Impact Of Aids Detailed In Book

AIDS is a horror that has afflicted male figure skaters more than any other athletes, and the disease continues to pose a threat to top-flight U.S. skaters, according to a book to be published this month.

“I could name close to 30 people in skating who have died from AIDS,” former U.S. and world champion pairs skater Randy Gardner said in “Inside Edge: A Revealing Journey into the Secret World of Figure Skating.”

Written by Christine Brennan of The Washington Post, the book, excerpted in Sunday’s Washington Post Magazine, says the U.S. Figure Skating Association, the governing body for the sport, has not responded with sufficient urgency in addressing an illness that has killed many members of the skating community.

But USFSA officials say the organization has been actively engaged in AIDS-awareness programs in recent years.