The minimum age for figure skating will be raised to 17 before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The congress of the world ice skating association ISU passed the new age limit on Tuesday in Phuket, Thailand, with 110:16 votes.
The limit will be phased in gradually.
In the 2023/24 season, 16-year-olds are allowed to compete and in the following winter only 17-year-old runners.
The umbrella organization thus drew the conclusion from the controversy surrounding the Russian figure skater Kamila Valiewa at the Beijing Games.
The then 15-year-old had come under pressure after a positive doping test.
The result became known on February 8 – one day after the Russians won the Olympic team competition with Valiyeva.
After that, the teenager was allowed to start in the singles after days of fuss, also because of her status as a minor.
But she couldn't withstand the massive public pressure and finished fourth and missed a medal in the freestyle.
"This is a very important decision," said Dutch ISU President Jan Dijkema.
"I would say a very historic decision." In response to the Olympic scandal in China, the International Olympic Committee had urged the world federations to consider a general minimum age in sport.