The International Skating Union will raise the minimum age for athletes competing from 15 to 17 amid the controversy surrounding Russian figure-skater Kamila Valieva. The 16-year-old, who was 15 at the Beijing Winter Olympics earlier this year, was initially banned from taking part in the Games after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, though she was later permitted to compete. Now, the minimum age will be 16 for the 2023-24 season, before rising to 17 from the 2024-25 season onwards. The ISU says the reason for this rule change is to protect skaters' “physical and mental health and emotional well-being.”Valieva was the heavy favourite to claim figure-skating gold in Beijing earlier this year, having become the European Champion shortly before the Games began. The Russian helped her nation claim gold in the team event, but a drug test she failed in December 2021 came to light before the medal ceremony. 

However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport pointed to “exceptional circumstances” regarding her age and the timing of the result. Her ban was thus lifted and the teenager was allowed to compete. 

The 15-year-old failed to win a medal and left the arena in tears, prompting widespread backlash to the decision to allow her to compete. 

As of now, the doping case is still to be resolved. The Russian anti-doping agency (Rusada) has six months from when Valieva's offence was first discovered to reach a decision over any sanctions. This could mean the ruling is delayed until August. 

Kamila-Valieva-winter-olympics-2022

Many have suggested that 15 is too young an age to participate in competitive elite sport, yet many figure-skaters seemingly reach their peak as teenagers. 

Valieva is the current world record holder for the women’s short programme and has set nine world records in her career. 

This is by no means an anomaly either. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, fellow Russian Alina Zagatova claimed individual gold as a 15-year-old. 

Other sports, such as gymnastics, are similar. Indeed, in the Olympic all-around competition for gymnastics, no competitor over the age of 19 has won gold since 1972. 

The likes of Zagitova would not have been able to compete had the new rule been in place at the time and the Russian is no longer in contention for medals.