NOS Sport••Amended
The figure skating couple Michel Tsiba and Daria Danilova may go to the Olympic Games after all, the NOC*NSF has decided.
It is now the first time in history that the Netherlands has a figure skating couple in action at the Games.
“We really did not see this coming,” Michel Tsiba told NOS. “This is so surreal for us.”
The artistic duo met the international requirements, but not the national requirements and therefore did not qualify for the Games in Milan. Last week, KNSB submitted a request to the NOC*NSF to send the pair, which has now been honored.
According to director of top sport of the NOC*NSF, André Cats, there are special circumstances that prevented the skaters from achieving the qualification requirements. That is why he uses his so-called discretionary power.
Tsiba is grateful to the KNSB and the NOC*NSF for this. “We knew that few cases in the past have been given this opportunity. But we also found it unreal to think that we would not go to the Games. We are happy that we are the first Dutch couple ever to go to the Games.”
‘Allocation rarely happens’
Cats about this special decision: “It rarely happens that a request to use discretionary power is answered positively. There must be really special reasons.”
‘Thoroughly studied’
“After thoroughly studying the situation, we have become convinced that this is the case and that is why we have come to this exceptional decision,” the director of top sport said about the case of Tsiba and Danilova.
The NOC*NSF cannot explain the compelling reasons. Tsiba says that “the preparation has been hampered by certain things”, the figure skater does not want to say more about it.
In the run-up to the Games, Tsiba and Danilova will compete at the European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, which is scheduled for January 13 to 18.
“That’s ours stepping stone towards Milan. This decision will give us a huge boost.”
