International Skating Union to honor athletes killed in plane crash when Boston hosts world champs
Figure skaters and others killed in the mid-air collision near Washington, D.C. this week will be honored when the world championships are staged in Boston in March.
International Skating Union president Jae Youl Kim held back tears on Friday in making the announcement during the European championships in Tallinn.
Skaters, coaches and family members on their way back from a national skating camp in Wichita, Kansas, were among those who died when a passenger jet hit a helicopter on Wednesday. They included two teenage skaters, their mothers and two coaches who were part of the Skating Club of Boston.
'At the moment we want to focus on mourning those who lost their lives and also provide support for the ones who lost their loved ones. We'll take one step at a time," said Kim, who became visibly emotional and paused to fought back tears as he told The Associated Press about the impact of the crash on the skating community.
"We will discuss with our counterparts in Boston what should be done to honor those who left us in this tragic way. One way to honor them is to make sure that we provide the greatest event, to show the respect.'
Kim said skaters including European champion Adam Siao Him Fa of France had dedicated programs at the European championships to the crash victims.
"We are all saddened, but this is also just bringing the solidarity of the figure skating community together," Kim said.
The figure skating world was also mourning Dick Button, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and broadcaster, who died on Thursday at the age of 95.
'He left a great footstep in our lives, and not only in figure skating but in sports generally,' Kim said of Button. 'He was much, much greater than a great skater. He was an innovator, pioneer.'
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AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth in Duesseldorf, Germany, contributed.
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