The “Blades of Glory” parody film is no longer a joke after a skating league in Canada went woke when it announced it is redefining the term “team” for “pair and ice dance” competitions in the name of gender diversity.
In a press release on Tuesday from Skate Canada, the organization said it was extending its “Skating for Everyone initiative” in the Podium Pathway by updating the term “team” to now consist of “two skaters.” The definition of “team” previously meant “one woman and one man.”
“By updating the definition of team, many individuals in the figure skating community in Canada will have new opportunities to embrace the sport,” Karen Butcher, President of Skate Canada shared, noting that the change was about “removing barriers to participation in skating” that she said will ensure “all gender identities are recognized and accepted equally and without prejudice.”
We are pleased to be advancing our Skating for Everyone initiative with the updated definition of ‘team’ for pair and ice dance teams.
The Podium Pathway definition of ‘team’ will be revised to ‘a team consists of two skaters’.
Details ⬇️ https://t.co/sw1QG58Xv4
— Skate Canada / Patinage Canada (@SkateCanada) December 13, 2022
“It was necessary for the ice dance and pair world to change their definition of team from a man and a woman to just two people skating together, however they identify,” Scott Moir, Skate Canada coach and Olympic Champion, added.
The Podium Pathway is the route athletes who are looking to compete in national or international championships go through, the CBC reported.
Skaters in this group can then ultimately compete at the World and Olympics Championship level, per Skate Ontario.
In the 2007 parody ice skating film “Blades of Glory,” Will Ferrell and Jon Heder play two “rival Olympic ice skaters” who “were stripped of their gold medals and permanently banned from men’s single competition,” according to a description on IMDb. The two skaters find a “loophole that will allow them to qualify as a pairs team” and end up skating together in a bizarre twist on the typical rom-com of a male and female pair skating film.
WATCH:
If you haven’t ever seen the movie, check out the trailer above that gives you just a peek at this over-the-top film mocking ice skating competitions in what was once considered a ridiculous idea of two male skaters competing in a pair or ice dance competition — until now.
Related: Cambridge Dictionary Adds Woke Definitions Of ‘Man’ And ‘Woman’