Higher Technical Standards Demanded

Icenetwork has an interesting article looking at the higher minimum technical element score standards put forth in a recent International Skating Union Communication 1742 and also seen here in 1751:

For entries to Word Figure Skating Championships Men SP 35.00 points FS 65.00 points Ladies SP 28.00 points FS 48.00 points Pairs SP 28.00 points FS 45.00 points Ice Dance SD 29.00 points FD 39.00 points

The new TES requirements have nearly doubled in each discipline. In order to compete at the 2013 world championships in London, a skater must hit the minimum at least once in the prior two seasons, according to the article. According to the article:

Things have come to this pass because at the 54th ISU Congress, held in Kuala Lumpur the second week of June, a majority of member skating federations voted to abolish the preliminary (qualifying) round at worlds in favor of entering skaters and teams directly into the short programs or short dance. This vote was likely prompted by housing costs: If entered in the main draw, the organizing federation of the world championships, and not the member federations, would pay for the skaters' hotel. It would also have meant that 50 or 55 ladies and men, including 20 or 25 that would have been eliminated in the preliminary round, would compete short programs at worlds, something the ISU Council did not want. "Our competitions are not festivals," ISU President Ottavio Cinquanta has said on several occasions.

I do think the world championships should have the highest quality competitors possible, and I never have time to watch preliminary competitions ever. However, these scores do seem high if you take a look at scores from the last world championships, where numberous ladies in the top 20 did not earn a 28 in technical elements at worlds. Some quoted in the article think this would mean a financial loss to the ISU because countries will not be represented at worlds and would not purchase broadcast rights. I think if the ISU had any inkling this would lose money for them, they would not have done it. The article also states that the ISU has left itself an out:

The Council did leave itself an escape clause: Communication No. 1742 states it may change the minimum requirements during the season, if it determines insufficient skaters will qualify for the ISU championships.)