China's Ice Dancers Under Probe After Displaying Toy Missile at Competition
ISU officials have launched an investigation after a pair of Chinese figure skaters appeared with an object resembling a toy ballistic missile at an international skating competition.
Broadcast footage captured Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing sitting alongside a large toy shaped like a rocket marked “DF-61” as they awaited the judges' results in the “kiss and cry” zone on Saturday.
This model is a new Chinese-made land-based long-range weapon designed for transporting atomic warheads, which was unveiled at a military parade last month.
“The ISU is aware that an inappropriate plush item appears to have been one of the objects tossed onto the rink by audience members following a routine at the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Cup of China event,” the ISU commented via a release.
“The soft toy was subsequently handled by the athletes who had just performed. We apologizes for this occurrence and will look into it more deeply.”
The duo placed eighth of 10 pairs in the ice dance event, with the victory going to the American pair of the United States.
