China's Ice Dancers Under Investigation After Holding Prop Weapon at Event
The International Skating Union have launched a formal inquiry after two Chinese ice dancers appeared with what looked like a toy ballistic missile at a grand prix figure skating event.
Broadcast video captured the skaters waiting with a sizable prop shaped like a missile marked “DF-61” while waiting for the judges' results at the “kiss and cry” area during the event.
The DF-61 is a recently introduced Chinese-made land-based long-range weapon designed for transporting atomic warheads, which was displayed during a national ceremony last month.
“The ISU have acknowledged of an unsuitable soft toy appears to have been one of the objects thrown on to the ice by spectators after a performance at the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Cup of China event,” the ISU stated via a release.
“The soft toy was then handled by the skaters who had just performed. We apologizes for this occurrence and will look into it more deeply.”
The duo finished in eighth place out of ten teams during the ice dancing competition, which was won by Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States.
