Steve Milton: Russians banned from Hamilton Worlds skating championship
When the planet's best synchronized skaters come to Hamilton early next month, the reigning world champions will not be among them.
The Council of the International Skating Union, which oversees global figure skating, speed skating, and short-track, decided Tuesday morning that athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete in international skating events, until further notice."
A spokesperson confirmed to the The Spectator from ISU headquarters in Geneva Switzerland early Tuesday that the ban includes the World Synchronized Skating Championships which will be held at the FirstOntario Centre, April 7-9.
The full ban follows a recommendation from the International Olympic Committee that its member sports federations, which includes the ISU, not stage championships in Russia or Belarus, nor allow officials or athletes to take part in international competitions because of the invasion of Ukraine.
That means that Russia's Team Paradise, which has won three of the last four world titles, including 2019 - the last time the Worlds were held before the pandemic cancelled them for two years - will not be coming to Hamilton. Based in St. Petersburg, Team Paradise won Russia's first-ever world synchronized medal when it placed third at the 2015 world championships, which were also at FirstOntario Centre.
Burlington-based Nexxice, which trains twice a week at FirstOntario Centre, won the 2015 championship, has qualified for the Worlds for the 15th straight season and will be one of Canada's two representatives next month. Nexxice juniors have qualified for the Junior World Championships in two weeks in Innsbruck, Austria, which will be the first ISU figure skating event when the sweeping ban will take effect.
Nexxice stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and are in full support of the ISU decision to not allow teams representing Russia to compete at the 2022 World Championships at this time," said Shelley Simonton Barnett, the team's head coach.
Simonton Barnett said Team Paradise, are a really good team with a depth of excellent skaters and skating skills."
Team Paradise had been beaten in Russia just before Christmas by Team Tatarstan, from Kazan, which qualified to join Paradise in Hamilton but is also forced to remain home.
Ukraine does not have an elite national synchronized skating team.
On Monday, the world organizing bodies for both soccer and hockey banned Russian teams and officials from its international competitions but it was not immediately known if the ISU would follow suit. It is still embroiled in controversy around Russian teen prodigy Kamila Valieva's positive test for banned substances which has resulted in a delay of the official awarding of medals in the team figure skating event from the Beijing Olympics.
But, on Tuesday, the ISU unequivocably barred Russian teams, athletes and officials from its international events.
The ISU Council will continue to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine and its impact on the ISU activity and will take additional steps if and when required," an ISU statement read.
Skate Canada, the national governing body for the sport, told The Spectator Tuesday morning that it would have a formal statement later in the day.
Steve Milton is a Hamilton-based sports columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: smilton@thespec.com