According to the statement by ISU(below) and some news,
Worlds 2011 in Tokyo will be at least postponed (maybe to April) or finally canceled.
Japan Earthquake/Tsunami
14 Mar 2011 06:53
Lausanne, March 14, 2011
Taking into account the continued critical developments in Japan, the ISU’s primary concern for the safety of all participants, spectators and members of concerned entities as well as the travel advisories from many governments to avoid travel to Japan until the situation is settled, the ISU in consultation and agreement with the Japan Skating Federation (JSF) and in line with the advise of the Japanese authorities, has concluded that the staging of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2011 scheduled to be held on March 21-27, 2011 is not possible and the Championships will not be held during that time.The postponement of the Event or alternatively the final cancellation is under evaluation.
The same applies to the ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating scheduled to be held in Yokohama on April 14-17, 2011.
It is understood that a postponement of the above-mentioned World Championships as well as the holding of the ISU World Team Trophy is subject to the confirmation by the competent Japanese authorities that the situation is back to normal conditions allowing the safe conduct of major ISU sports Events in the Tokyo area.
As soon as the situation in this respect has been finalized, the ISU will inform all parties concerned of the decision taken.
Ottavio Cinquanta Fredi Schmid
President Director General
…will be updated later!
This was the only reasonable choice:
skating can wait, thousands of victims and people still in trouble have priority over sport.
Sport can wait. All our prayers out to Japan.
We have to dilute vacuousness with something.
Mikko, what did you say about the week nine?
Damn, a really tragedy =( We are with the people of Japan
Tom Soyer, it’s such a punishment to have been dejected all the time…
Takashi–readings of 400 millisieverts have been detected at Fukushima. The maximum allowable dosage per year is 50 millisieverts and even that’s dangerous. There’s a nuclear pond on fire at Fukushima from what I’ve read, which is releasing radiation directly into the atmosphere–if it blows toward Tokyo then that’s very dangerous. What’s this about Article 15 Emergency Law when your government won’t allow the truth about disastrous events to be published? Is that true? Here in America we know our government lies all the time, so we are always trying to uncover the truth. The life span of nuclear power plants is only 30 to 40 years and Fukushima was 40 years old. It should have been shut down already. Do you remember the Tokaimura nuclear catastrophe in 1999? Take care, do not believe your government. The situation could get worse. I am wondering what your government is telling you.
The Italian ambassador has suggested to my fellow countrymen to abandon Tokjo and head south in the areas far from radiations. Takashi perhaps is best if you could leave the city for a while. If you couldn’t maybe is better that you assume high concentration iodine to prevent health risks caused by radiations. Ask to a doctor or to the hospital. Take care.
Just a clarification :mine was just a suggestion. I’m not a doctor and I suggested you to go to a hospital and ask information about what I’ve previusly wrote. I wrote that becouse I’ve read what and I know that is what they are doing at this time to patients who come from areas adjacent to central.
I think japanese government well know which will be next decisions to take, including evacuation plan of Tokyo.
What I’m frightened of, is will of Ottavio Cinquanta about Worlds’ in closer future: too many economic interests, I fear he’s planning something new…
I went to UC Berkeley–nuclear power is very dangerous. It takes 5 generations for mutations from nuclear radiation to show up so we won’t know the effects of Hiroshima and Nagasaki until the year 2045. Nuclear power is also the most expensive kind of power and so shouldn’t be used, but these plants are built because of all the money from the nuclear lobbyists. Germany has now just shut down half a dozen of its older nuclear plants as a precaution. Take every precaution you can Takashi. If it was me I’d leave the country.
I’ve read some countries refused the invitation to hold the Championships.
There’ll be no feast?
I’ve just read where Gangneung in Korea and Turin have been mentioned as possible alternative sites.
Takashi–one of our US aircraft carriers just SOUTH of Tokyo has detected low levels of radiation! And American flight crews delivering rescue supplies to Japan have become contaminated and have to discard their clothing and scrub down with soap and water. THe Fukushima nuclear plant was a Mark I boiling reactor and was built cheaply to save money. Here in the US we have 35 boiling reactor type nuclear plants and 23 of those are Mark I. Half of all US reactors are over 30 year old. Your tragedy in Japan is a wakeup call to the world. France gets 75% of its electricity from nuclear power.
Feelers have been put out to hold Worlds elsewhere–Vancouver, Toronto, Gangneung, Turin, Switzerland. Maybe even postpone it until October. In the meantime the disaster continues to unfold in Japan. I am disgusted with American TV–they are showing sitcoms, soap operas and TV cop shows when they should be covering the disaster in Japan. We Americans are stupid, all we want is TV, potato chips and beer. Takashi, thousands of people in Russia got cancer after Chernobyl because cows ate grass that had radiation fall on it and then people drank the milk. So your food harvest may be affected. Earthquakes and tsunamis are bad but radiation is invidious. At least there’s no panic in Japan yet from what I’ve seen. In America people would be pushing and yelling and worse. Stay indoors. If necessary take your iodine pills, don’t worry Silvia they don’t cause complications unless you have pre-existing conditions that preclude their use.
