ISU figure skating officials weigh major changes in rules, schedule

[Capt. DeSoto]

I mean, it IS possible for the judges to use the PCS marks correctly even if they currently don't.

Here I am, a relatively new fan who previously watched casually on TV, but started diving deeper a little over a year ago (diving into protocols, etc.). It became clear to me very quickly that I’ll never understand PCS.

 

[Karen-W]

I agree it will be a boost to skating's appeal in the US. I think it will be a boost if Ilia wins one as well. I think it will be an extraordinary boost if we win Gold in Women, Men and Dance. Especially if we have two US women on the podium.

What I disagree with is that this will be a big boost in $$ for the ISU that will be bigger than what they get from Asia.

You don't think?

List of largest consumer markets - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

US consumer market is 2.75 times larger than China, 8.35 times larger than Japan, and 23.5 times larger than South Korea. Those three Asian markets combined are half the size of the US market. And, let's be real, the ISU hasn't managed to truly tap into the Chinese market at all, so we're really talking about just Japan & Korea right now. The boost in interest in the US doesn't have to be as large, percentagewise, to bring in more $$ overall because the sheer size of the US consumer market dwarfs any other market in the world.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I guess I just don't understand this idea that it is terrible to have a dominant athlete in the sport and we must change the rules to prevent them from winning so much. How many times has it been discussed in the past that one of the reasons people weren't watching figure skating was because there weren't any big enough stars to cross over into popularity beyond the sport? Now Malinin is and the ISU's response is that we must stop this? It's so short-sighted!

When atletes like Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps emerged and were breaking world records left and right and winning all the gold medals, their sports celebrated them and guess what? Their success and the hype around them brought a lot of people to those sports that previously didn't care about them (source: I was one of them).

Simone Biles's success was a huge boost to gymnastics not just in the US, but world wide. But the FIG was still engaged in attempts to devalue her named elements to make them not worth doing. They couldn't stop her. And what gymnastics did was way less stupid and drastic than this.

But I don't get why they thought it was a good idea to try? I could see it being led by other federations who are not happy that they aren't winning. But it doesn't even seem like that is true in the case of figure skating.

Also, making a program judged only on PCS is a great way to ensure that the results have NOTHING to do with the skating. The look at how GOE and PCS are used now. And choreo elements in dance.

 

[kwanfan1818]

And to which Zoueva says, “So who’s up for Mahjongg?”

 

[tangerine dream]

Simone Biles's success was a huge boost to gymnastics not just in the US, but world wide. But the FIG was still engaged in attempts to devalue her named elements to make them not worth doing. They couldn't stop her. And what gymnastics did was way less stupid and drastic than this.

But I don't get why they thought it was a good idea to try? I could see it being led by other federations who are not happy that they aren't winning. But it doesn't even seem like that is true in the case of figure skating.

Also, making a program judged only on PCS is a great way to ensure that the results have NOTHING to do with the skating. The look at how GOE and PCS are used now. And choreo elements in dance.

Agreed on all points. I don't know why Simone didn't pop into my head when I wrote that post, she's a perfect comparison for Ilia - someone who was so far ahead of everyone else technically that the winner was essentially known before anyone competed. And yet tons of people still watched, excited to see what she could do, amazed at her ability to do things no one thought were possible.

To your last point, yes if they do this it will entirely depends on judges using PCS/GOE appropriately (which IMO is the biggest problem in the sport today). Are the judges really going to place a skater like Josefin Taljegard (who I adore) 20th in the jumping program and 1st in the non jump one? Are the two programs equally weighted?

I can't imagine watching the majority of the skaters today doing a program with no jumps. Most of them are not inherently musical and aside from a select few I imagine most would be rather boring and they're all going to start to look the same. They might as well just bring back figures.

 

[kwanfan1818]

There was a LOT of backlash against Biles for plain and simple racism, which included the body-shaming because she isn't a waif, likening her to an animal, calling her a loser and traitor when she refused to risk her life instead of competing.

Malinin is the blond (however much bottled) white boy whose athleticism and non-charted jumps during his step sequence appeals to the young, X-Games demographic that the ISU claims to want. You see his influence across the board, with about a flight of skaters trying four-five quads, Shaidorov doing 3/4 combos, Kagiyama trying to recover the lost all-but-Axel quads from before his injury, other skaters throwing in the same kind of jumps Malinin does in their steps/choreo steps, one of the Russian skaters landing 4A at least isolated in practice (not sure about competition). Young kids now going into skating don't think, wow, Malinin's the only one, I'll never be able to do that, but, instead, "That's excellence, possible, and something I want to do. Plus cool as f*ck."

