No Grand Prix Final leaves competitive questions unanswered - and some uncertainty about upcoming competitions

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No Grand Prix Final leaves competitive questions unanswered - and some uncertainty about upcoming competitions

I love figure skating’s Grand Prix Final. It has six elite entries in each senior discipline, based on qualifying from results on the six-event Grand Prix circuit. No competition session lasting more than an hour, unlike the three-plus-hour sessions at the Olympics and World Championships. And over the years, many stunning performances and record scores.

So, like all those who are interested in the sport, I was disappointed by the Covid-related cancellation of the event scheduled to begin Thursday in Osaka, Japan.

It is the second straight year the global pandemic has led to the Grand Prix Final being cancelled. Last season, the entire series was changed to domestic-only events.

This one would have let us see whether Nathan Chen, invincible from the 2018 Olympics until finishing third at Skate America in October, could win a fourth straight GPF title and reestablish himself as the clear favorite for the upcoming Beijing Olympics. And whether the latest Russian female phenom, Kamila Valieva, could continue her record-setting dominance. And whether the evergreen Chinese pair, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, could hold off the top Russians. And whether French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron would gain a winning edge over their top rivals before Beijing.

Those questions will go unanswered for the time being. And that leaves questions about competitions to come.

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Staying afloat financially: for Olympic organizations, loans may be short-term fix in uncertain times

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Staying afloat financially: for Olympic organizations, loans may be short-term fix in uncertain times

In these days of near total uncertainty about the impact and duration of the coronavirus pandemic on our lives, even moments of clarity are lost in the blur of the big, frightening picture.

We know the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games now are supposed to begin July 23, 2021. Emphasis on supposed to. Not only a Cassandra would look at the pandemic’s uncontrolled and growing scope and prophesy that there is a good chance those Olympics will not take place then – or ever.

Especially given this from Allen Sills, the National Football League’s chief medical officer, in an NFL.com story Thursday: "As long as we're still in a place where when a single individual tests positive for the virus that you have to quarantine every single person who was in contact with them in any shape, form or fashion, then I don't think you can begin to think about reopening a team sport." And the story continued with Sills saying it is too early to think about dealing with large groups of fans until a vaccine is available.

Yet because trying to look forward is far more rewarding, especially in terms of mental health, all the players hoping for a 2020/1 (or 2020One) Summer Games are searching for ways to get there.

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