Some figure skaters are hoping an Olympic doping scandal that is fueling a push to raise the minimum age of competitors will also focus attention on what they see as the sport’s most pressing issue: body image, body shaming and disordered eating.
The sport is under scrutiny after 15-year-old Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee tested positive for a banned heart medication, then failed to medal in an event for which she was the overwhelming favorite.
performed in Beijing by Valieva and other teen skaters working with her embattled coach, Eteri Tutberidze.“We see girls who are really young and thin and who do really well in our sport," said Josefin Taljegård, a 26-year-old Swedish figure skater who competed in the women’s individual event in Beijing."Maybe that’s why they’re so skinny – because they’re still children.
Hawayek feels fortunate to have the support of her coaching staff, nutritionist and trainers on the U.S. team. “I’ve really been able to see a new mindset that has allowed me to embrace my body,” she said. “Give skaters a chance to allow their body to develop naturally,” Cain-Gribble said. “I know that I didn’t really come into my own body until many later years."
Half of a skating score is based on how judges view the performance — music, costume, flow and the overall feel. A more concise metric could perhaps help change the culture of dieting and diuretics in skating.“They’re being judged on how they execute a skill, but also how they look while they’re doing it,” Daniels said.
Four minutes of intense exertion is extremely difficult for even the best athletes in the world, so it's no surprise that skaters may go to extremes if they think it can help their performance.
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