He's a gift handed to them on a silver platter, and they are trying to shut that down.

Morons.

 

[Rob]

Best way to drive away viewers is to have no jumps. Casual viewers can understand jumps. They have far less understanding of non jump elements. So funny, ISU thought a Top Jump competition would increase interest, and now they think no jumps would increase it? If ISU wants artistic skaters to be better rewarded, train the judges! PCS not be used as a substitute for 6.0 ranking and skaters should be able to earn high PCS scores with quad-less programs.

 

[BittyBug]

There is already a discipline without jumps. It’s called ice dance.

 

[my little pony]

time to give solo dance it's time in the sun

 

[MacMadame]

US consumer market is 2.75 times larger than China, 8.35 times larger than Japan, and 23.5 times larger than South Korea.

I didn't say our market wasn't the biggest. I said I don't think they will invest in figure skating just because the women win a gold medal in a way they aren't already doing because of Malinin. You are living in the 80s.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

To me this is nothing more than a punitive measure against an extraordinarily gifted skater - in this case Ilia Malinin. Didn't they try this nonsense before when Quad King Nathan Chen began to dominate with his multiple quads?

It just sits very wrong with me to create rules just because all of a sudden a generational skater like Ilia comes along. He's bringing attention to the sport from non figure skating fans but I guess like their counterparts in the FIG, the ISU has to shoot itself in it's collective foot because all of a sudden one athlete is dominating under rules that THEY put in place practically when said athlete was barely out of elementary school.

The cynic in me also can't help but wonder if certain officials don't like it that - like Biles in WAG - an American is dominating the sport in men's figure skating.

 

[gkelly]

For a combined singles event, where singles involves jumps and spins throughout a program that also prioritizes skating skills and performance qualities, I could imagine:

*One program that allows for and rewards skaters to include their maximum technical content.
Since that should include all jump takeoffs, at a minimum it would need 4 jump passes with 2 of them combos; probably better to go with 7 or 6 jump passes to allow for variety in combining jumps. And also add incentives for different kinds of jump difficulty beyond just number of revolutions in the air. I keep harping on this, hoping the ISU will listen: base values for double and triple walleys and inside axels; bonus points for combos with jumps in both directions; possibly allow jump sequences/combos (TBD what to call them) with intentional one turn or edge change between the first and second jump, which is harder than stepping forward to an axel jump -- they're already allowing it for Hilmer to change directions in her combo. Make it official and make it worthwhile!

Allow for skaters who excel at spins or step sequences to earn more points for those kinds of technical elements, e.g., by making it permissible to replace one of the jumps with a spin, or by introducing a leveled sequence that rewards difficulty in nonlisted moves of the sort we often see in choreo sequences.


*And then there could be another program where jumps are allowed (maybe 4 jump passes with 1 combo) and maybe choreo rather than leveled elements for some/all spins and steps, or just increase the values of the GOEs so doing simple elements well is worth more than doing complicated ones badly. Maybe place a limit on the number of quads/triple axels allowed in that program or require one of the elements to be/include a single or double jump variation. Program components worth more than TES. Lowering the number/levels of technical elements would have the same effect as raising the PCS factors in the current program structure.

Quad jumpers could still do quads, just not as many in the "artistic" program.

Separate medals for each, or combine events? If combined, which one would go first to make the cut in large championships?


Yes, definitely time for solo dance.
(And for gender-neutral partnered dance.)

 

[Aussie Willy]

Hmmmm it is a sport. Malinin is a freak. If this is a reaction to him, then it is short sighted and reactive. But he is probably one of the most exciting skaters we have seen in the sport. I know people who don't even follow skating have seen him and comment on him. He is going to be a major drawcard for the Olympics. Same as Alyssa because she likeable and appears normal but still is a fabulous performer.

It is like saying you are too good so let's change everything because you are too good. Similar about the people who used to complain about the skaters who won Preliminary. The kids were not actually doing anything wrong. They were just good skaters. But apparently that was considered an unfair advantage. Usually the parents complaining thought it was unfair because their little Suzie came 20th in a field of 28 skaters.

I am only commenting on these kinds of reactive responses to decision making. It doesn't help the sport.

