The world season is coming to an end, and the best figure skaters on the planet can only compete for medals at the last tournament of the year - the World Team Championship, which will be held in the capital of Japan from April 16 to 19. With the advent of the team tournament in the Olympic program, experts and fans are paying special attention to the World Team Trophy. After all, only at this competition can you check which of the skaters is a team fighter and who can fade under pressure.
Due to a completely different competition format. There are no such blind spots in the regulations as in Sochi, when the short program cost twice as much as the free program, and you can enter the last type of program as Olympic champions. But at the World Team Trophy, the organizers usually do everything to level out the lag of the Japanese hosts in doubles events, which they do not have as a class. But first things first.
"House" regulations
Team gold is being contested by the top six ranked teams in the world. Each team is represented by the best athletes (this is a prerequisite for the team World Cup). If
Some of the federations decide not to strain themselves and send the second or third squad to Tokyo, the national team may lose a ticket to the next championship. The team consists of four singles skaters (two each in women's and men's competitions), one sports and one dance pair. For victory in each event, 12 points are given, for second place - 11, and so on until the last 12th place, for which the participant will bring one point to his team. Since there are a dozen participants in single events, and half as many in doubles, the pair that takes last place receives not one, but seven points, which allows the Japanese team to seriously count on success, despite the fact that two of the four events have they are absolutely failures. This year, one more feature has been added to the rules - points will not be counted based on the sum of two programs, as before, but separately for the short and free program.
What is better - a stable composition...
The two teams that have the most even composition are the Russian and American teams. The teams do not sag in any of the types of the program; there are killers and those who can cover the rear. Our team looks clearly more powerful in the women's tournament, and the US team looks more powerful in the dance tournament. A strong half of the teams are approximately equal in class, most likely, they will be able to win back no more than a point from the Stars and Stripes.
The task of obtaining maximum points will fall on the shoulders of Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and Elena Radionova. The young girls haven’t gotten off the podium all season, but performing while feeling responsible for themselves and for those guys is not at all the same as in an individual tournament. , and the new world champion only played for the national team once at the World Team Trophy two years ago. In the men's tournament, all that is required of Kovtun and Voronov is to try not to lose to the Americans and to lose to Japan with the least losses. The dancers' performance is expected to be less exciting. To lose to China or Japan, Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin You are required to remain on the ice throughout the entire program. But they are unlikely to be able to beat any of the 2015 World Cup winners.
...or shock types?
The most favorable format for the Japanese allows the hosts to fight for medals. Initially aiming for last places in the doubles events, Japanese singles athletes pull their partners onto the podium over and over again, and in 2012 the Japanese team even managed to win the overall standings. They still have a chance to win the championship, but the efforts of one Yuzuru Hanyu not enough for this. The recently concluded World Cup was terrible for Japan - the fact that the maximum quota would be lost in the men's tournament was something no one could even dream of in their nightmares. If Takahito Mura will remember that he is actually one of the best skaters in the world, the Japanese will be in the game until the very end. Shanghai history will repeat itself - and the team may fall out of the top three.
Steps behind the scenes
The remaining three teams are assigned supporting roles. They might even win one of the events, like the Chinese Sui/Han couple or the French dancers Papadakis/Cizeron, but an extremely uneven composition will negate the effect of their success. The Canadian team could have joined the race for awards if it had not sagged so much in single events. If the Canadians had Patrick Chan in their ranks, the Country of the Maple Leaf would look much stronger. But so far, the Sochi silver medalist has only vaguely indicated a desire to return in the new season. And the newly-minted world champion in pair skating Eric Redford a couple of days before the start I came down with food poisoning. And everyone else needs to be more careful about Japanese hospitality - it ends abruptly when it comes to medals.
