After teen skaters like Kamila Valieva broke down under pressure at the Olympics, skating bosses want to raise the minimum competition age to 17
- Skating chiefs have proposed raising the minimum age for elite competitions from 15 to 17.
- It follows the distressing scenes involving Russian teenager Kamila Valieva in Beijing.
The International Skating Union (ISU) has proposed raising the minimum age for senior figure skating competitions from 15 to 17 to help young athletes cope with the physical and psychological demands of the sport.
Under proposals listed in the agenda for its 58th congress in Thailand next month, the ISU said it hoped to implement the change before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
"It is conceivable that allowing underage athletes to compete may subject them to loads and risks that are thought to be inappropriate for their age," the ISU's medical commission wrote in the proposal.
"Not only physically, but in terms of the psychological and social development of the child."
The suggested change comes soon after a fraught skating programme at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, which saw Russian teen star Kamila Valieva embroiled in a doping scandal and several young athletes break down on the ice or soon after skating.
Valieva had stunned in China, helping the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win team gold before soaring into the lead in the women's individual event.
However, it was then revealed that she had tested positive for a banned substance in December and she was provisionally banned from competing.
Though the ban was lifted after an appeal, Valieva went on to make a number of errors in the free-skate final to fall out of the medals.
Afterwards, the teenager cried on the ice, while her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, could be seen and heard heavily criticizing her performance.
Valieva's teammate Alexandra Trusova also broke down in tears after the event and vowed to "never skate again" after she missed out on a gold medal.
The scenes in Beijing prompted widespread criticism from within the skating community, with many questioning if it was right to subject such young athletes to the rigors and public attention that come with international sport.
"Such a mix of emotions," Yamaguchi tweeted soon after. "Extraordinary circumstances and pressure all these athletes had to endure. Unfathomable.
"The ISU has a duty of care to protect the physical and psychological health of all athletes including elite adolescent athlete," concluded the proposal.
Valieva and her teammates are currently banned from international skating after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.