MINNEAPOLIS -- Philippe Candeloro and Lu Chen took their Olympic medals and ran for the money. There are whispers that other medalists are no-shows because they don't want to lose the glow of the games.

The World Figure Skating Championships have more duds than studs this year. Fans are disappointed. Other skaters are, too.

Tough, says International Skating Union president Ottavio Cinquanta. If the skaters don't want to show, he doesn't want them.

"THIS IS MORE A MORAL commitment," he said. ``When you have a moral commitment, a moral commitment is more important than any other commitment of an athlete.

"Sport is based on the contribution of athletes that are morally strong and mentally strong."

Nice words. But it doesn't change the fact that in an Olympic year, the world championships suffer. And there's a large cloud hanging over these world championships.

Whether it's due to injuries or lack of interest, no Olympic gold medalists are in Minneapolis. Pairs gold medalists Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev made it to town -- only to have to drop out a few hours before Tuesday's short program. A trip to a sushi bar left Dmitriev with a case of food poisoning.

Tara Lipinski took a pass after she came down with a viral infection. Ilya Kulik dropped out the day before competition began, complaining of back pain. Pasha Grishuk, who won four world titles with partner Yevgeny Platov, has her sights set on Hollywood.

NONE OF THE DEFENDING WORLD champions is at the worlds. Neither are any of the men's medalists. And the strength of the American contingent was thinned even further when two-time pairs champions Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen had to withdraw after a freak accident gave him a concussion.

That leaves Michelle Kwan, Todd Eldredge ... and a whole bunch of others that few fans know. Or care about.

"The world championship is a big competition and I would think the skaters would just automatically go," Kwan said. "With the top skaters out, some people can look at it and say, `What's the world championships about?' But not me."

While a world title might lose a little luster in an Olympic year, there's more on the line than just medals. Finishes determine how many skaters a country sends to the world championships next year. That means if a country loses one of its stars, it can kiss its cushy placements for the next year goodbye.

All of that seems forgotten when someone already has a Olympic medal, though. Oksana Baiul, Nancy Kerrigan and Chen, the women's medalists, all skipped the world championships four years ago. So did Brian Boitano, who led the fight for pro skaters to get back the eligibility that would let them compete in the worlds.

CANDELORO AND CHEN HADN'T even left Nagano when they announced they wouldn't be coming to Minneapolis. Injuries also take their toll, especially in an Olympic year.

"It's been such a long year," American ice dancer Liz Punsalan said. ``And with the Olympics being in Japan and so many injuries, it was just hard to recuperate. I think you see that every four years."

But Kulik showed no signs of injury in Nagano, even saying the back pain that plagued him earlier in the season was gone. Lipinski got run down afterward -- but not too run-down to skip a parade in her honor, the Oscars and the Grammys.

So what is the ISU to do? Drop the world championships in Olympic years?

"THAT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA," said Jerod Swallow, Punsalan's partner and husband. "I know some other sports do that."

Never, Cinquanta said. While he agrees there might be some merit to changing the timing of the world championships, they won't be dropped.

"This is an unreasonable proposition or question. Why, because a few skaters are not here?" he said, disdainfully. "I'm concerned. I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean we have to review our schedule of events because two or three skaters do not participate."