As for solo dance, I am all for it. I used to do it. It is a discipline which is helping provide more opportunities to keep skaters in the sport and provide them other pathways which doesn't involve the risk of doing the jumps. Here in Australia we are starting to keep skaters in the sport who might have left. Same as Adult Skating and Theatre on Ice (which whilst has an ISU committee that governs it still doesn't have formal ISU rules). The ISU needed to get on board because the overall sport of figure skating is more about just the Olympics and Worlds. But I can understand that it is not everyone's cup of tea. Those who are interested will drift towards what interests them.

 

[jägerbomb]

These are all awful.

I suppose I am not opposed to slightly restructuring the season -- spreading the Grand Prix events out might make them more special. The six week sprint gets old by the fifth event.

The long program with no jumps is preposterous. How will judges judge components when there is no TES to slot them in somewhere?

I've mentioned this before, but I don't think the short and long programs are too far off from being ideal. Keep the short program as is, technical program. Perhaps weigh the PCS slightly lower so TES is the focus. The long program could have have five jumping passes, with non-levelled spins and footwork. Less elements with more ability to express the music.

 

[Sylvia]

Figure skating's quad era reshapes sport ahead of Milano Cortina Games
By Agnieszka Flak and Elvira Pollina (Reuters)
January 26, 2026 5:36 AM EST

Figure skating's quad era reshapes sport ahead of Milano Cortina Games

Figure skating will arrive at the Milano Cortina Olympics in the grip of a technical revolution led by Ilia Malinin, whose multiple‑quad programmes have reset the bar and reignited debate over whether artistry can keep pace with athletic extremes.

www.reuters.com

Includes quotes from Elvis Stojko, Patrick Chan & Benoit Richaud. Excerpts:

“The system was created when skaters were doing two quad toe loops,” said Paolo Pizzocari, a council member of the Italian Figure Skating Federation and a former international judge.
“Now juniors are doing two quads. The value has been unbalanced toward the technical side.”
Nathan Chen’s Olympic gold at Beijing 2022 underscored the trend: his technical element scores dwarfed his programme components.
“You can see even in junior categories that skaters learn to jump before they learn to skate properly,” Pizzocari said. “Many coaches and athletes focus immediately on jumps because that’s where the points are.”
Concerns are rising about the toll on young athletes.
Pizzocari noted injuries have increased as skaters push their bodies to execute ever more difficult elements.
“It’s not always the big injury from a fall — it’s the microtrauma from repetitive stress that damages athletes over time,” he said.

Behind the scenes, rule tweaks are being debated.
Pizzocari favours two distinct programmes — one purely technical without limits and one with restrictions to emphasise artistry. The idea faces resistance from federations wary of capping jump values or imposing limits.
He added that for next season, the International Skating Union was planning to add choreographic elements and reduce the number of jumps — a modest step toward rebalancing.

 

[barbk]

Leaving jumps aside, footwork sequences have become slow and boring...and they go on for a LONG time. I'm also confused about why anyone thought slumping/skidding on the ice as a spin ends was a good idea. I'd also get rid of any credit boost for a three jump combo/sequce vs. a two jump combo/sequence. The bonus for second half jumps has also caused strong skaters to backload their programs. Maybe max that credit out for 2 jumps. Ditto on jump features -- more credit for glide out and clean and less for contortions. I miss the days of long Ina Bauers, spirals, and other edge moves.

 

[Coco]

The product is not so broken that massive changes are needed, imo.

For singles, it would be interesting to see the impact of small changes like requiring one of the non-axel jumps in the SP to be an edge jump and letting one of the FS spins be a choreo spin.

For the FS, that would save time and energy, which would hopefully improve choreo/presentation as a whole.

For the SP, it would be a better measurement of technique and might lead to less of a spread in the base value between the leaders and the pack. I wouldn't be against capping difficulty in the SP, either.

I would like GOE to count for more, in the SP or both programs, but only if it was assessed by the Tech Panel and any "performance" related criteria/ bullets moved to the components. Exception: if the element has "choreo" in the name, Judges would assess GOE.

 

[barbk]

The biggest and most helpful change would be if they got serious about tech to determine rotation/edges. The variances between technical teams is Grand Canyon-like.

 

[MacMadame]

Leaving jumps aside, footwork sequences have become slow and boring...and they go on for a LONG time.

To get to level 4. There needs to be a cap on them. If you haven't gotten the level by X seconds, you don't get it. i.e., there is no penalty for going longer but the tech panel stops counting features.

