Chinese Ice Dancers Under Investigation After Displaying Toy Missile during Competition
ISU officials are conducting an investigation following two Chinese figure skaters were seen with what looked like a toy ballistic missile at an international skating competition.
Television video captured Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing waiting alongside a large toy shaped like a missile marked “DF-61” as they awaited the judges' results in the “kiss and cry” zone on Saturday.
This model represents a recently introduced Chinese-made ground-launched long-range weapon capable of transporting atomic warheads, which was displayed during a national ceremony recently.
“The ISU have acknowledged that an inappropriate soft toy appears to have been one of the objects tossed onto the ice by audience members following a routine at the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Cup of China event,” the organization commented via a release.
“The soft toy was then handled by the skaters after their performance. We apologizes for this occurrence and will look into it more deeply.”
Ren and Xing placed eighth of 10 pairs during the ice dancing competition, which was won by Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States.
