“Competitions for adults are not games for children. The last Olympics proved it, “Rodnina considers it right to raise the age limit

Three-time Olympic champion in figure skating, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Irina Rodnina called to correct the decision of the International Skating Union (ISU) to raise the age limit from 15 to 17 years.

Previously, the ISU Congress decided to gradually raise the age limit in figure skating. The changes will come into effect from the 2023/24 season.

– It’s the right decision of the ISU. Everything was going in this direction, so nothing unexpected happened. For boys, there are their own Olympics, junior world championships, etc. In my opinion, we must distinguish this well and not involve children in the very heat where the giants of world sport compete. It’s a different level – both mentally and physically.

Adult competitions are not children’s games. These are adult games. The last Olympic Games and everything that happened there with Valieva proves it to us once again. In such serious competitions, young people cannot always cope with their emotions. I believe that this unpleasant situation, among other things, prompted the ISU to take such a decision, because it was actively discussed during the Olympics, Sport24 quotes Rodnina.

Kamila Valieva won gold at the 2022 Olympics in the figure skating team tournament. After that, it became known that the banned substance trimetazidine was found in the doping sample of a 15-year-old athlete taken during the Russian championship in December. As a result, the skater was allowed to participate in the personal tournament, where she was considered the favorite, but she made a number of mistakes in the free program and became only fourth. The investigation against Valieva continues.

sport24.ru