I'm also confused about why anyone thought slumping/skidding on the ice as a spin ends was a good idea.

I'm confused about sliding at any point in the program. Once in a while in a program here and there but I swear it's in 75% of all programs.

I'd also get rid of any credit boost for a three jump combo/sequce vs. a two jump combo/sequence. The bonus for second half jumps has also caused strong skaters to backload their programs. Maybe max that credit out for 2 jumps. Ditto on jump features -- more credit for glide out and clean and less for contortions. I miss the days of long Ina Bauers, spirals, and other edge moves.

There is already a limit of 3. I don't want all the jumps in the front half either. With 7 jump slots, putting 3 in one half and 4 in the other is how jumps are spread throughout the program and not all bunched up.

The product is not so broken that massive changes are needed, imo.

I agree. That said:

I would like GOE to count for more, in the SP or both programs, but only if it was assessed by the Tech Panel and any "performance" related criteria/ bullets moved to the components. Exception: if the element has "choreo" in the name, Judges would assess GOE.

1) What will the judges do if they don't access GOE? GOE and components are all they do now.
2) Why do you think the Tech Panel is any more qualified to do this than judges? We have seen how the tech panel has determined placements by not reviewing elements. They are not more neutral and not more competent than judges.
3) GOE is worth more in ice dance and it's killing it; let's not do that to singles (and pairs?)

 

[fsfan2480]

If they are thinking of having 3 programs now ... I've always thought that there should be a short program (maybe 2 minutes tops) where the athletes must perform basic skills (double axel and/or one triple, one classic straight line or serpentine footwork sequence, classic layback (for womens), classic camel spin, classic scratch spin, etc). This could be worth maybe 20% of the score (and act like old school compulsories), and then have the usual short program be 30%, and the long program 50% (where the component scores are tinkered for the 20/30/50 ratio). This sport is losing (or losing appreciation for) the basics.

 

[overedge]

ISI has a prescribed step sequence at each test/competition level, along with the other required elements. Not just requiring a step sequence, but setting out the steps and the pattern, kind of like a compulsory dance except a lot shorter. That would be interesting for the ISU to implement in singles or pairs.

 

[Vagabond]

If they are thinking of having 3 programs now ... I've always thought that there should be a short program (maybe 2 minutes tops) where the athletes must perform basic skills (double axel and/or one triple, one classic straight line or serpentine footwork sequence, classic layback (for womens), classic camel spin, classic scratch spin, etc). This could be worth maybe 20% of the score (and act like old school compulsories), and then have the usual short program be 30%, and the long program 50% (where the component scores are tinkered for the 20/30/50 ratio). This sport is losing (or losing appreciation for) the basics.

Substitute Compulsory Figures for the "usual short program, and I’m in. Add on Special Figures for 15%, taking away 5% from the other three phases, and I am deliriously happy.

 

[DreamSkates]

Well, we haven't had a Women's FS gold medalist from the USA in this current media & marketing environment. What I will say is that all three of our women are highly marketable and appealing to different segments of the American market but, more importantly, these three are WINNERS and America likes winners - these are tough-as-nails, deliver-under-pressure competitors who have proven over the course of the last two seasons they are, more likely than not, going to rise to the biggest occasion and be exceptionally great. And not even just the three on the Olympic team but the next two behind them. That's the sort of exceptionalism that feeds the American soul.

I could be wrong but I don't think I am and I do think that if one of them wins in Milano-Cortina, that will be the biggest boost to skating's mass appeal here in the US and the US is still the biggest market that everyone wants to tap into.

Added to Malinin already being known for his stellar skill.

 

[jägerbomb]

I don't find Malinin to be significantly marketable, beyond the quads.

I'm curious how the spoken-word voiceovers will go over at the Olympics. I can only assume American casuals will burst out laughing, like the first time I saw the program.

Besides that, he seems very "Russian", down to the horrific SP costume, which looks like something a B lister like Artur Gachinski(?) would have worn 15 years ago. I don't see him having much mass appeal. Significantly less than any of the three American women.

 

[zigzig]

Here's what I think should change:

-Unlevel the spins and step sequences - the desperate, horrendous moves to get levels is KILLING the sport. The blade features, the slow ugly positions, those horrible jumps and slides out of spins, long and laborious step sequences with zero connection to the music. Programs are unwatchable now because so much time and energy is wasted on hideous boring elements.

