It is time for change in the Olympic movement. To big changes. Even the revolution. After World Athletics, another international body wants to shake up its rules and habits without restraint. The International Skating Union (ISU), chaired for two years by the South Korean Kim Jae-youl, is in turn embarking on a vast reform plan. With one fixed idea: move forward so as not to go backwards.
Meeting since Monday June 10 in Las Vegas for an annual congress announced as historic, the ISU is no longer looking only towards the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games. Its new strategic plan targets another Olympic deadline: 2030. A year which should, barring any huge surprises, bring the Winter Games back to France, to the Alps, thirty-eight years after Albertville 1992.
Kim Jae-youl outlined this 2030 vision of the ISU on the first day of the ISU Congress, in front of 250 delegates from 65 countries. They come down to one word: change. “The world is changing and we all have to adapt, suggested in his opening speech the South Korean leader, also a member of the IOC since last year and president of Samsung Global Research. Vision 2030 builds on these changes and proposes concrete long-term solutions to improve, innovate and engage. Our goal is to increase our capabilities to better serve our athletes, members and supporters, and to make the investments necessary to unlock the full potential of our sport. »
At this stage, the ISU strategy is still based on projects. They are to be discussed this week in Las Vegas. Some could be ratified. The body notably proposes the creation of a short track World Tour. It wishes to modernize the broadcasting of its events and its approach to marketing, more oriented towards athletes, accelerate its digital revolution, improve its governance and more clearly take the turn towards sustainability. Nothing very new. More spectacular: the body plans to lift the ban on somersaults in figure skating. A novelty which, if adopted, will undoubtedly fuel debate.
Kim Jae-youl willingly presents his revolution as an obligation. The president of the ISU has done his homework: the body is going through a difficult period, particularly financially. And the worst could be yet to come. He explained it to the delegates: “In recent years, ISU revenues have stagnated. We can expect to see them decline further if we don't take bold steps now to improve our content. I spoke with current business partners about their contracts. They want to pay less when they expire in 2026 or 2027. So we need to act now. »
The proof in the figures: the ISU suffered losses of 2022 million Swiss francs in 19. Last year, the curve was raised a little, but the financial year ended with a new loss, around 11 million francs. Nothing dramatic, the body also displaying solid reserves.
But the South Korean leader knows it: the skating public, especially artistic, is struggling to renew itself. Worse: it's getting older. In the United States, the last world championships were followed on NBC by 1,6 million Americans. “Our fan base is getting older, recognizes Kim Jae-youl. If we don't attract the younger generation, who will come to our competitions in 20 or 30 years? This is a question that keeps me up at night. »