As the event begins, the content of this article may change.
| Competition type: | tournament under the auspices of ISU | |
|---|---|---|
| Date of: | April 20 - April 23, 2017 | |
| Location: | Tokyo | |
| Prize fund: | $1000000 | |
| Competitions | ||
| Previous: | World Team Championship 2015 | |
| Follow up: | World Team Championship 2019 | |
2017 World Team Figure Skating Championships(English) 2017 ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating listen)) is the fifth international team figure skating competition organized by the International Skating Union. The championship will take place from April 23, 2017, presumably in the capital of Japan, Tokyo.
Teams from six countries will compete for cash prizes, the rating of their skaters in the 2016-2017 season, compiled on the basis of the season’s competitions under the auspices of the ISU, will be the highest (the results of the stages of the “adult” and junior Grand Prix series (including the finals), the championship are taken into account World Championships, World Junior Championships, European Championships and Four Continents Championships).
Prize fund
The prize fund of the tournament will be 1,000,000, which will be distributed between teams for their places, presumably as follows:
- 1st place - 200,000
- 2nd place - 170,000
- 3rd place - 160,000
- 4th place - 150,000
- 5th place - 140,000
- 6th place - 130,000
Wherein:
- Each single player will receive 15% of the team winnings;
- Each pair gets 20% of the team winnings.
The remaining $50,000 will be awarded to the top two singles ($10,000 each) and doubles ($15,000 each)
Write a review of the article "World Team Figure Skating Championships 2017"
Notes
Links
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
An excerpt characterizing the 2017 World Team Figure Skating Championships
“Merci,” said Pierre. The captain looked intently at Pierre the same way he looked when he learned what the shelter was called in German, and his face suddenly lit up.- Ah! dans ce cas je bois a notre amitie! [Ah, in that case, I drink to your friendship!] - he shouted cheerfully, pouring two glasses of wine. Pierre took the glass he had poured and drank it. Rambal drank his, shook Pierre's hand again and leaned his elbows on the table in a thoughtfully melancholy pose.
“Oui, mon cher ami, voila les caprices de la fortune,” he began. – Qui m"aurait dit que je serai soldat et capitaine de dragons au service de Bonaparte, comme nous l"appellions jadis. Et cependant me voila a Moscou avec lui. “Il faut vous dire, mon cher,” he continued in the sad, measured voice of a man who is about to tell a long story, “que notre nom est l"un des plus anciens de la France. [Yes, my friend, here is the wheel of fortune. Who said I wish I would be a soldier and captain of dragoons in the service of Bonaparte, as we used to call him. However, here I am in Moscow with him. I must tell you, my dear... that our name is one of the most ancient in France.]
And with the easy and naive frankness of a Frenchman, the captain told Pierre the history of his ancestors, his childhood, adolescence and manhood, all his family, property, and family relationships. “Ma pauvre mere [“My poor mother.”] played, of course, an important role in this story.
– Mais tout ca ce n"est que la mise en scene de la vie, le fond c"est l"amour? L"amour! “N"est ce pas, monsieur; Pierre?” he said, perking up. “Encore un verre.” [But all this is only an introduction to life, its essence is love. Love! Isn’t it so, Monsieur Pierre? Another glass. ]
Pierre drank again and poured himself a third.
- Oh! Les femmes, les femmes! [ABOUT! women, women!] - and the captain, looking at Pierre with oily eyes, began to talk about love and his love affairs. There were a lot of them, which was easy to believe, looking at the smug, handsome face of the officer and at the enthusiastic animation with which he spoke about women. Despite the fact that all of Rambal's love stories had that dirty character in which the French see the exceptional charm and poetry of love, the captain told his stories with such sincere conviction that he alone experienced and knew all the delights of love, and described women so temptingly that Pierre listened to him with curiosity.
From April 20 to 23, the capital of Japan will host the World Team Championship, which is held every two years (certainly in Japan) and crowns the figure skating season. These competitions have another name, emphasizing their commercial nature - World Team Trophy. AiF.ru spoke about the favorites of the tournament and where to watch the competition press attache of the Russian Figure Skating Federation Olga Ermolina.
