A proposal to raise the age limit for competitors in the senior class from 15 to 17 was already on the table of the International Skating Union (ISU) when the doping scandal erupted in the Olympics.
The young Russian shooting star Kamila Valieva was caught doping with the help of a heart medicine. She was suspended but after the appeal she was allowed to participate in the ladies’ competition, partly due to her young age. The doping investigation is not yet complete.
Critics say that competes If you are in the senior class, you should also be assessed as an adult in the context of doping.
– It became very crazy during the Olympics with the doping accusation, that she was too young to be seen as responsible for it. And that if she had been 18 or 19, she would not have been allowed to compete. Then it becomes strange when you compete on different terms within the same class, says Taljegård.
However, the ISU’s proposal to raise the age limit was mainly made to protect young figure skaters from being forced to quit even before they become adults, due to severe injuries and eating disorders due to excessive strain on the body at a young age.
– Age limits have been discussed many times over the years and the age limit has previously been raised from 13 to 15 years, says Helena Rosén Andersson, chairman of the Swedish Figure Skating Association.
– We are very positive that ISU is now presenting this proposal. If you raise from 15 to 17, junior athletes get the time they need to get sufficient physical and mental maturity. This is completely in line with our Swedish line, we strive for a long-term and sustainable sporting development for a lifelong sport.
During the Olympics, Taljegård was asked about the height of the age limit and then replied that it was a difficult question because there could be better results at the junior WC than at the senior WC.
– But now I have reflected more on it and think it is positive with a higher age limit. Because I stand for that we should have a sustainable sport and that you should be able to last a long time, says the 26-year-old, one of the older people in figure skating.
However, she does not believe that only an increased age limit solves the problem. She also wants the assessment system to change. The young figure skaters are above all very good at the technical aspects such as jumping, because they do not weigh as much and thus can more easily make advanced jumps.
– If you jump very difficult jumps, maybe you get paid more than what you actually achieve in the artistic part. You get “bonus points” in the artistic side because you jump well, says Taljegård.
– I think that if the judging system changes, people will continue longer, because the artistic part takes longer to develop.
At the ISU Congress in Phuket, Thailand, a decision will be made on the proposed age limit. Sweden will vote for an increased age limit, but Helena Rosén Andersson does not dare to predict what the outcome will be.
– It is difficult to speculate. What I can say is that in the discussions we have had with several countries before the congress, there are many who support the proposal. We hope that the proposal will go through, she says.
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