Chinese Ice Dancers Under Investigation Following Holding Prop Weapon at Competition
The International Skating Union have launched a formal inquiry following a pair of Chinese ice dancers appeared with what looked like a toy ballistic missile during an international skating competition.
Television video showed Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing sitting alongside a sizable prop shaped like a rocket marked “DF-61” while waiting for the judges' results in the “kiss and cry” zone on Saturday.
This model is a recently introduced Chinese-made ground-launched intercontinental ballistic missile designed for transporting atomic warheads, that had been displayed during a national ceremony last month.
“The ISU have acknowledged that an inappropriate soft toy seems to have been one of the objects tossed onto the ice by audience members after a routine during the competition,” the organization stated via a release.
The item was then handled by the athletes who had just performed. The ISU regrets the incident and will look into it more deeply.”
Ren and Xing finished eighth of 10 pairs in the ice dance event, with the victory going to Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the US.
