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Kamila Valiyeva in Beijing
Photo: Bernat Armangue / dpa
The world association ISU has raised the minimum age for figure skaters at top level to 17 years.
This was decided by the delegates at the 58th ISU Congress on Tuesday in Phuket.
So far, the rule for the master class competitions was that they had to be 15 years old on July 1st of the current year.
The decision comes about four months after the doping scandal at the Winter Olympics involving the then 15-year-old Russian Kamila Valiyeva.
"This is a very historic decision," said Union President Jan Dijkema after 100 countries voted in favor of the measure with 16 votes against and three abstentions.
The conversion will take place gradually over the coming years.
In the run-up to the congress, the German Skating Union (DEU) had campaigned for an increase in the minimum age.
"This would meet our goal of preparing our athletes for the highest difficulties with more foresight and a long-term perspective," said DEU sports director Claudia Pfeifer.
Minimum age will be gradually increased until 2024
From summer 2023, the age limit will initially be raised from 15 to 16 years.
A runner must have reached this age at the start of the season on July 1st.
This means that the athletes must be at least 16 years and six months old at the time of the big championships in winter.
At the start of the 2024 season, the minimum age will be raised from 16 to 17 years.
The rule change was preceded by a demand from many associations and doctors, because girls in particular can already perform many triple and quadruple jumps before puberty, which they can no longer master after puberty due to physical changes.
It's also about not overtaxing the young professionals mentally.
This is how the world association justifies its decision.
A prominent example of the usefulness of a new regulation is Valiewa, who as a favorite at the Winter Games showed an unsuccessful freestyle and fell back to fourth place.
A positive doping test for the European champion had previously become known.
Nevertheless, Valiewa was allowed to start in the singles, also because as a minor she enjoys special protection under the code of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
The reason given at the time was that this was the only way to keep "irreparable damage" away from Valiyeva.
In Beijing she left the ice after several falls in tears and was hardly noticed by her controversial coach Eteri Tutberidze, let alone comforted or encouraged.
As a result, a debate flared up, at the end of which the minimum age should be raised.
Former European champion Schramm is critical
The former European figure skating champion Norbert Schramm has meanwhile criticized the raising of the minimum age as insufficient.
“It's a first step, but I don't think it can do anything positive for the sport.
It's just not enough.
17-year-olds have lost nothing in professional sport, "said the 62-year-old to the sports information service on Tuesday.
Schramm, European champion and runner-up world champion in 1982 and 1983, described the new regulation as "window dressing".
She brings “nothing at all yet.
Minors should start with the juniors, they have completely different requirements in terms of size and weight.
It makes no sense to mix adults with young athletes.«
Schramm himself would like to see the minimum age raised to “at least 18, better still 21.
Then the sport could develop further.« In addition, it is important »to protect young people in a completely different way.
It's about physical and psychological things, but also about doping.
The young athletes are far too dependent on their environment.«
kjo/dpa/sid