British Ice Skating, the national governing body for figure skating, synchronized skating and speed skating, announced last week that same-sex pairs will be allowed to compete in British ice dance competitions.
However, there are reports that same-sex pairs will only be allowed to compete at the national level, as International Skating Union rules require pairs and dance teams to consist of one man and one woman. guardian.
The rule changes were announced as part of British Ice Skating. updated Championship Requirements for the 2026-2027 Season. The move follows similar changes adopted by Canada and Finland, which will make Canada the first country to allow skaters of either gender to form competitive pairs or ice dance teams in 2022.
Finland adopted the change earlier this season, with Emma Aalto and Millie Colling becoming the country’s first same-sex ice dance team.
Several former skaters are advocating for this change. Caitlin Weaver, a Canadian ice dancer who won two bronze and one silver medals at the 2013-2018 World Championships and currently serves on the ISU Ice Dance Technical Committee, has called on the international skating organization to change its rules to allow same-sex pairs to participate.
weaver said canadian press It is believed that in 2023, the visibility of same-sex couples could have a positive impact on both athletes and fans.
“[A]”She’s an ice dancer, and seeing different stories, different partners, different types of identities expressed on the ice would have been very liberating for me, especially as a queer person who grew up not knowing I was queer,” she said.
Similarly, former Canadian skater Scott Moir, who won three Olympic gold medals and two silver medals at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Olympics. claimed Allowing same-sex pairing would create more opportunities for female skaters who face a shortage of male partners.
Former Olympic ice dance champions Madison Havel (USA) and Gabriella Papadakis (France) skated together in an exhibition to challenge stereotypes about the sport and pave the way for same-sex pairs to compete internationally. Like Moir, Havel noted that many female skaters believe their competitive opportunities are limited by the lack of a partner of the opposite sex.
“There are a lot of young women who want to pursue ice dancing in a certain way, but there aren’t that many young boys or men who are participating competitively. So there’s a limit to how many people are participating at the moment,” she told Reuters earlier this year, as she and Papadakis were practicing for one of their exhibitions.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