— From a purely professional point of view, is the World Team Trophy a sport or a show?
— In our world, the attitude towards this tournament is twofold. On the one hand, it is held under the auspices of the ISU (International Skating Union - AiF.ru note), on the other hand, it is organized by the Japanese Figure Skating Federation under the patronage of the Asahi television company, positioning the competition as commercial.
Figure skating is, in principle, an individual sport; we have only one team tournament - the Olympics. But the regulations of the World Team Trophy do not coincide with the regulations of the Olympic Games: the Japanese, who have very well developed singles skating, but few pairs and dance duets, made it for themselves and for themselves. They found a very precise balance between sport and show. This is understandable: it is enough to visit this country at least once to understand what figure skating means to the Japanese.
-What does it mean to them?
“You can’t say it in a nutshell, but the popularity of the sport is simply incredible. Any competition that takes place in Japan is top. The halls are packed, and the public in Japan is involved, understanding and empathetic. Before the start of each performance there is such silence that you can hear your hearts beating. People spend the night under hotel doors, dreaming of at least looking at their idols up close...
“It’s nice to ride in such a positive environment.”
- Certainly. Therefore, all athletes go to Japan with great pleasure - not for the money, but for the atmosphere.
— Forecasts are a thankless task, but let’s try anyway. Who is the favorite in 2017?
— Team competitions have one feature: the composition must be balanced, because in the end it is not the athlete who wins, but the team. It is important that no one fails. From this point of view, as far as one can judge before the start, the Canadians look very decent.
- But we have Evgenia Medvedeva.
— Zhenya is the leader of the last two seasons. She not only maintains her level, but also constantly increases it: she fights with herself - she fights and defeats herself. We all really hope that she will perform no worse than at the World Championships in Helsinki.
— Why such caution in assessments?
— End of the season. Maintaining peak form is a very difficult task... In general, our composition is very interesting. If the guys show what they can and should, if they skate at their level, we will, of course, compete for good places.
— Which place is considered good for the Russian team?
— In 2015, we became silver medalists at the World Team Championship for the first time, losing to the Americans by one point, but this is just a note. Making forecasts and planning places is definitely not my function; I will not take such boldness upon myself. Another difficulty is that the sport is individual, and the competition is team. Of course, everyone is determined to do their best, but, you know, talking about “victory at any cost” always creates unnecessary pressure. Therefore, you just need to skate to your strength - and everything will be fine.
— Why is the World Team Trophy not shown on Russian television?
— Again, because this is a commercial tournament. Rights cost a lot of money. But you can watch it, for example, on the ISU website. There are some restrictions by country, but for real figure skating fans, is this really an obstacle?
Participants
- Russia
Prize-winners of the European Championships Maxim Kovtun And Mikhail Kolyada two-time world champion Evgenia Medvedeva, bronze medalist at the 2015 World Championships Elena Radionova bronze medalists of the 2017 World Championship Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov(pair skating), Olympic champions in Sochi in the team tournament Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitry Soloviev(dancing on Ice).
Team captain - Ekaterina Bobrova.
- Canada
Patrick Chan, Kevin Reynolds(men's single skating), Alain Chartrand, Gabriel Daleman(women's single skating), Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro(pair skating), Caitlin Weaver/Andrew Poje(dancing on Ice).
Jason Brown, Nathan Chen(men's single skating), Karen Chen, Ashley Wagner(women's single skating), Ashley Kane/Timothy Leduc(pair skating), Madison Chalke/Evan Bates(dancing on Ice).
- Japan
Yuzuru Hanyu, Soma Uno(men's single skating), Wakaba Higuchi, Mai Mihara(women's single skating), Sumire Suto/Francis Boudreau-Audet(pair skating), Kana Muramoto/Chris Reed(dancing on Ice).
- China
Jin Boyan, Li Tangxiu(men's single skating), Li Xiangning, Li Zijun(women's single skating), Peng Cheng/Jin Yang(pair skating), Wang Shiyue/Liu Xinyi(dancing on Ice).
