ISU

While the season is well underway with the ISU Junior Grand Prix series and the ISU Challenger events, we still have some out of competition updates for you!

After the successful first edition spanning 47 countries and almost 170 ice rinks across the world, the International Skating Union (ISU) is proud to announce the launch of the second World Ice Skating Day (WISD) edition to be unveiled on December 3rd, 2023. Taking the form of a global and annual festival, this one-day event aims at bringing together on the ice people from different communities, ages and skating levels with the purpose to discover and celebrate all Ice Skating sports. This year’s edition promises to set standards high: an array of new exciting partners, skating icons and participating countries will be joining in with the continuous commitment to turn the ice into a space of diversity, inclusion and fun !

We’re getting closer to the official start of the skating season with the first ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating event in Bangkok, Thailand, later this month. Before we are fully switching to competition mode, we have some more news and updates for you.

People in the park do often stop and stare. Many approach, and after a bashful “hello”, they are delighted to discover that the man with a five-month-old in his arms and a toddler hanging off his hand is indeed Canada’s equal most decorated Olympian of all time.

From beating her generation’s most successful skaters in her marquee event, to smashing a long-standing world record and then dominating the 2023 KB Financial Group ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, Xandra Velzeboer (NED) enjoyed a truly dreamy 2022-23 Short Track season.

We’re getting closer to the official start of the skating season with the first ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating event in Bangkok, Thailand, later this month. Before we are fully switching to competition mode, we have some more news and updates for you.

The International Skating Union (ISU) today announced the appointment of Colin Smith as its new Director General. Following an extensive and global search process, the ISU Council decided he is the right person to take the ISU as an organization and the ISU sports to the next level. Colin will succeed Fredi Schmid, who has been the ISU Director General since 1996 and retires effective at the end of 2023. Colin will join the ISU in October 2023 to ensure a smooth transition, and effective January 1, 2024, he will assume all responsibilities of the ISU Director General.

The International Skating Union (ISU) has published the International Speed Skating and Short Track Speed Skating Competitions for the season 2023/24.

 You can’t wait for the season to start? The Skaters are getting more and more excited as well. Let’s see what they have been up to recently. 

The season is gaining momentum. While most Skaters are working in summer camps on their new programs and elements, others are already testing their skills in the first competitions of the new season.

The Olympic Day was also an occasion to celebrate another great announcement: Brittany Bowe (USA), three-time Olympian and seven-time Speed Skating World Champion, was presented today with a Fair Play award from the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) in recognition of her extraordinary display of sporting spirit during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

The International Skating Union (ISU) is honored to announce that ISU Honorary President Jan Dijkema (2016-2022) was presented today with the Olympic Order – the highest distinction in the Olympic Movement – by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. Coinciding with the Olympic Day celebration that takes place annually on June 23, the award ceremony was held at the Olympic House in Lausanne (SUI).

As the summer training and season preparations continue, more news and updates from the Skaters are coming in. Believe it or not – there was even a competition happening! However, the Skaters are not only active on the ice these days.

“The world is moving faster than ever, but young people are moving less.” This statement, based on research made by the World Health Organization (WHO), has driven the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to come up this year with the “Let’s Move” initiative, designed to inspire and enable the world to move more every day. Starting today, June 23, 2023, to mark the Olympic Day, “Let’s Move” aims at creating a global movement encouraging people to make time – at least 30 minutes a day – for physical activity. In its continued support to the Olympic Day spirit and values, the International Skating Union (ISU) invites the ice skating community to join the movement and launches on this occasion a special training campaign in collaboration with internationally renowned athletes from all ISU disciplines.

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