The Dark Side of Figure Skating

Reflecting on the doping controversy at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing

Kamila Valieva at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing

Watching Kamila Valieva’s free skate was disturbing. How many rules do we have to change before the Russian team decides to play fairly?

During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the Russian team pressured a French judge to score their figure skaters higher in presentation, which ultimately led to the Russians receiving gold medals [1]. They were able to pressure the French judge in this way because of a flaw in the scoring system at the time.

Under the old 6.0 system there were two components: technical merit and presentation. The former evaluated the quality of the required elements skated (e.g., jumps and spins). The latter evaluated the artistry of the overall program, including composition, utilization of the ice, style, music expression, and originality. Under the 6.0 system, presentation was weighted more heavily than technical merit, which we came to see as a flaw. This is because presentation is highly subjective. If a judge scores one skater higher than another in presentation, it is difficult to determine who is truly more artistic. Indeed, this subjectivity is exactly what allowed the Russians to pressure the French judge in 2002. Consequently, in 2004, the 6.0 system was replaced by the ISU Judging System, the current scoring system that now emphasizes technical merit over presentation [2].

Initially, this seemed like the right solution. However, after the 2002 Winter Olympics figure skating scandal, and since the introduction of the ISU Judging System, figure skaters have been under immense pressure to focus on technical merit in ways they never had to before. This means mastering and performing the elements that award the most points under the new scoring system: namely, jumps. In other words, emphasis is no longer placed on how beautifully one skates but on how many rotations one can complete in each jump [3][4]. This has shifted the sport in a new direction.

Women were immediately affected by this shift. On average, a woman’s body changes during puberty (e.g., through the development of hips and breasts) in a way that makes her less aerodynamic [5]. For example, U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu was able to rotate and land quadruple jumps at 15 years old, but after going through puberty, she could no longer do so [6]. Initially, men were less affected, but it is now starting to affect them as well. For example, U.S. Figure Skating experienced controversy over sending Jason Brown to the 2022 Winter Olympics, who was more artistic but could not land a quadruple jump, over Ilia Malinin, who could land multiple quadruple jumps but was less artistic [7].

How has the Russian team decided to deal with this while still wanting to win under the ISU Judging System? By cheating, again: using performance-enhancing drugs, administering puberty blockers, and pushing out pre-pubescent figure skaters who retire with eating disorders and other mental health issues after winning Russia a gold medal [8][9][10]. Some of these figure skaters have spoken openly about this, as well as about forced dehydration, daily weigh-ins, verbal abuse, and being made to compete while injured [11][12][13].

In 2019, Russia was banned from competing at the Olympics for systematically doping its athletes [14]. They maneuvered around this ban by competing under a neutral flag and a different name. Clearly, this wasn’t punishment enough.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, only a few years later, we once again found performance-enhancing drugs in their athletes. This time, it involved 15 year old Kamila Valieva [15], a figure skating prodigy who stunned the world with her talent [16]. A child who, instead of receiving a warm embrace and encouraging words after suffering from this controversy and falling during her free skate, was asked by her coaches: "Why did you let it go? Why did you stop fighting? Explain it to me why?" [17][18]

This is the dark side of figure skating. Where does this leave my sport?

I have heard talk about raising the age limit to 18 instead of 15 [19]. This seems like a step in the right direction. Hopefully, it will also encourage older skaters to continue pursuing their dreams. When I started figure skating at 14 years old, my coach told me I was too old to start. I came to believe my age would determine my success, which is another consequence of constantly expecting younger skaters. Beyond this, there must be stricter regulations on doping, and the Russian team should face real consequences for its actions instead of a half-hearted ban.

Lastly, I believe the figure skating community must ask itself once again how to design a fair scoring system that embraces both athleticism and artistry. When I was younger, I thought that being a great figure skater meant being able to rotate and land those jumps. I was raised in the ISU Judging System. It was all I knew. However, an older man in his eighties at my local ice rink was in love with figure skating for a different reason. To him, being a great figure skater meant not only landing jumps but also being an artist. He used to obsess over his edge work and the lines he created with his body and on the ice. He came from a completely different era of figure skating.

As the years go by, I’m beginning to see that figure skating is losing some of its artistry under this new scoring system. I truly hope we can find a fair and healthy way to value artistry as much as athleticism. Without it, skating devolves into point-chasing, rather than a showcase of artistry. After all, artistry is—and will always be—what many of us love about watching figure skating.

[1] 2002 Winter Olympics figure skating scandal — article

[2] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the ISU New Judging System — article

[3] How Quad Jumps Have Changed Women’s Figure Skating — article

[4] Athleticism Over Artistry? The Jump Obsession in Men’s Figure Skating — article

[5] Quad revolution comes in force to women’s figure skating — article

[6] Alysa Liu, no longer doing quads, finds greater meaning in figure skating — article

[7] US Figure Skating picks experience over youth for Beijing — article

[8] Russian Doping Isn’t The Only Problem In Figure Skating — article

[9] Eteri Tutberidze: The Abuse in Figure Skating Needs to End — article

[10] Team Tutberidze: A Decade of Dominance (Evgenia Medvedeva, Alina Zagitova) — video essay

[11] Evgenia Medvedeva - long interview - August 2021 — video interview

[12] Team Tutberidze Exposed? Kostornaia spills it all — video essay