What the ISU Council's October Meeting Means for Adult Skaters

The International Skating Union's Council met for three days in Lausanne, Switzerland, and published its decisions on 14 October 2026. Most of them are about elite events and the way the organization runs. There's a line in there about adult figure skating, though, and a few of the other changes will end up on the calendar of anyone who follows the sport. We've pulled out the parts that matter to adult skaters, with the sources at the end.

The line about adult skating

Near the end of the sport section, the ISU says the Council decided to maintain financial support for Adults Figure Skating. The announcement doesn't say how much that support is or what it pays for, so we won't guess. It's still nice to see adult skaters named in a decision by the sport's world governing body, especially if you've ever thought about entering an adult event abroad.

Grand Prix semi-finals and who gets in

From the 2027/28 season, except in seasons with an Olympic Winter Games, the Grand Prix gets semi-finals, and this meeting settled who skates in them. After the sixth Grand Prix event, the top 16 men and women and the top 12 pairs and ice dance teams in the standings go through. Odd and even places in the standings decide each skater's semi-final. The top three in each semi-final go on to the Final.

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Four Continents moves to Almaty

The 2027 Four Continents Championships were set for Astana, and the Council has accepted a move to the Almaty Arena. The ISU says the switch was agreed with the Kazakhstan Skating Union after a fire at a power station serving the left-bank area of Astana affected operations and security around the original venue. If you'd started planning a trip to watch, check the event's own page before you book anything.

World Ice Skating Day moves to December

The Council agreed to move World Ice Skating Day to the first Sunday of December every year, starting in 2027. This year's day is still on 20 December 2026. If your rink or club marks it, put this year's date on your calendar now, and expect it to land earlier in the month from next year on.

Fewer Olympic spots for figure skaters

Synchro9 joins the Olympic Winter Games for the first time in 2030, which adds 90 skating athletes to the quota. To make room, figure skating will have four fewer athletes than at Milano Cortina 2026, which the ISU breaks down as one man, one woman and one ice dance couple. Speed skating gives up two places as well, one for a man and one for a woman.

What to read next

If the adult line in this news has you thinking about entering an event yourself, our guide to adult figure skating competitions in 2027 is the one to read next. It lists the dates that are confirmed and marks the ones that aren't yet. The adult events abroad and other countries' federations set their own age rules, so the guide also tells you where to read each announcement.

Sources

• International Skating Union, "ISU Council Accelerates Skating's Transformation With Key Decisions In Lausanne", ISU news, 14.10.2026, sport and development sections (isu.org).
• International Skating Union, "Astana (KAZ) Set To Host ISU Figure Skating Four Continents Championships 2027", ISU news (isu.org).