Why is Hong Kong considered a separate country from China for ISU purposes?

[barbk]

Looking at 4CC entries, I realized that Hong Kong has its own entries. Why? I know they are a special administrative region...but Aosta (Italy), Quebec, and Gibraltar all have seemingly similar degrees of idependence and yet don't get separate athlete quotas.

 

[Sylvia]

ABOUT US – Hong Kong China Skating Union

Hong Kong China Skating Union Limited (HKSU), previously named Hong Kong Skating Union, was established in 1980 aims to promote and develop ice sports in Hong Kong. In 2003, the Hong Kong Skating Union was formally registered as Hong Kong China Skating Union Limited for better management, development and promotion of ice sports in Hong Kong.

 

[MacMadame]

There is not a 1-to-1 correspondence between ISU federations and countries.

 

[Karen-W]

Looking at 4CC entries, I realized that Hong Kong has its own entries. Why? I know they are a special administrative region...but Aosta (Italy), Quebec, and Gibraltar all have seemingly similar degrees of idependence and yet don't get separate athlete quotas.

For the same reason that Puerto Rico once had a skating fed and was able to enter skaters to compete in ISU competitions separate from the US. And for the same reason that England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland all have separate football/soccer teams.

 

[Vagabond]

Looking at 4CC entries, I realized that Hong Kong has its own entries. Why? I know they are a special administrative region...but Aosta (Italy), Quebec, and Gibraltar all have seemingly similar degrees of idependence and yet don't get separate athlete quotas.

Gibraltar has its own Olympic Committee, though it is apparently not currently recognized by the ISU but has been in the past. It even has -- or had -- its own Gibraltar Ice Skating Association, which is not currently recognized by the ISU. What is does not havei is an ice rink. There used to be a skating rink in Gibraltar, but it was replaced with a climbing wall because of maintenance costs.

 

[Karen-W]

Gibraltar has its own Olympic Committee, though it is apparently not currently recognized by the ISU but has been in the past. It even has -- or had -- its own Gibraltar Ice Skating Association, which is not currently recognized by the ISU. What is does not havei is an ice rink. There used to be a skating rink in Gibraltar, but it was replaced with a climbing wall because of maintenance costs.

The lack of a permanent ice rink is probably why Gibraltar is no longer recognized. Same with Puerto Rico. IIRC, a permanent ice rink is one of the requirements for recognition by the ISU.

 

[Sylvia]

4-post X thread re. an on camera incident during the 2026 4CC Men's SP: https://x.com/printout101/status/2014957721112441242

https://twitter.com/x/status/2014957730570678325

Fortunately this did not happen after Yu-Hsiang Li's FS (that I saw on camera, anyway).