The world governing body of figure skating voted on Tuesday to gradually raise the minimum age limit for elite competitors to 17 over the next three years. He described the move as an effort to safeguard skaters’ “physical and mental health and emotional well-being”, but made his decision only after facing worldwide criticism over a doping scandal with a Russian skating rider. 15 years that soiled the women’s individual event at this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics.
The rule change that raises the age limit was approved at the agency’s annual meeting, the International Skating Union, in Phuket, Thailand. The change will be gradual, the skating union said: There will be no change for the 2022-23 competition season. But so-called senior skaters will have to be 16 in 2023-24, and 17 in the 2024-25 campaign.
Progressive entry means the new upper age limit will be set in time for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
The decision comes just months after a major doping scandal at the Beijing Winter Olympics was attended by Kamila Valieva, a Russian skater who was only 15 at the time. Valieva, one of the best skaters in the world and the favorite to win the gold medal, tested positive for a banned substance before the Olympic competition. The scandal raised questions about the physical and mental safety of young skaters and whether enough was being done to protect them from the adults who guide their careers.
The proposal seemed to have broad support for the international figure skating community, where the issue of introducing some kind of minimum age had been debated and debated for years.
It was approved at Tuesday’s meeting by 100 votes in favor, 16 and two abstentions.