Jae Youl Kim was re-elected president of the International Skating Union (ISU) on Friday in Tenerife, at the ISU Congress. In 2022, he became the first non-European president of the IF, receiving 77 votes, far more than Patricia St. Peter (24), Susanna Rahkamo (13), and Slobodan Delic (5). This time, he faced no opposition, resulting in a unanimous re-election, a sign that the South Korean successfully rallied the skating world behind his vision during his first term.
Ambition and a new constitution
Jae Youl Kim had promised to transform and modernize the UIS. This ambition translated, as early as 2023, into the adoption of Vision 2030, a strategic roadmap developed around five pillars: growth, opportunity, innovation, protection, and unity. To be competitive in today's world, maintain our relevance to the public, and attract younger generations of skaters and fans, our priority is to evolve our product and our fan engagement system. " the ISU president emphasized at the time.
A new constitution was adopted at an extraordinary Congress in 2025 to modernize the organization's governance framework. Kirsty Coventry welcomed this momentum, emphasizing " the way you ensure that athletes are at the heart of the decisions you make ", with initiatives such as setting up quiet zones for athletes during competitions, and on the creation of an Integrity Unit, the ISU being " the second international winter sports federation to implement it ».
"We can all be proud."
Since the beginning of the year, the ISU has announced the arrival of four new leaders to improve efficiency in key areas (marketing, communications, sustainability, and development). In recent months, it launched a new synchronized skating format, Synchro 9, which will be featured at the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games, and expanded the Short Track World Tour, which will consist of seven events (instead of the previous six) starting in the 2026-2027 season.
It has revised its annual Awards, which for the first time this year are presented as three separate ceremonies for speed skating, short track and figure skating, and has just announced a brand new event, BEIJING28, which will bring together four World Championships (figure skating, speed skating, short track, synchronized skating) as well as the Skating Awards, in 2028. All these initiatives help to better promote the sport and the athletes.
All these efforts were validated by the figures from the Milan-Cortina Games, which allowed the ISU to win over 400.000 subscribers that holds the top spot. " We have accomplished a lot together, and we can all be proud of this progress.Jae Youl Kim said during the Congress. Our work is far from over. Vision 2030 was never intended as a finish line. It is part of an ongoing commitment to strengthening the future of skating, and this work will continue as long as our sports exist. Another strong indicator: on the president's proposal, the ISU voted in favor of a considerable increase in prize money, which will rise from $5,4 million in 2025-2026 to $11,1 million in 2026-2027, and even $12 million in 2027-2028. Proof that the ISU is engaged in a virtuous circle.
