Rumor?

A few figure skating message board posters have suggested that, through no fault of its own, Skate Canada is having difficulty financing Worlds 2013, presently scheduled to go off in London, Ontario. Worse, these rumor-mongers have hinted that Skate Canada may actually "give back" Worlds due to the fact that the ISU isn't delivering the professionalism to which a savvy operation  like Skate Canada is accustomed.

I'm here to say I believe these rumors are nonsense. I agree with the poster who had the sense to articulate the obvious:

If the Russians can put together Worlds on one month's notice, I am sure a well-run organization like Skate Canada will be able to adjust for this change with nine months to go. They just had four rounds of qualifying and at least a couple of days of skating and practice time shaved off the event, which should make things easier.

Let's not forget either that the London Worlds will be a showcase for Skate Canada in the eyes of countless potential corporate sponsors. It's Thompson, Wilkes' et al's chance to put Skate Canada's best foot forward. Skate Canada isn't going to punt this Worlds and expose Skate Canada to ridicule, intensifying Kozy Shack's burden as Skate Canada's status sponsor while Skate Canada faces going major title sponsor-less into the Olympic season. Self interest alone argues against it - directors could lose their jobs over that.*

William Thompson  recently gave a heads-up to fans eager to purchase single-event tickets. There will be a delay before these tickets go on sale, and he showed un-Thompson-like restraint delivering the news - only mildly implying that those tools at the ISU are to blame. If London Worlds does get given back, which it will not, better believe it won't be Skate Canada's fault. Any skating federation would be tempted to give back if deprived of ticket sales for the preliminaries. Those preliminaries are a huge earner - the projected revenue stream keys off preliminaries and light shows. Even  the former Soviet Union would have difficulty mounting Worlds if preliminaries were cut short, and it'll be very tough on  them, the States, France, Korea, Japan, China, Italy or Finland if any of these countries find themselves putting on  Worlds 2013 instead of Canada, which they won't.

Besides, Skate Canada has brainstormed some auxiliary revenue generating schemes. For example, its Weaver/Poje - Platonic Pride! product line is in development aiming for a Xmas 2012! launch. Platonic Pride was inspired by Kaitlyn Weaver's hugely successful pay-to-read "inside access" blog for SOI's Love'n Life tour. You should see what the SOI crafts service table looked like after the money from that baby started pouring in. Regular coffee and hazelnut.

Unique items featured only in this exclusive product line:

Limited edition "Certified" "World's Best Breakfast Tacos" prints autographed by Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, inspired by reclaimed eBay item. Only in the new Platonic Pride line from Skate Canada.

They have nothing to hide.

These are no fan-crafted tsoskes. These are authentic, anatomically correct Kaitlyn  Weaver and Andrew Poje dolls.**

The Platonic (mini) Pine Tree, certified cultivated from pine cones from the tree Kaitlyn and Andrew planted platonically to commemorate Xmas 2011.***
 
Planned brand extensions include Auntie's Annual - an American-sourced commemorative tree ornament. Also in the works is the Platonic Pride Easter line of travel accessories. 

You will be able to travel a la Weaver and Poje'.

Beyond that, Thompson, Barb MacDonald, Debbi Wilkes and Mike Slipchuk are contemplating collaborating on an  e-book with the working title: Platonic Pride - Not Just for Figure Skaters. Thompson has determined that there is an under-served market out there. There isn't a film, theatre, dance or television production or company in the present day, nor in all-time history that has managed to achieve Skate Canada's pristine, thoroughly documented record of platonicness between all of its heterosexual, partnered elite competitors under a single administration. Elsewhere, and worldwide, when single, physically fit, good-looking, emotionally intimate people with shared passions are together working towards mutual goals over a protracted period of time, it happens like clockwork, whether as brief as a hook-up or culminating in marriage. But at Skate Canada, even its most recent on-the-record non-platonic team connection (D&D) evaporated into a mutually satisfactory, cozy bff platonic partnership as soon as Skate Canada's current slate of directors were in their positions.
 
There are plenty of organizations, and businesses of all kinds, which have been unable to completely prevent romantic connections between heterosexual employees tasked on a mutual project. How does Skate Canada do it? How does it redirect its heterosexual figure skaters' romantic and passionate energies away from the person with whom they share emotional intimacy, their partner, the human being they trust beyond all others and consider a best friend, and instead get them to focus on somebody working a different schedule in a different department on a different floor whom they might even dislike? There might be a readership for this.
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*Lol! Jk.

**May be purchased only as a pair.

***Limited addition.