The International Skating Union -ISU- approved a historic increase in prize money for athletes and financial contributions for its members at its 60th Ordinary Congress, held in Tenerife. The decision, endorsed by delegates following a proposal presented by ISU President Jae Youl Kim, raises prize money from USD 5.4 million in the 2025/26 season to USD 11.1 million in 2026/27, before reaching USD 12 million in 2027/28.
The measure places athletes and federations at the centre of the organisation’s new investment cycle, which will also increase travel contributions for members from USD 2.4 million to USD 4.5 million. “Our athletes are at the heart of everything we do,” said Kim, who argued that the proposal to more than double prize money reflects the ISU’s commitment to recognising athletes’ achievements and investing directly in the future of skating.
ISU turns financial strength into investment in sport
The increase approved in Tenerife follows a period of strong financial performance for the international federation. The ISU told its members that its revised investment strategy, implemented with Cambridge Associates since 2024, has significantly strengthened its financial position. After transferring around USD 270 million into the new investment structure in September 2024, the portfolio stood at approximately USD 345 million in April 2026.
The organisation links those results to a new capacity to invest in athletes, members, development programmes and the long-term growth of skating. Kim, however, stressed that financial progress must be accompanied by sustained work to expand the sport’s global audience, increase commercial revenues, strengthen strategic partnerships and modernise the ISU’s offer under the framework of Vision 2030.
Tenerife and ISU’s “bold transformation journey”
The President’s report placed the financial decision within the wider transformation started by the ISU in recent years. Kim recalled that, at the Ordinary Congress in Las Vegas in 2024, the organisation agreed its Vision 2030, structured around the pillars of growth, opportunity, innovation, safeguarding and unity. “We began our bold transformation journey confidently and together,” the President told members gathered in Tenerife.
That agenda has also translated into investment in event presentation, broadcast production, athlete storytelling, graphics, new camera technologies, LED technology and venue experience. The ISU first introduced LED screens at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Grenoble in December 2024, before gradually expanding their use to other key competitions and the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. “We want skating to be presented at its very best, not only for our skaters and our fans, but also for commercial partners and media,” Kim said.
Welfare, governance and new formats for skating
The Congress also addressed the strengthening of athlete welfare and safeguarding policies, with initiatives such as the ISU Calm Zone programme, which offers athletes a space to rest, reset and prepare mentally during competition. The initiative was implemented at 14 ISU events last season and was used by around half of the participating athletes. The federation also presented Arwen, an AI-supported platform designed to help protect skaters from abuse and harassment on social media.
The institutional agenda also included measures to improve officiating transparency and the understanding of technical decisions, such as live video review feeds, referee announcements and the Referee Liaison System, designed to provide broadcasters with more information during competition. The ISU also announced that it will work on possible reforms to make figure skating easier for fans to understand, although no major structural changes will be introduced during the current Olympic cycle, through 2030.
Beijing28 opens a new chapter for ISU World Championships
One of the main announcements of the Congress was BEIJING28, a new concept that will bring together, for the first time in a single city, the World Championships in figure skating, speed skating, short track and synchronized skating, alongside the ISU Skating Awards ceremony. The event will take place in Beijing, further reinforcing its status as the first dual Olympic city after hosting the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Kim presented the project as a central piece in the ISU’s commercial and sporting evolution. “BEIJING28 is far more than a new event; it is a bold vision for the future of skating,” said the President, who linked the format to new opportunities for athletes, fans, broadcasters, commercial partners and all disciplines within the skating family. The second day of the Congress continued in Tenerife with reports from key ISU bodies, including the Athletes’ Committee, Development Commission, Athlete Welfare and Safeguarding Commission, Disciplinary Commission, technical committees, Medical Commission and Legal Advisor.
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