Chinese Figure Skaters Under Probe After Holding Toy Missile at Competition
ISU officials have launched an investigation after two Chinese ice dancers appeared with what looked like a replica weapon at a grand prix figure skating event.
Television video showed the skaters waiting with a sizable prop in the form of a missile marked “DF-61” as they awaited the judges' results in the “kiss and cry” zone on Saturday.
The DF-61 is a recently introduced China-produced ground-launched long-range weapon capable of carrying nuclear weapons, which was displayed during a national ceremony recently.
“The ISU have acknowledged that an inappropriate plush item appears to have been one of the objects tossed onto the rink by audience members following a performance during the competition,” the ISU stated via a release.
“The soft toy was then handled by the skaters who had just performed. We apologizes for the incident and will look into it more deeply.”
Ren and Xing placed eighth out of ten teams in the ice dance event, with the victory going to Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the US.