-Overhaul the tech calling. Get 3 or 4 tech specialists around the rink calling the jumps independently and have their calls averaged out. And give the judges the freedom to award GOE independent of the tech calls.

 

[Jayar]

Good for Amber for pointing out how great Sonja Hilmer is, and how skills like Sonja's are undervalued in the current structure.

But is that important? The sport has criteria. All of the athletes know what that is. They can game the system to improve results or continue to be expected to be rewarded for things that are fun, entertaining, or even difficult. But if they don't meet CoP criteria, it doesn't help their score. We could handcraft CoPs to our favorites or continue to look at what makes it fair for all.

 

[overedge]

But is that important? The sport has criteria. All of the athletes know what that is. They can game the system to improve results or continue to be expected to be rewarded for things that are fun, entertaining, or even difficult. But if they don't meet CoP criteria, it doesn't help their score. We could handcraft CoPs to our favorites or continue to look at what makes it fair for all.

It is important. Like Amber said, some of Sonja's skills - like spinning in both directions - are incredibly difficult, but they aren't rewarded under the current system. If quads are given more points than triples for being more difficult, then spins in both directions should also receive more points because that's more difficult than only spinning in one direction. The same thing with jumps - the ISI Freestyle 10 test is apparently the most difficult test in free skating because the skater has to do at least a double jump in both directions.

 

[Orm Irian]

I think it would be preferable to have some jumps in an artistic program, though fewer than are currently in the free program; you just can't let them be the dominant component of the score. So how about this: instead of skaters getting more points per rotation, all solo jumps should be worth the same amount as each other (and less than the highest available BV for both spins in one position and step sequences), and all combinations and sequences the same amount as each other (and slightly less than spin combinations). The jump element with the highest BV could even be a choreographic jump sequence requiring, say, 4+ jumps of between one and three rotations, linked by two or more steps between each jump - but it would still have a BV slightly less than the choreographic sequence. Extra GoE or a base value bonus given to skaters who do things like jump or spin in both directions.

If the program requires one solo jump, one combination or sequence and one choreographic jumping sequence, that would give jumps significant place and value in the program, but not precedence: spins, steps and the choreographic sequence would slightly outweigh them in determining BV. And it would help teach the quad monsters that in some circumstances, the point isn't how many super big jumps you can do but how well you can integrate those jumps into the flow of a program in order to create meaning and impact.

 

[MacMadame]

ISI has a prescribed step sequence at each test/competition level, along with the other required elements. Not just requiring a step sequence, but setting out the steps and the pattern, kind of like a compulsory dance except a lot shorter. That would be interesting for the ISU to implement in singles or pairs.

So everyone would do the same step sequence? Aside from how old that would get -- worse than 10 Ricky Martin RDs -- how are they going to fit the music and theme of the program if it's prescribed?

-Overhaul the tech calling. Get 3 or 4 tech specialists around the rink calling the jumps independently and have their calls averaged out. And give the judges the freedom to award GOE independent of the tech calls.

I'm confused about this. They aren't giving GOE so what would be averaged? If 3 said a jump was not under-rotated but one did, it gets 25% of the underrotation penalty? Or just doesn't get counted as underrotated because the majority said it was fine? I like having the TS spread out but that might mean one really sees the jump while the others don't, so there has to be a way to reconcile this if it's going to work to solve the problem. Probably multiple cameras is a better solution as it requires fewer trained people.

 

[Allskate]

But is that important? The sport has criteria. All of the athletes know what that is. They can game the system to improve results or continue to be expected to be rewarded for things that are fun, entertaining, or even difficult. But if they don't meet CoP criteria, it doesn't help their score.

This thread is discussing what those criteria should be. But, also the criteria aren't applied reasonably, so rule changing isn't necessarily going to change things. You can see this with the choreography scores that Sonja gets. They definitely should be higher IMO.

I don't know why people are assuming that the ISU wants to make changes in order to stop Ilia from winning. Ilia himself has said that the scoring system doesn't reward and incentivize artistry and creativity. And the judges are happy to give him high scores for things other than quads.

I used to prefer men's skating over women's, but I am so sick of splatfests resulting from the men going for quads that they don't land consistently. The quads are worth so much even with a fall that the skaters do the math and say that they should spend their training time and their competition time and energy on quads. I'm all for further reducing the value of quads with falls (and even more if the quad is not fully rotated).