The Congress of the International Skating Union on the island of Phuket was looked forward to in Russia with particular impatience, since two important issues were to be considered at it: admission to competitions under the auspices of the organization and raising the age limit in figure skating.
Unfortunately, on both points the delegates made decisions not in favor of domestic athletes.
The ISU Council has extended until further special notice the suspension of Russians from participating in international competitions.
In addition to figure skating, the ban also applies to short track and speed skating.
At the same time, the union rejected Ukraine's proposal to prevent the country from participating in congress and elections in the organization.
As for the age limit, on the eve of the congress, the ISU conducted a survey of skaters and coaches: 86% were in favor of raising it.
According to most, in this way athletes will be less injured and will be able to extend their careers.
Only Russia spoke out against, whose single skaters at the last three Olympic Games won gold medals before coming of age.
Yulia Lipnitskaya, Alina Zagitova and Kamila Valieva were 15 years old at the time of their triumphs, and Adelina Sotnikova and Anna Shcherbakova were 17. As Sergei Sviridov, a representative of the FFKKR, noted at the meeting, figure skaters leave the sport early not because of age.
“If you look closely, you can understand that most Olympic champions do this.
Because after [winning] medals, commercial opportunities open up for them.
In ice shows, they earn much more than in competitions.
And to keep them in sports, you need to motivate them.
Raising the age will not solve the problem, ”said the specialist in his speech at the congress.
However, in the end, 100 people voted in favor of raising the age of admission of athletes to adult competitions from 15 to 17 years old, 16 voted against, and two abstained.
The transition is planned to be phased.
In the 2022/23 season, the bar will remain at the same level, in the 2023/24 season it will rise to 16 years, and starting from the 2024/25 season, to 17.
According to three-time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina, the voting results did not surprise anyone.
However, it will be possible to talk about the consequences of raising the age limit only after Russian athletes can compete again.
“This will apply primarily to girls.
It does not matter in what form - singles, pairs or dances.
I don’t know how this decision will affect figure skating in general, and no one will say, since Russians are not allowed to compete.
They decided to make such a smooth transition so that everyone could plan their performances, because this will also affect the Junior World Championships.
It is possible to raise it for a year, they have already done it once.
And for two, they decided in stages, ”the famous athlete explained to RT.
The current winner of the Universiade in ice dancing, Betina Popova, believes that Russian figure skating will not lose anything, since all coaching teams will adjust the training of their students.
“Probably, this will affect dancing least of all, since adult and conscious athletes perform there.
And they win not because of a certain age.
But it seems to me that there will not be a big tragedy in single skating either, since Sasha Trusova and Anya Shcherbakova achieved their main results at the moment at the age that will continue to be working in the masters.
They showed that you can perform ultra-c elements at the age of 17, and do it very well.
I think it’s just that the entire training system will adapt to the fact that the athlete reaches the peak of form a little later.
Roughly speaking, he knew everything not at 15, but at 17, ”the figure skater told RT.
At the same time, according to Popova, the innovation will primarily affect juniors, who in the near future planned to perform at the adult level.
“At the moment they are very upset.
But, on the other hand, the guys now have the opportunity to skate a little more, try different elements.
There will be time to work on programs and debut at the adult level fully armed.
Because further we are talking about the European and world championships.
There is no time for experimentation.
The athlete must know his style and his capabilities.
And in juniors you can play.
In fact, there is nothing wrong with this.
Athletes will start to take to the ice in the masters ready emotionally and physically, as well as stylistically they will have their own face.
And in the course of the season, there will no longer be a situation when any one mistake becomes fatal, since in juniors they will have time to try everything, ”added the athlete.
He does not see anything wrong with raising the age limit and Rodnin.
Moreover, she is sure that it will only benefit athletes.
"Everything is possible.
Russian figure skaters have won prizes for nearly 30 years.
Why do we forget Masha Butyrskaya?
Our first world champion.
What are you so rested in these 15 years?
What is this, a disaster?
This is a disaster only for children who, after 15 years, do not know what to do.
It seems to me that this will bring a little more health to the athletes and help to avoid completely unnecessary conversations, ”said the three-time Olympic champion.
They did not meet Russia halfway at the ISU congress and on a number of other issues.
Thus, the FFKR proposed to tighten the rules for changing sports citizenship.
In particular, it was about the mandatory approval of the transition to another flag by the national federation, even if the skater participated only in the national championship and did not compete in international competitions.
“Russia is represented by a lot of athletes, and we understand what is happening, but sports federations have no right to dictate which countries athletes will play for and where they will move,” said ISU Director General Fredi Schmid at the meeting.
The ISU did not raise the maximum age of officials to 80 either.
Thus, the vice-president of the organization Alexander Lakernik, who is currently 77 years old, cannot be elected for a new term.
But it was not possible to remove the FFKKR from membership in the organization.
Delegates were six votes short of passing the amendment.