelled without warning because of staff shortages at the airlines and the airports, it's a big risk for them to take. To fork out money on flights, hotels and seats, and then have your dreams ruined.

I am still kicking myself that I didn't make the trip over to Sheffield for 2012 Europeans. So many of my favourite skaters were competing. But I priced everything out, and decided that it was too expensive.

This time is different. Firstly, I am still not comfortable with the idea of flying yet. Being in a confined space with a lot of people - no thank you. Even the idea of being in an audience with people sitting around you is not appealing. Secondly, this is a much smaller field than Euros. And nowadays I don't have as many favourite skaters that I am desperate to see live as I had a few years ago. So, the chances of enough of my favourites just happening to be at this particular GP for me to want to go to it are slim.

My feelings may change when the allocations are announced. But, as it stands, I'm not making any enquiries into going.

That said, I wish the event all the successs in the world! With there only being six every year, it is a great honour to be selected to host a Senior Grand Prix.

CONGRATULATIONS SHEFFIELD!!!



CaroLiza_fan

 

[yuumagical]

I doubt so. They arent exactly mass fans attracting and they havent won anything major. P/C have won everything and the arena in IDF is always half empty. Figure skating isnt big in the UK so I expect the attendance to be more like a challenger competition

When I was in Montpellier for Worlds this year, the arena was packed full with French people wanting to see Papadakis/Cizeron. The atmosphere was as raucous as a soccer game! Granted, the fact that they had recently won an Olympic gold medal certainly had something to do with the large crowd. Even so, I don't think you should underestimate the power of the Olympics in attracting more people to Olympic sports. (Although I am saying this as someone who decided to finally see a live skating competition after Pyeongchang in the hopes of seeing an OGM)

 

[Arriba627]

I would look at the budget chain hotels like
premier inn or ibis. Now, there is a premier inn (sheffield arena) directly across from ice sheffield, HOWEVER 1.3 miles down the same road is another premier inn (sheffield meadowhall) which is around £130 cheaper for a non refundable room when I looked this afternoon. The latter also has free parking and you could either walk/tram/drive to the rink I believe - that’s what I’m doing!

Whoa! I see what you mean. I would probably arrive on Weds. and leave on Mon. They showed a rate of 774 pounds, approx. $926 for that length of stay. That's pretty steep.

 

[Jontor]

The ISU has confirmed that the fourth GP event will be held in Sheffield, GB and will be called MK John Wilson Trophy:



Official announcement on the website

Also in the announcement: "The lists of entries for the 2022/23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series will be published on the ISU website on Friday, July 22nd 2022."

Yay! Can't wait for the assignments! I feel a great GP season is coming up, although I will miss my Russian girls and boys (and Safonova and that Dracula guy).

 

[Ruthypegs]

What is a good hotel to stay at for that venue, if you don't mind sharing?

Hiya - I don't have much experience of staying in Sheffield hotels as I live here, but I'd recommend staying in the city centre rather than in a hotel near to the rink - the rink is in an industrial part of town - very busy roads, not very pretty, not much to see.

Hotels in the city centre, (e.g. Mercure St Paul's, Jury's Inn, Leopold - and there are a few budget options too), are all very near to the tram line, which takes you directly to the rink (tram stop is "Arena"). From the city centre to the IceSheffield/Arena tram stop is 15 minutes, and trams are frequent. The tram is the quickest and most convenient way to get to the rink, IMHO.