After Kamila Valieva, a 15-year-old Russian Olympic Committee member tested positive for a banned medication for heart disease, the sport has been under investigation. She then failed to win a medal in an event where she was the overwhelming favorite.
Some skating officials have proposed raising the age of elite figure skating competitions to 17 years, in light of Valieva’s experience. This is ahead the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
The sport’s struggle with body image and eating disorders is not unrelated to the age question. Less developed, younger skaters can do things on the ice that older women cannot, such as the quadruple jumps done in Beijing by Valieva along with other teen skaters who are working with Eteri Tutberidze, her coach.
Josefin Taljegard (26-year-old Swedish figure skater) said that “we see girls who look really young and thin, and who do really well with our sport.” She competed in Beijing’s women’s individual event. “Maybe they’re still young, and that’s why their bodies are so thin.”
This puts pressure on the older skaters to keep up.
Taljegard stated that it isn’t always like “Oh, you have to look this way”, but one might hear “Oh, if you were more skinnier, you’d jump higher or spin faster.”
Although the Valieva case has brought attention to doping, the skaters claim that body image problems are much more prevalent in the sport. This is evident in the 2014 Olympic skating class.
Yulia Lipnitskaya, Russia’s gold girl at Sochi Games in Russia when she was 15 years old, before becoming a warning about chronic anorexia after she retired from the sport because of her battles with the disorder.
Many skaters have been inspired by American Gracie Gold’s story of overcoming anxiety to continue skating.
Kaitlin Hawayek (25), a U.S. ice skater, said that she suffered from an eating disorder for many years. She said that not enough has been done in order to help young skaters see their bodies as they are.
Hawayek is grateful to her coaches, nutritionists and trainers from the U.S. team. She said, “I have been able to see an entirely new mindset that has allowed my body to embrace me.”
Alysa Liu (16 years old) from the United States said that she found a way of dealing with negative comments about herself. However, it took her time to fully understand the dynamics she was caught up in. This American prodigy was ranked in the top 10 for this week’s women’s individual event.
Liu stated that she had dealt with “a lot of negativity”, like two years back, when Liu was referring to the many critics who commented on her public growth spurt. “At one time, I was like why are they literally coming to get a 14-year-old? It’s just so strange. It’s kind of creepy. They are just too creepy to look at a minor’s bodies that way. It’s just a little strange and kind of wrong.
Ashley CainGribble, a U.S. pairs skater believes that a higher age limit is beneficial for the sport she almost quit due to body shame over her height and strength. She is 5’6″, making her considerably taller than her peers.
Cain-Gribble stated, “Give skaters a shot at allowing their bodies to develop naturally.” “I am certain that I did not really become my body until much later in life.”
Elizabeth Daniels, a University of Colorado psychology professor who studies body image in sport, is skeptical that a simple age change could solve this problem.
Daniels stated that the larger cultural problem is that artistic sports such as figure skating, gymnastics, and diving are subject to subjective evaluation.
Half of a skater’s score is determined by how judges perceive the performance, including music, costume and overall feel. Perhaps a more precise metric would help to change the culture of diuretics and dieting in skating.
Daniels explained that they are being judged not only on their ability to execute a skill but also on how they look while doing it.” “When you have a sport such as that and are judged artistically, the question becomes, ‘Does your body conform?’ This, I believe, increases the risk of eating disorders.”
Skater or no, body dissatisfaction is something that can be observed in girls as young children as 5 years old. It can peak during adolescence, and stay constant through a woman’s 20s.
Luke Corey, a Mayo Clinic sports medicine dietitian, stated that figure skating is suited for small, light, yet muscular bodies.
For even the most skilled athletes, four minutes of intense exertion can be extremely hard. Skaters may try to go beyond what is necessary in order to improve their performance.
Corey stated, “We are not supposed to see vulnerability and pain. So it’s difficult to understand.” “We want better, bigger and more expensive but at what price?”
Cain-Gribble stated that Valieva’s story shows how young skaters are vulnerable to pressures from adults who want to win at all costs. It would be beneficial to raise the minimum age.
She stated that you need to reach an age where you can make decisions, think for yourself and take responsibility.
