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.
While the Valieva case has focused the world's attention on doping, skaters say body image issues are far more pervasive in the sport. The 2014 class of Olympic skaters is proof.
U.S. ice dancer Kaitlin Hawayek, 25, said she had an eating disorder for several years. Not enough has been done to educate young skaters to see “their body is great exactly the way it is," she said. “I dealt with a lot of negativity, like two years ago,” Liu said of the many critics who have commented on her very public growth spurt. “At one point, I was like, why are they literally coming for a 14 year old? That’s so weird. They’re just kind of creepy for that. Why are they looking at a minor’s body that way? It’s just a little weird and kind of wrong, obviously.”
Elizabeth Daniels, a psychology professor at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs who studies body image in sports, is skeptical that an age change alone could address this issue. “They’re being judged on how they execute a skill, but also how they look while they’re doing it,” Daniels said. “When you have a sport like that, and you are judged in this artistic way, the question becomes ‘Does my body conform?’ That, I think, increases the potential for eating disorders.”
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.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Raising Age Limit for Figure Skating, as Some Suggest, Would End the Age of the QuadThe quadruple jumps that sent Russian world champ Anna Shcherbakova to the gold medal and teammate Alexandra Trusova to the silver could be a thing of the past by the 2026 Games.
Leer más »
Skating organization considers raising age in Olympic figure skatingKamila Valieva’s heartbreaking performance at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has many asking if young teenagers are ready for the pressure of the Olympics.
Leer más »
A Disturbing Night of Olympic Figure Skating Exposes the Dark Side of the RinkIOC president Thomas Bach said he was “disturbed” by Thursday’s figure skating competition, which featured distraught teenagers vying for Olympic gold under the cloud of a doping scandal.
Leer más »
Raising Age Limit for Figure Skating Could End Era of Quad JumpsIn what seems to be an arms race with quads, Russian figure skaters are packing their programs with the four-revolution jumps. But Beijing may be the last Olympics with quads, bringing an end to the Cold War on the ice.
Leer más »
Anchorage figure skater Keegan Messing will skate one more time in the Beijing OlympicsAnchorage figure skater Keegan Messing will skate one more time in the Beijing Olympics — this time, in the figure skating gala that traditionally marks the end of the Winter Games: via sportsadn
Leer más »
Watch the Record-Breaking Pairs' Performances in Figure Skating's Short ProgramNot one but two pairs broke Olympic records in this dazzling event. See their performances and more from the pairs’ short program.
Leer más »