Figure Skating (ISU) — Official Rules

Figure skating is a discipline performed on ice in which skaters present jumps, spins, step sequences, lifts and other movements set to music, evaluated by an official panel rather than by goals or a clock. It is governed worldwide by the International Skating Union (ISU), founded in 1892. These rules - the ISU Special Regulations & Technical Rules (2024 edition) for Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance, together with the season's ISU Communications - apply to all ISU Championships, Grand Prix, Challenger Series and the 2026 Olympic Winter Games (Milano Cortina). The skater with the highest Total Competition Score wins.

ISU figure skating comprises four disciplines:

• Single Skating (Men / Women): one skater performing jumps, spins and step sequences.
• Pair Skating: a man and a woman performing unison singles content plus pair-specific elements (overhead lifts, twist lifts, throw jumps, death spirals, pair spins).
• Ice Dance: a couple performing pattern dances, lifts and step sequences with strong emphasis on rhythm, timing and skating skills; no jumps and no overhead lifts above the partner's head as in pairs.
• Synchronized Skating: a team of 16 skaters performing as one unit (governed by separate ISU rules).

A figure skating competition is decided over two segments skated on different days:

• Single & Pair Skating: a Short Program followed by the Free Skating (long program).
• Ice Dance: a Rhythm Dance followed by the Free Dance. Each skater/couple receives a Total Segment Score for each segment; the Total Competition Score is the sum of both segments. The competitor with the highest Total Competition Score is ranked first. Final placement is determined by total points, not by adding the rank in each segment.

Maximum/target durations (a tolerance of +/- 10 seconds applies):

• Short Program (Singles & Pairs): 2 minutes 40 seconds (Senior and Junior).
• Free Skating (Singles & Pairs): 4 minutes (Senior and Junior; Junior Women/Pairs also 4:00).
• Rhythm Dance: 2 minutes 50 seconds.
• Free Dance: 4 minutes. Exceeding or undershooting the permitted time triggers a time-violation deduction. The program may use vocal music with lyrics, a rule introduced in 2014.

The Short Program / Rhythm Dance starting order is drawn (often by ISU World Standing for seeding). For the Free Skating / Free Dance, skaters perform in reverse order of placement after the first segment - the leader after the short program skates last. Competitors are divided into warm-up groups (typically up to 6), each given an on-ice warm-up (about 6 minutes) immediately before their group performs.

Under the ISU Judging System (IJS), each segment is scored as:

Total Segment Score = Total Element Score (TES) + Program Component Score (PCS) - Deductions

The TES rewards what is performed (the technical content), the PCS rewards how it is performed (the quality of skating and the program), and deductions subtract points for falls, time and rule violations. The two segment scores are added to give the Total Competition Score; this point-based system replaced the old 6.0 'ordinal' system in 2004.

Every element has a Base Value (BV) published yearly in the ISU Scale of Values (SOV) Communication (e.g. Communication 2707 for Single & Pair Skating, 2705 for Ice Dance, valid for the 2025/26 season). Base value rises with difficulty: harder jumps (a triple Axel, a quadruple jump), higher spin/step Levels (B, 1, 2, 3, 4) and harder lifts/twists carry higher base values. A jump with under-rotation (marked '<') is scored at 70% of base value, and a downgrade (marked '<<') is scored as the lower-revolution jump.

After identifying each element, the judging panel awards a Grade of Execution (GOE) on an 11-step scale from -5 to +5 (... -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 ...). The positive GOE rewards the quality of the element; errors reduce it. Each step equals a fixed percentage of the element's base value: 10% per step in Single & Pair Skating and 16% per step in Ice Dance. The panel's GOE is the trimmed mean (highest and lowest scores discarded, the rest averaged), then converted to points and added to or subtracted from the base value.

Since the 2022/23 season the PCS uses three components (reduced from five): Composition, Presentation and Skating Skills. Each is marked from 0.25 to 10.00 in 0.25 steps, with the panel score taken as the trimmed mean. Each component's mark is multiplied by a discipline- and segment-specific factor so the PCS and TES are roughly balanced - for example senior Men Free Skating uses higher factors than the Short Program, and Women/Pairs use lower factors than Men. In Pair Skating and Ice Dance both partners must demonstrate the criteria equally.

In Single Skating, jumps executed in the second half of the program earn a 1.1 multiplier on their base value, rewarding stamina. The bonus is limited: it applies to the last jumping pass in the Short Program and the last three jumping passes in the Free Skating (introduced for the 2018/19 season to prevent jump back-loading). The element clock for 'second half' is based on the program's permitted time.

