http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... e0ade2.541(AFP) – 14 hours agoCompassion crucial for champions Asada, TakahashiTOKYO — World figure skating champions Mao Asada and Daisuke Takahashi expressed their sympathy for the victims of Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami, a day after their showpiece event was shelved.
The International Skating Union (ISU) said Monday it had called off the world figure skating championships scheduled for March 21-27 in Tokyo and would reschedule them only if safety could be assured.
About 55,000 advance tickets had been sold out for the event at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium where
Asada was due to defend her crown against South Korea's Olympic champion Kim Yu-Na.
"Whether the world championships are postponed or cancelled, I am determined as a competitor to continue training as I did before while watching the situation," said the 20-year-old women's champion.
"I am praying that as many people as possible will be found safe," added Asada, the Olympic silver medallist, who also won the 2008 world title.
More than 10,000 people were estimated to have died in Friday's quake which triggered monster tsunami waves and left a nuclear power plant on the verge of a fuel-rod meltdown along the Pacific coast northeast of Tokyo.
Takahashi, 24, who became the first Japanese man to win the men's world title in 2010, said he would keep training and watch the situation.
"What is important for each of us now is compassion," said the Olympic bronze winner.
"I believe we can overcome this situation by building strong solidarity together."
Skating officials admitted that it would be difficult to find an alternative venue in Japan for the event before the season ends in April.
"It will not be easy to find a venue of this size," said Japan Skating Federation vice president Keiichi Suzuki.
Immediately after the tremor, the federation informed the ISU that the Yoyogi gymnasium, built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, had been unaffected and that they still hoped to host the competition.
However, uncertainty surrounding the safety of the nuclear reactors apparently weighed heavily on the ISU's mind.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., which owns the power plants, began rolling power cuts in parts of the capital and surrounding areas to cope with an electricity shortage.
Combined with the unfolding human tragedy, this makes it difficult to stage big sporting events.
J-League football matches and pre-season professional baseball games have been called off.
The last time the world figure skating championships were called off was 50 years ago when an 18-member US team was killed in a plane crash near Brussels while on its way to the 1961 event in Prague.
Нужно какую-то нейтральную страну, где можно надеяться на справедливое судейство. Я переживаю за японских одиночников!
can be then Plushy compete in October? 
