Sevilla, Spain

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The International Skating Union’s 57th Ordinary Congress concluded on June 8, 2018 in Sevilla (ESP) where the Delegates voted on over 400 proposals. The Congress was officially opened by ISU President Mr. Jan Dijkema, who made a special acknowledgement of thanks to the Federacion Espanola de Deportes de Hielo for its organization of the Congress and a minute’s silence was held in memory of great friends of the ISU who are no longer with us.

Joint ISU Members for Figure Skating and Speed Skating Branches had two votes on each Proposal, whereas ISU Members of a single Branch were entitled to one vote. Proposals required a two-thirds majority in order to be accepted.

For the first time the ISU Congress was available as a live stream on the ISU YouTube Channel. Viewers were able to follow the Congress sessions, Figure Skating and Speed Skating Sessions and the Elections live.

Some of the most important decisions of the Congress from the Agenda ISU Communication 2156 and Urgent Matters ISU Communication 2160 are summarized below. All information regarding the 57th ISU Congress 2018 is available on https://www.isu.org/isu-congresses.

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Constitution and General Regulations

Eligibility Rules – based on the decision of the European Commission in December 2017, the ISU legal case team prepared and the Council approved a number of proposals to adjust the ISU eligibility rules and other related rules with a focus on ensuring a consistent and fair enforcement of the Eligibility Rules and the proportionality of the applicable sanctions for infringement of the related Rules. The Congress voted in favor of the all the Proposals (38, 39, 45, 45, 47, 54, 55 and Urgent Proposal No. 3)

Officials – although changes to Rule 121 to avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of national bias of Officials at ISU Championships, ISU International Competitions and the Olympic Winter Games were rejected, the ISU Congress did approve Proposal 24 adding to the task of the Officials Assessment Commission to evaluate suspected (national) bias. Subsequently a number of other proposals relating to this issue were also accepted.

Athletes Commission – the restructuring and separation of the roles of the Athletes Commission and of the Skater Representatives on the Technical Committees in order to provide continuity and experience to the Technical Committee membership were agreed by the Congress.

Congress Procedures – amendments to the Procedural Rules to replace “Call to Order” and make the procedures of the Congress more efficient and in line with Swiss law.

Field of play decisions – clarification of the procedures relating to the field of play decisions and requirements for filing protests.

Speed Skating and Short Track Speed Skating Championships – a proposal to create an ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championship and an ISU Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championship has been approved, with effect as from the season 2019/20.

World Speed Skating Championships – A proposal to organize only one World Speed Skating Championships per season was accepted, with effect as from the season 2020/21

Medal Ceremonies – a proposal to align the ISU medal ceremony with the International Olympic Committee protocol by awarding athletes in bronze, silver and gold order was passed.

Age limits for Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance – a proposal to increase the age limit at International Senior Competitions, ISU Senior Championship and the Olympic Winter Games from 15 to 17 years was rejected.

Figure Skating Championships format – the Congress accepted a resolution based on Proposal 79 to create a working group to reviewed the Figure Skating Championships format.

Speed

Speed Skating

Proposals on the following matters were passed by the Congress:

ISU World Speed Skating Championships – the program of each annual edition of the World Speed Skating Championships (as from 2021) will be determined by the ISU Council not later than 2 years before the Championships.

ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships – the program of each annual edition of these Championships will be determined by the ISU Council, not later than 2 years before the Championships (exception for the first edition of the Championships that will take place during season 2019-20.

Entries for ISU Championships – Entry quotas for ISU Championships to be achieved at designated ISU World Cup Competitions during the same season.

Arrangement of races and starting order – Simplification of the draw procedures.

Rules for Mass start races – Adjustment of points system for intermediate and final sprints, rewarding more than the top 3 finishing skaters with final sprint points.

Competition lanes – Clarification of the procedure of overtaking.

 Short Track

Short Track Speed Skating

Proposals on the following matters were passed by the Congress:

ISU Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships – the Championships will be held according to the same rules and program as the European Short Track Championships.

Officials –Training and education process of Short Track Speed Skating Officials to provide them with better access to information and better support. Status as ISU Official will be reviewed on an annual basis.

ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships – changed to a single distances format, deleting the Allround title.

Mixed gender team competitions – mixed gender team competitions, including mixed gender Relay races – have been included in the racing rules, preparing for a possible new team event in the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games program.

Padding and safety – introduce the mandatory use of movable or hybrid padding systems at all ISU Events.

Figure

Single and Pair Skating and Ice Dance

Proposals on the following matters were passed by the Congress:

Pair Skating – increase the number of qualified Pairs for the Free Program, from 16 to 20, at ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Short Dance – change the name of the segment from “Short Dance” to “Rhythm Dance”.

Grade of Execution (GoE) – increase the scoring range from 7 to 11 with the introduction of a wider Grade of Execution score from -3 / +3 to -5 / +5.

Illegal / Elements Movements – in order to eliminate unnecessary restrictions, the list would consist of only two movements: somersault type jumps and lifts with wrong holds.

Jump Sequences: a proposed new definition: a jump sequence consists of 2 (two) jumps of any number of revolutions, beginning with any jump, immediately followed by an Axel type jump with a direct step from the landing curve of the first jump to the take-off curve of the Axel jump.

Olympic Winter Games Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance qualification – a change to open up the possibility to include more ISU Members and to have the best skaters entered in the Olympic Winter Games was approved (see Proposal 211).

 Sys

Synchronized Skating

Proposals on the following matters were passed by the Congress:

Harmonization – harmonize the Special Regulations and Technical Rules with other Figure Skating Disciplines.

Seminars for officials – clarification of the requirements for seminar attendance.

Olympic Winter Games – a number of Proposals were approved in the case that Synchronized Skating is accepted as a new Olympic discipline.

It was announced that the 58th Ordinary Congress will be held in Phuket (THA) in June 2020.

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