Takashi–kombu and kelp have iodine (1/4 teaspoon of kelp has 150 mg of iodine). Potassium iodine pills are selling out here in America on the west coast, with jacked up prices. The “profiteering” has already started. You can also take pectin rich foods like apples and deep sea algaes like chlorella and spirulina from what I’ve read to help cleanse the body of radiation. Good luck. Do not believe your government. Educate yourself about nuclear radiation.
Okay, here’s the bad news: in 1955 the John Wayne movie “The Conqueror” was filmed around St. George, Utah, which was downwind of Yucca Flats, Nevada, where the US detonated 11 A-bombs in 1953. Of the 220 people who worked on the movie, by the early 1980’s 91 had developed cancer and 46 had died. And half the citizens of St. George had developed cancer. So, yes, Takashi, do not trust your government.
First of all, thank you for all the encouragement and advice!
Also thanks for donations and rescue teams from all over the world.
I also send my prayer to victims of the disasters.
I don’t deny we are feeding distrust against our government and Tokyo Electric Power
and false rumors and chain mails are there.
It seems to be short on some supplies like gasoline, food, water and grocery
and some shops and restaurants are closed due to out of stock or power saving.
But many of us are working in the office (even though it’s minimum :))
and seeking correct information.
We’re still uneasy in Tokyo but… alright.
Anyway, Worlds would be canceled or postponed to October?
http://english.gazzetta.it/More_sports/15-03-2011/three-options-for-the-world-championship-80502610822.shtml
I really don’t understand what my countryman means with “postponed to October“…
perhaps he wants two editions of Worlds next year? Or does he want to move’em from the end of the season to the beginning?
Phil Hersh, an ice skating news reporter here in America, wants Worlds canceled to serve as a memorial to the Japanese who died in this disaster, much like Worlds was canceled to honor the US figure skating team who died in the airplane crash in 1961. He says it will also cost $5 million to host the event elsewhere and the ISU doesn’t have the money, so there are many considerations. I think Worlds should be held to honor the courageous people of Japan in this crisis, perhaps a month or two from now when things settle down. Proceeds could be used to help the quake victims. The skaters are chomping at the bit and ready to go and fans want to see them skate. But they can’t keep training at fever pitch forever. It appears to be a matter of finding a venue and raising the money to host the show.
Northeagle: my understanding is that Cinquanta wants Worlds moved to October so that they could still be held in Japan.
I was reading news reports and someone mentioned that the ISU World Synchronized Championships are held the first week in April in Finland–since everything would already be set and ready to go, why not hold Worlds there also? In the meantime the Fukushima nuclear disaster continues to worry me; earthquakes and tsunamis are known quantities but nuclear disasters are unpredictable, toxic and insidious. The heroic workers, from what I’ve read, can now only go to the nuclear plant for 10 to 20 minutes at a time because of the radiation.
THe nuclear plume is expected to hit the Aleutians tomorrow and be here in California the next day, Friday.
Takashi, I did some research, and here’s some possible side effects from taking potassium iodide pills: nausea, intestinal upset, rash, inflammation of the salivary glands and allergic reactions.
2008 China had offended the sacred Ancient Tibet – earthquake, killed 70,000
2011, Japan has offended the Holy Orthodox Russia – earthquake, tsunami.
Moral of the story: do not offend the shrine.
I hope the administrator is not Japanese and does not remove, once again, my message ,which is quite neutral.
More research on the iodide pills: they can only be taken for two weeks, then hypothyroidism may set in. So there’s only a two week window of opportunity to take them. And they don’t protect against radiation sickness, they only protect the thyroid by filling it up with iodine so that radioactive iodine cannot get into the thyroid and later cause thyroid cancer. A very few people who have taken the pills have complained about dizziness, racing heart and vomiting but they were probably allergic to them. And AlekseyNumberOne: our religion is figure skating.
So, Mikko has offered us soft drinks. Cheers, tight;) Thanks to the staff!
I heard milk is good someway against the radiation, also. Just turn the corner)
Here’s last update by ISU regarding their decision about Worlds…
http://www.isu.org/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,4844-128590-19728-18885-312863-3787-4771-layout160-129898-news-item,00.html
Kiira appeared in ad for a Japanese cosmetic company.
http://www.saravio.jp/sale/mineral_foundation.html
http://自然派.com/
Pardonne moi but I’ve got a toast: let our lives not to be much like Groundhog Day from the motion picture of the same name.
News update: the fallout from Fukushima has reached us here in California. They’ve detected it on the monitors. It’s low level. In Japan, winds are supposed to shift from Fukushima towards Tokyo this weekend, with possible rain.
Takashi, reports here in the US are that they’ve found radioactive milk and spinach up to 90 miles away from Fukushima. Your food supply has become contaminated. Take care.
A new statement from ISU.
http://www.sportcentric.com/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,4844-128590-19728-18885-312898-3787-4771-layout160-129898-news-item,00.html
Yes, it seems Japan gives up: it was expectable, this nation has to face up other more important problems, at the moment.
But move Worlds to another place is very, very difficult too… too many problems for tickets and everything, maybe the most intelligent decision would be canceling them, also to respect about twenty thousands of victims, between dead and missing.
Russia has said it will take 6 weeks to mount Worlds; Colorado Springs has said it wants to host Worlds, and I’m sure it will be held as a fund-raiser for Japan; Malmo is out. In the meantime I hear northern Japan has a lot of old people and they’re without heat, electricity, etc. I think the situation in Japan is worse than people realize.