The International Skating Federation (ISU) on Monday released details of its plan to raise the minimum age for figure skating. A plan that the ISU will submit to the vote at its next congress in June.
It will be 16 years old in the 2023-2024 season and 17 years old next season, 2025-2026, where the Winter Olympics will be held in Italy.
The ISU agreed to consider this after the recommendation of the Norwegian skating federation.
We should encourage measures that allow athletes to have long careershas notably written to ISU the Norwegian federation.
That was before the controversy surrounding 15-year-old Russian skater Kamila Valieva’s positive doping test.
Fifteen-year-old athletes can still compete in international events this season, but the minimum age will increase to 16 in the 2023-24 season and 17 in 2025-26.
To justify these new measures, he therefore mentioned the risk of injury that could be chronic, but also the risk of eating disorders and fatigue (burnout).
The ISU Medical Commission considers that more and more athletes are looking to achieve quadruple rotation jumps.
The medical commission determined that the ISU had duty to protect the physical and psychological health of all athletes including teenagers who are part of the world’s elite.
Kamila Valieva underwent intense pressure during the Beijing Olympics after her positive doping test came out on the front.
A CAS decision allowed him to participate in the individual free program, to allow him to pursue his Olympic dream.
But this decision backfired. During the free program, the girl, who was spotted by the media and weakened, broke down, made some mistakes, and slipped to 4th place in the competition.
At the end of his free program, his coach, Eteri Tutberidze, became cruel to him.
His lack of empathy was not lost on IOC President Thomas Bach, who criticized the very cold of the young skater’s entourage.
Source: Radio-Canada