- France
Kevin Aymoz, Shafik Besseguier(men's single skating), Laurene Lecavalier, Mae-Bérénice Meite(women's single skating), Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres(pair skating), Marie-Jade Laurieau/Romain Le Gac(dancing on Ice).
Winners of past tournaments
The current competition is only the fifth, and the 2011 championship had to be postponed due to the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011.
- Canada
- Japan
- Canada
- Japan
- Russia
- Japan
Rules
In total, 6 countries are participating in the tournament, qualifying according to ratings. World Team Trophy participants must have placed in the top ten at the previous World Championships or have the best ranking for their country in their discipline. Each team consists of 8 strongest (mandatory) athletes: two men and women for singles, one sports pair and one dance duet.
Two types of programs are performed: short and free. Based on the results of the competition in each discipline, points are awarded according to the following scheme:
Place Singles Couples/Dancers
1st place 12 points 12 points
2nd place 11 points 11 points
3rd place 10 points 10 points
4th place 9 points 9 points
5th place 8 points 8 points
6th place 7 points 7 points
7th place 6 points -
8th place 5 points -
9th place 4 points -
10th place 3 points -
11th place 2 points -
12th place 1 point -
The points scored by all athletes are summed up for the final distribution of places.
If any skater from a country selected to participate in the tournament makes an unmotivated decision not to participate in the World Team Trophy, he will be ineligible for an entire year to compete in any shows, exhibitions or competitions. In addition, additional sanctions may be applied.
Money
The prize fund of the tournament is $1 million, which is distributed according to the places taken:
1st place - 200 thousand
2nd place - 170 thousand
3rd place - 160 thousand
4th place - 150 thousand
5th place - 140 thousand
6th place - 130 thousand
At the same time, athletes performing in singles receive 15% of the team winnings, and doubles - 20%.
The remaining 50 thousand dollars after the distribution of the total prize fund are bonuses for the two best singles (10 thousand each) and pairs (15 thousand each).
Force Majeure
On April 18, three-time Russian champion in men's singles skating Maxim Kovtun announced on Instagram that he was late for the flight to Tokyo, which took the Russian team to the World Team Championships. According to the skater, the taxi driver was to blame for the delay because he got into an accident on the way to the airport.
However, the story ended quite happily: Kovtun bought a ticket at his own expense and was soon reunited with the team.
The main start of the figure skating season - the World Championships - took place in Helsinki at the end of March, but the competitive program did not exhaust itself there. It is crowned by the World Team Championship - a rather young event, dating back to 2009.
These competitions are held in odd-numbered years, in contrast to the traditional planetary championship. The exception was 2011, when the tournament was decided to be postponed to next year due to the fact that Japan, the permanent host of the championship, was hit by a strong earthquake that caused a tsunami. The current World Championship is the fifth in history, and the Americans have the best results, winning three golds and one silver. The Russian team can only boast of being vice-championship in 2015.
The tournament is a competition between six teams that have the best rating in the International Skating Union (ISU) system. Currently, these countries are Canada, Russia, USA, Japan, China and France. The competition program itself includes the traditional types for figure skaters - short and free programs, but in women's and men's single skating the country is represented by two athletes each, and in pairs and sports dances - by one duet. The point system at the World Championships is simple: in single events, the winner receives 12 points, and the skater who takes last place is content with one point; in pair disciplines, the difference is that the duo that shows the last, sixth result brings seven points to their team.
Who plays for the Russian national team
The Russian team arrived in Tokyo with almost optimal composition. Sports dancing is represented by the best duet in the country at the moment - Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitry Solovyov. This season they came third at the European Championships, fourth at the Grand Prix Final, and fifth at the World Championships. Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, winners of the Grand Prix finals, European Championships and bronze medalists of the World Championships this season, are performing in the pairs competition.
