Ice skating, the new president Kim is ‘Mister Samsung’

The 58th Ordinary Congress of the ISU, the international federation of ice skating, held in Phuket, Thailand, ended in the past few hours marking a historic turning point. For the first time in 130 years, in fact, he elected a non-European president after eleven representatives of the old continent. This is the South Korean Jae Youl Kim, 53 years old very well worn, president of the Global Strategy Group of the giant Samsung, son-in-law of Lee Kun-hee, the entrepreneur who led the group for over 30 years (until his death in 2020), transforming it into the world’s largest manufacturer of smartphones, televisions and memory chips.

For Milan-Cortina 2026

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In the past, the new president was at the head of the national federation (from 2011 to 2016), member of the coordination commission of the IOC of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, vice president of the organizing committee of those of PyeongChang 2018 and head of mission of the delegation South Korean to those of Sochi 2014. He will be in office for a four-year period, the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics, therefore included. With 77 votes she defeated the other candidates by a large majority: the American Patricia St Peter (24), the Finnish Susanna Rakhamo (13) and the Serbian Slobodan Delic (5). Jae Youl Kim, at the end of six seasons of impalpable management, replaces the 77-year-old Dutchman Jan Dijkema who, in 2016 – after 22 years – had taken the place of the Milanese Ottavio Cinquanta. His deputies will be confirmed Norwegian Tron Espeli for speed (elected by acclamation) and Canadian Benoit Lavoie, voted to replace Russian Alexander Lakernik, who wanted to run again, but was unable to do so after Congress voted the ok. the eligibility of Russians and Belarusians (athletes remain suspended), but also not to raise the limit beyond 75 years of age.

Here Italy

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Among the ten directors, also Sergio Anesi, Trentino from Baselga di Pinè, confirmed for a third term among the five of speed as second of the elected. For Italy, in Thailand represented by six delegates led by federal president Andrea Gios (formerly in the Council of the IIHF, the international ice hockey federation), a prestigious position also in the figure: the Milanese Fabio Bianchetti (the only one in the running) remains at the head of the artistic technical commission.

Problems figure

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The figure is experiencing a turbulent period. Jae Youl Kim, just elected, summed up the Kamila Valieva case with a “work in progress”, specifying only that the Russian athlete’s B test tube tested positive for anti-doping before the Beijing Games – where he also competed, contributing to the success of his country in the team event – has yet to be analyzed. The decisions of the Russian anti-doping agency are awaited, which, by 8 August, will have to establish the size of the sentence. Congress, which also on the basis of the case decided to raise the minimum age of skaters (for this season it will still be set at 15, for the next season at 16 and then definitively at 17) has reintroduced a qualifying round in the field of the World Championships (starting from the 2025 edition) and to create a working group to eventually review the admission criteria to the Olympics, already in view of Milan-Cortina 2026.