The Where and When of the 2011 World Championships

The ISU announced on Monday, March 14th that they would be postponing Worlds and the World Team Trophy due to the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear troubles in Japan.  Immediately following this announcement, it was reported from other sources that Lausanne, Torino, Vancouver and Taipei were all being considered as replacement locations.

On March 16th the ISU announced that a decision would be available on either Friday or Monday.  The Japanese Skating Federation has indicated to the ISU that the earliest they would be able to host Worlds would be in September or October.  ISU President Cinquanta said in interviews that April would not be possible due to tour commitments, in May skaters would be getting ready for a new season, September was too early and October before the Grand Prix would be the best time for Worlds.  He also said they are waiting for a response from the Japanese Federation before the make a decision on Worlds, but if they don't hear in the next few days, the ISU will make a decision without their feedback.

Following the mention of Worlds in October, several countries stepped in to volunteer to host in the near future.  The Russian Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy has sent a letter to the ISU saying they are ready to host in Moscow in the near future, promising competition and practice rinks, hotels and visa support.  The US has offered Colorado Springs and Lake Placid as possible Worlds locations in April or May.  Torino, Italy has said they have availability to host Worlds in April and would be willing.  Oberstdorf, Germany has also offered to step in and put on Worlds.  Malmo, Sweden has said they are ready and willing to step in and host quickly.  Korea has said they have not been contacted about hosting Worlds, but would consider it.

Russian ice dancer Elena Ilinykh has said she would prefer Worlds be canceled to holding it in October.  U.S. based coaches Jason Dungjen, Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo have all spoken out against an October Worlds.

As the nuclear situation in Japan continues to worsen, it is looking less and less likely that Japan will be back to normal by October and there is the possibility for long term effects on the air and water supply due to potential release of radiation.  There have already been questions as to whether Japan will be ready to host NHK, a much smaller event, in November.  To postpone until October and then find later that Japan has to cancel would be very unfortunate for all of the athletes who have worked so hard.  The right thing to do is to take one of the countries up on their offer to host in April or May and find another event for Japan to host in the future as well as rescheduling the World Team Trophy.

Updates after the page break...

 5:01 PM: Cinquanta said today that a final decision is expected by Monday or Tuesday and the ISU is seriously considering alternate venues.

More information on Moscow's offer to host has become available.  They are proposing the Megasport where Cup of Russia is held which has a seating capacity of 14,000 and a practice rink.  They also offered up two nearby hotels.  They also reiterated that visas would not be a problem.  They expect to receive an answer from the ISU soon.

Alissa Czisny has also offered up her opinions on the three options the ISU has presented.  She said she will respect any decision the ISU makes, but prefers a moved event in the near future.

March 18th 1:19 PM: The ISU is giving the Japanese Federation until Monday to indicate whether they can host at a later date.  If they cannot or if they do not hear from them, the ISU will move forward with an alternate location for April or May.  The United States, Canada, Finland, Germany and Russia are all possible hosts.

March 20th 7:25 PM: It's been very quiet over the weekend with no new news about the fate of Worlds.  The only update is that Turku, Finland is also on the table.  If we hear anything tomorrow, it will likely be that Japan is hosting in October.  If we don't, we'll probably be looking at a new venue in May.

March 21st 10:14 AM: The ISU announced this morning that Japan will be unable to host Worlds this year.  The World Team Trophy is being moved to 2012 in Japan.  The ISU sent letters out today requesting formal bids for a rescheduled championships.  The bids are due tomorrow and the council will decide on Wednesday or Thursday with a final decision by Friday.  Phil Hersh has reported on Twitter that the ISU is asking for a minimum of 8,000 seats (which rules out Lake Placid) and a TV feed.  They are asking for dates from April 18th on.  Finland has applied to host according to this news release.  They are applying for April 24th-May 1st.

10:38 AM: Moscow is submitting their official bid today.  They are looking at late April or after May 15th.

1:35 PM: The US is submitting their official bid tomorrow for Lake Placid and Colorado Springs.  They have been in contact with the State Department regarding visa issues.  Although Canada originally said they would not put in a bid, it appears they are exploring options today.

9:52 PM: Canada is willing to put on Worlds but is only willing to do it if no one else is able to host as their focus is on the 2013 Worlds.

March 22nd 9:40 AM: Halifax is pitching Skate Canada to submit them as a host for Worlds.

Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin has also come out in support of his countries bid for Worlds in Moscow and said they are ready to assume all expenses.

While yesterday Finland seemed ready to put in a bid, today they say they are still exploring their options and are concerned about the cost and the availability of ice and hotel rooms.

And a fan has found that all the rooms in the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs have been put on hold for April 18th-May 8th.

10:49 AM: Russia's bid is hitting major news sources like CNN in the US.  Their bid was officially submitted today for April 25th-March 1st.

1:23 PM: Six countries have applied to host: Russia (Moscow), US (Lake Placid or Colorado Springs), Canada (Vancouver), Finland (Turku), Croatia (Zagreb) and Austria (Graz).

2:19 PM: Canada has officially submitted their bid for Vancouver but do not expect to be chosen.

March 23rd 6:49 AM: Skate Canada believes the bid will go to Moscow.  They have proposed the 2010 Olympic Venue for April 18-24 or May 16-22.

An unnamed source in the Russian Skating Federation believes they will be selected today to host Worlds and preparation for the event has begun.

8:51 AM: The French Federation has put out a press release asking the ISU to consider giving the 2012 Worlds, awarded to France, to Japan as an expression of solidarity and are certain the ISU will find the best solutions for the following years.

3:23 PM: A German source reports that the front-runners are Moscow and Turku.

March 24th 9:59 AM: ISU has announced that Worlds will be in Moscow April 24th-May 1st.