Updated: March 27, 2009, 5:23 PM ET
Glut of skaters could force qualifying
LOS ANGELES -- The president of figure skating's ruling body, Ottavio Cinquanta, says there are too many skaters at the world championships, and he wants to bring back a qualifying system.
There are 216 skaters from 52 countries at this week's worlds. The women's field alone has 54 skaters, and it took more than eight hours to complete the short programs Friday.
While many of the skaters are world class, some would not even make it to the novice event at the U.S. championships.
International Skating Union president Cinquanta says he will propose a return to a qualifying format. The change would have to be approved by the full ISU Congress, and the next one will be in Barcelona in June.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
