Joannie Rochette, the Canadian figure skater who won a bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games just days after her mother’s sudden death, was on thin ice earlier this week, the Toronto Star reported March 16.
Rochette recently accepted an invitation to perform an exhibition routine as a tribute to her mother in an ABC television special called Thin Ice, which airs tonight. But on Monday, Rochette withdrew from the World Figure Skating Championships which take place next week in Turin, Italy. Rochette cites tough emotional circumstances and missed training time as reasons for withdrawing.
The International Skating Union (ISU) originally condemned Rochette for breaching the Union’s rules with her plans to go ahead with the tribute while withdrawing from a major competition. The ISU had planned to implement punitive measures for Rochette, stating she wouldn’t be permitted to compete in any ISU-sanctioned events in the future.
A day later, the ISU agreed to acknowledge Rochette’s “unique and extenuating circumstances” and avoid punishing her.
Rochette’s choice is legitimate given her circumstances. There’s a significant difference between the exhibition environment of an ABC made-for-TV tribute and the competitive grind of national competition. Rochette demonstrated foresight in recognizing she would be unable to enter the World Championships with a polished enough routine to give the sport the respect it deserves.
The ISU did well to reconsider their insensitive threat of punitive measures in this case and instead seek to understand why Rochette wouldn’t want to compete.
This kind of behaviour is encouraging from an international sporting body, as they often have a pattern of tactlessness—for instance, the Togo soccer team was banned from the next two African Nations Cup competitions after withdrawing from this year’s tournament when their team bus was attacked. During the attack, the team’s press officer and assistant coach were killed.
In Rochette’s case, the ISU’s decision to apply rules with nuance and consideration for personal circumstances is more laudable.
While it would be wrong to allow a complete breach of their rules without explanation, the ISU did well to acknowledge Rochette’s situation as a rare exception without fearing that a harmful precedent might be set.
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