Figure skating-ISU to raise minimum age for senior competitions to 17

FILE PHOTO: 2022 Beijing Olympics - Figure Skating - Women Single Skating - Free Skating - Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China - February 17, 2022. Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee falls during her performance. REUTERS/Phil Noble

(Reuters) - The International Skating Union Congress on Tuesday voted to gradually raise the minimum competition age for senior figure skating competitions from 15 to 17.

The decision, voted on at the ISU Congress in Phuket, Thailand, comes after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for a banned substance while at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, when she was 15.