Dylan Bettencourt
The minimum age to compete at a professional ice skating event has been raised to 17 following Russian Kamila Valieva’s drug substance scandal at the Winter Olympics.
The ruling by the International Skating Union (ISU) came as an attempt to protect the physical and mental health of young ice skaters.
During the Tokyo Winter Olympics in February it emerged that the teenager tested positive for a banned substance last December.
She was allowed to continue at the games but was prohibited from winning medals.
Valieva, 16, was visibly shaken by the situation and stumbled during her final performance, causing her to miss out on an individual medal.
The response from her coaches raised concern as the Russian team continuously denied the drug test.
Following the scandal, the ISU said that athletes under the age of 17 cannot compete as it poses too much risk to their health, not only physically, but in terms of the psychological and social development of the child.
“Junior athletes need to cope with multiple stressors on their pathways towards elite sport,” the ISU medical commission wrote.
“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 restrictions on the age of the skaters will go through a phased introduction as the limit will be raised to 16 for the 2023/24 season and to 17 from the 2024/25 season onwards.
The case of Valieva is now in the hands of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency who are yet to decide on the outcome for the teenager. A ruling is set to be handed down around August at the earliest.
Image source: @VanityFair
