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THE INTERNATIONAL SKATING UNION (ISU) has voted to bar athletes aged under 17 from competing in senior events to protect their physical and mental health.
The decision, made at the organisation’s congress meeting in Phuket, Thailand, follows the furore at February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing surrounding Kamila Valieva.
It emerged in mid-competition that the then 15-year-old Russian athlete had returned a positive doping test in December 2021.
Although she was allowed to carry on competing, she tearfully missed out on an individual medal.
The attitude of Valieva’s coach Eteri Tutberidze towards the teenager after her error-strewn display was also raised as a cause for concern.
“The ISU Congress voted in favour of gradually increasing the age limit from 15 to 17 years for the sake of protecting the physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing of skaters,” the body said in a statement yesterday.
The lower age limit for competitors will be raised to 16 for the 2023-24 season and 17 for 2024-25 and beyond.
Valieva’s case is in the hands of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency and remains ongoing.
