International Skating Union votes to raise the minimum age to 17 before the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics

The International Skating Union Congress (ISU) has voted in support of Proposal 22 and will gradually increase the age limit for senior skaters from 15 to 17 years over the next two seasons.

The measure was voted on during the 58th ISU congress which is meeting in Thailand this week. The resolution has been approved to protect the mental and physical well being of young skaters worldwide.

However no change will be made for the upcoming 2022/23 season. The age increase will be phased in and see the age limit raise to 16 years in the 2023/24 season and then to 17 years for the 2024/25 season.

As a result the 17 year-old minimum requirement will be in place for the next Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy in 2026.

Currently, skaters must reach age 15 by July 1 of the preceding year to be eligible for senior competition, including the Olympics.

The new limits were on the ISU agenda before the controversial Beijing Games and the fallout that surrounded 15-year-old Kamila Valieva’s positive drug test.

“After the Olympic Games, the circumstances you all know, we became quite under pressure from the media point of view, questioning the credibility of the ISU,” ISU director general Fredi Schmid said.

“We received enormous amount of questions. How come that you allowed such young skaters to compete under this emotional pressure? This should not be allowed. This was a major attack, let’s say...the moment of truth, obviously, is today because the credibility of the ISU will also be scrutinized. I think this is a fact that the media and the public will watch us very closely.”

The ISU Congress will cover various proposals on their agenda from Short track speed skating, ice dancing for singles and pairs, synchronized skating as well as elections of new congressional seats.

The 58th Ordinary ISU Congress is available as a live stream on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel.