Figure Skating to Raise Minimum Age to 17 to Protect 'Physical and Mental Health' of Athletes
Figure Skating to Raise Minimum Age to 17 to Protect 'Physical and Mental Health' of Athletes https://t.co/fwDwq0Tr3K
- People (@people) June 7, 2022
The International Skating Union is raising the minimum age of Olympic-level skaters from 15 to 17. Athletes who are 15 will be able compete in the upcoming season, the next season the age will be raised to 16, and the next season it will be raised to 17. The change in age minimum will be in place before the 2026 Winter Olympics.
This decision comes after the drama surrounding 15-year-old Russian skater Kamila Valieva, who tested positive for a banned substance at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
"The ISU Council concluded that for the sake of protecting the physical and mental health, and emotional well-being of Skaters, the most urgently needed change is a gradual increase of the Senior category age limit in the Figure Skating Branch, from 15 years to 17 years," the ISU said in their proposal.
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