ISU details proposal to raise age limit to 17
Figure skating's governing body detailed a proposal to raise the athlete age limit to 17 at the Olympics and other international events.
The proposal was expected even before 15-yearold Kamila Valieva's doping case dominated the women's event at the Beijing Olympics in February.
The International Skating Union, based in Geneva, wants the new age limit phased in before the 2026 Olympics in Italy and published a proposal to be voted on at its June 5-10 meetings in Thailand.
Though 15-year-olds could continue to compete next season, the limit is set to rise to 16 for the 202324 season. It would be 17 the year after, which is the last full season before the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The ISU's medical commission cited concerns with “burnout, disordered eating, and long-term consequences of injury” with young teenage skaters pushed to perform more quadruple jumps.
The governing body “has a duty of care to protect the physical and psychological health and safety of all athletes including elite adolescent athlete(s),” the medical experts advise.
Valieva was put under extreme stress in Beijing as the gold medal favorite whose positive doping test in Russia was belatedly revealed during the games in China.
A Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling allowed her to compete pending the full investigation in Russia, but a mistake-filled free program dropped her to fourth place. She was then criticized rinkside by her celebrated coach, Eteri Tutberidze.
IOC president Thomas Bach later highlighted “tremendous coldness” in the Russian entourage, and the silver medalist, Alexandra
Trusova, 17, also seemed distressed after competing. Gold medalist Anna Shcherbakova was also 17.
The age-limit proposal has been made by the ISU's ruling council, after an earlier submission by the Norwegian skating federation.
“Our sport should facilitate rules and a competition environment that supports the possibility of a long-lasting career,” the Norwegians said, noting how quickly women's Olympic champions left figure skating.
The gold medalists in five Winter Games between 1994 and 2018 were between the ages of 15 and 17 yet none continued competing beyond the following year's world championships, Norway's proposal said.
“The ISU must also consider the image they want to project as junior and senior champions,” its medical advisers said.
ISU member federations will vote on the age-limit proposal at their congress in Phuket, where they will also elect a new president.
Murray returns to clay with victory in Madrid
Andy Murray got off to a good start in his surprise return to clay, defeating Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Madrid Open in Madrid.
Playing as a wild card after changing his mind on participating in the claycourt season, the former No. 1 broke Thiem once in each set and made only 13 unforced errors.
The 78th-ranked Murray hadn't played a claycourt tournament since the French Open in 2020. He said he trained for four weeks on the surface to prepare for his return.
Murray won the Madrid title in 2008 and 2015. He hadn't played in the Spanish capital since 2017, the year he was ranked No. 1 for the last time. He also was a finalist in Madrid in 2016, losing to Novak Djokovic.
Simona Halep continued to impress in Madrid by overpowering American teenager Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-4 to make the quarterfinals.
Halep will face eighthseeded Ons Jabeur, who defeated Belinda Bencic 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a match interrupted by rain after the second set.
On the men's side, Jannik Sinner saved three match points in beating Tommy Paul 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-3.
The Italian next has Alex de Minaur, who beat Pedro Martínez 7-6 (2), 1-6, 6-3.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, coming off his maiden Masters final in Monte Carlo, got past Lloyd Harris after breaking late in both sets of a 7-5, 6-3 victory.
Nikoloz Basilashvili defeated Fabio Fognini in straight sets to set up an encounter with Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz, who already has three titles this season: Rio de Janeiro, Miami and Barcelona.
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More Russian bans
Russian soccer teams were kicked out of the Women's European Championship, the next men's Champions League and qualifying for the 2023 Women's World Cup by UEFA.
The latest round of sporting sanctions during Russia's war on Ukraine follow FIFA and UEFA suspending Russian national and club teams in February from playing in international competitions, including the men's World
Cup playoffs.
Those previous decisions — made as countries across Europe refused to play games against Russia — are under appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the Russian Football Union, and the latest expulsions are also likely to be challenged.
UEFA said Portugal will take Russia's place in the Women's Euro 2022 being hosted by England in July. Russia qualified by beating Portugal in the playoffs round.
Russian Premier League winner Zenit St. Petersburg's place in the next Champions League group stage will go instead to the champion of Scotland, according to UEFA's updated list of allocated entries.
A Champions League place is worth tens of millions of euros (dollars) in UEFA prize money to Zenit, which is owned by Russian state energy firm Gazprom. UEFA has also terminated sponsor deals with Gazprom and moved this season's Champions League final from Zenit's home stadium to Paris.
Russia also will not have entries in next season's Europa League and Europa Conference League. Clubs likely to miss out include Dynamo Moscow, Sochi and CSKA Moscow.
UEFA said its executive committee took the latest decisions for its competitions to “ensure their smooth staging in a safe and secure environment for all those concerned.”
Finland, Sweden target KHL
Finland and Sweden will ban from their national ice hockey teams any of their players who appear in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League from next season.
Both ice hockey federations announced their decisions two days after the KHL season ended.