Following the collapse of the Russian skater Camila Valieva: The minimum age will rise at the Winter Olympics to 17
The International Skating Union (ISU) will vote next month to raise the minimum age for figure skating competitions for graduates to 17 out of 15.
The decision is made before the 2026 Winter Olympics to help young athletes cope with the physical and psychological demands of the sport.
According to the detailed proposals on the agenda for the 58th Congress in Thailand next month, the sport's governing body said it hopes to gradually raise the minimum age in the next three years before the Milan Cortina Games.
"It is conceivable that allowing minor athletes to compete could result in loads and risks that are inappropriate for their age," the ISU medical committee wrote in the proposal.
"Not just physically, but in terms of the child's psychological and social development. Young athletes have to deal with multiple stressors in preparation for becoming elite athletes."
The offer comes after 15-year-old Russian Camilla Veliba dropped to fourth place in the women's singles competition at this year's Winter Olympics in Beijing, and succumbed to pressure following an affair in which she was involved, after being found positive in a pre-Games drug test.
Valieva fell on the ice several times during the free exercise, and in her last square jump she fell again and got a low score, of 141.93 points, very far from her world record of 185.29 points.
She was eventually ranked fourth overall with 224.09 points.
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