In men's single skating, the honor of Russia is defended by an uncontested pairing - Mikhail Kolyada and Maxim Kovtun. The latter had an unpleasant episode before the start of the competition. The 2017 European vice-champion was late for the plane to Tokyo, leaving with the Russian team for a team competition. This happened because his taxi was involved in an accident on the way to the airport. Kovtun had to purchase a ticket worth 50 thousand rubles at his own expense.
The main hope of the Russian national team is Evgenia Medvedeva. The undisputed leader of world women's figure skating, who won every possible title this year, arrived in the capital of Japan for another gold. Anna Pogorilaya was supposed to keep her company, but the Russian Figure Skating Federation decided to “give the athlete time and the opportunity to recover from psychological trauma (she took 13th place at the World Championships.” RT) and calmly prepare for the next season.” As a result, the choice was made in favor of Elena Radionova, who won the Universiade in Almaty this season.
Dance Sport
On the first of the three days of the tournament, exclusively short skates were planned. The competition program was opened with a competition of sports dancers. Bobrova and Solovyov showed the third result with a total score of 68.94. In comparison with other major competitions of the season, they showed the worst result: in the Grand Prix final, the couple received 74.04 points for the short dance, at the continental championship - 76.18, and at the World Championship - 73.54.
Nevertheless, Bobrova and Solovyov added 10 points to the Russian team, and the Americans took the lead thanks to Madison Chalk and Evan Bates (79.06). In Helsinki they also beat the Russians in the first event of the program, scoring 76.25, but after the free dance they found themselves behind Ekaterina and Dmitry. Wedged between the Americans and Russians were Canadians Caitlin Weaver and Andrew Poje, whom the judges gave 76.73 points.
Bobrova and Solovyov could easily not have made it into the top three, but for France it was not the vice-world champions Gabriela Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron who performed for France, but Marie-Jade Laurieau and Romain Le Gac, who in Finland did not even qualify to participate in the free dance.
Women
The crowning appearance for Russia, of course, was marked by the superiority of Evgenia Medvedeva. Her performance did not cause any complaints from the judges, and as a reward the judges were generous with high scores, which allowed the Russian to break her own world record in the short program, set at the Grand Prix final in Marseille (79.21). Now the new world achievement is 80.85 points.
Radionova did not disappoint either, taking second place with a personal best. Elena received 72.21 points for her short program, exceeding her achievement shown at the Grand Prix stage in Moscow last November by 0.28 points.
The girls earned 23 points - the maximum possible score, which allowed the Russian team to take the lead. The total was 33 points, and the closest pursuers from Japan had 26.
Men
Representatives of the Land of the Rising Sun hoped to make up for lost time in men's single skating, because the hosts of the tournament were represented by the current champion and vice world champion - Yuzuru Hanyu and Soma Uno. While the latter successfully completed the task and brought his team 12 points, Hanyu performed unsuccessfully, becoming only seventh. As a result, the Japanese scored 18 points in total.
The Russians had a chance to remain leaders at the end of the first day of competition, but Maxim Kovtun let his partners down and scored a modest 64.62 points. He took second to last place. Apparently, the incident with the taxi did not pass without a trace, although Kovtun is famous for the fact that he unevenly performs one of the two programs. This happened to him at the Russian Championship, but at major international competitions of the season he pulled himself together and showed good numbers. For comparison: at the European Championships he scored 94.53 points for the short program, and at the World Championships - 89.38.
Mikhail Kolyada did not allow his opponents to take the lead in the overall standings. The judges rated his performance at 95.37 points, which was not only a personal, but also a national record. The previous achievement belonged to Kovtun - 94.53. Kolyada eventually finished fourth, behind not only Hania, but also the American Nathan Chen and the Chinese Jing Boyang. Mikhail brought Russia 9 points, and the total was 44, the same as the Japanese. The Americans are breathing down the backs of the leading duo with 43 points.
On Friday there will also be three events - sports pairs will compete, and dancers and men will present free programs. The World Championships will end on Saturday with free skates for pairs and girls.