There are six recognised jumps, scored by number of revolutions (single, double, triple, quadruple). By take-off they split into:

• Edge jumps (take off from a skating edge): Salchow, Loop, Axel. The Axel is unique - it takes off forward, so it has a half extra rotation (a triple Axel is 3.5 revolutions).
• Toe jumps (assisted by the toe pick): Toe Loop, Flip, Lutz. A jump combination links jumps with no steps/turns between; in combinations and sequences the GOE uses the value of the most difficult jump.

The Senior Single Short Program has a fixed set of required elements (one of each), typically:

• Three jump elements: a solo jump (Axel-type), a jump combination, and a solo jump (the difficulty set by the season's requirement).
• Three spins: a flying spin, a camel/sit spin (one position with limited variation) and a spin combination with change of foot.
• One step sequence covering the ice surface. Attempting an element not on the list, or an extra/illegal element, earns no value and may incur a deduction.

The Senior Free Skating allows a maximum of seven jump elements (one must be an Axel-type jump), plus a limited number of spins (three) and one step sequence. Key limits:

• The Zayak Rule: any triple or quadruple jump may be repeated no more than twice in the program, and at least one of those repeats must be in a combination/sequence.
• Only certain jumps may be repeated; extra jumps beyond the limit are not counted (marked with an asterisk/no value). These caps force a balanced, varied program rather than a single repeated trick.

Pair Skating combines synchronised single content with elements unique to pairs, each carrying its own Levels and Scale of Values:

• Overhead Lifts (Group 1-5 by hold): the man rotates the woman above his head; grip changes and difficult positions raise the Level.
• Twist Lifts: the man throws the woman who rotates (double/triple twist) before he catches her at the waist.
• Throw Jumps: the man launches the woman into a jump (e.g. throw triple Loop).
• Pair Spins and Death Spirals (the man pivots while the woman skates a low circle on one edge with her head near the ice).

The Senior Pair Short Program has a fixed list (e.g. one overhead lift, one twist, one throw jump, one solo jump, one solo spin, one death spiral, one step/choreographic sequence). The Free Skating allows a richer but capped set of lifts, twists, throws, jumps, spins and spirals, with the same balance and repetition limits as singles for the solo-jump content. Synchronisation, unison and equal demonstration by both partners are central to the PCS.

The Rhythm Dance is skated to a prescribed rhythm/theme announced by the ISU each season (for 2025/26 the required pattern dance and rhythms are set in ISU Communication 2704/2716). It contains a Pattern Dance section (a set sequence of steps performed to a fixed tempo), required dance lifts, a step sequence (often a midline or diagonal) and twizzles. Strict timing to the music and the correct rhythm are essential, and the technical panel checks the Key Points of the pattern for Level.

The Free Dance is the couple's creative segment, skated to music of their choice within ISU limits. It includes required dance lifts (short and combination/rotational lifts), dance spins, step sequences (including a one-foot step sequence) and synchronised twizzles. Ice Dance prohibits jumps of more than one revolution, lifts above the partner's shoulders held as in pairs, and prolonged separations - the discipline rewards continuous, connected skating, deep edges and interpretation/timing to the music.

Spins are categorised by basic position (upright, sit, camel) plus flying entries and changes of foot/position. A spin must complete a minimum number of revolutions to be counted, and the Level (B, 1, 2, 3, 4) is earned by accumulating prescribed features (difficult variations, change of edge, eight-revolution positions, difficult flying entrance, etc.). Insufficient revolutions or a position held too briefly lowers the Level or invalidates the spin.

A step sequence demonstrates a variety of turns (three-turns, brackets, rockers, counters, loops, twizzles) and steps across the ice; the technical panel assigns a Level (B-4) by counting executed difficulty and use of the whole body and both directions. A Choreographic Sequence in the Free Skating/Dance has a fixed base value and is graded only by GOE (rewarding originality, flow and connection to the music). Both must be skated with clean edges and control.

A fall (loss of control where the skater's body weight rests on a part other than the blade, e.g. hand(s)/knee/hip/back) carries a deduction from the segment total:

• -1.0 point per fall for the 1st and 2nd falls;
• -2.0 points each for the 3rd and 4th falls;
• and increasing thereafter (per the season's deduction table). The fall deduction is separate from the negative GOE already applied to the fallen element. A dangerous fall in pairs/dance can also affect the element's value.

Common rule deductions include:

• Time violation: -1.0 point for every 5 seconds in excess of, or short of, the permitted program time (within the +/- 10s window no penalty).
• Music violation: skating to music that does not meet the requirement, or starting late, costs a deduction.
• Costume/prop violation: a costume or decoration falling on the ice, or clothing not meeting requirements, costs -1.0 point (on a Referee + majority-of-judges decision).
• Interruption: stopping/restarting the program incurs an interruption deduction scaled by the delay length.

Performing an illegal element/movement (e.g. a back/overhead jerk in dance, a forbidden lift position, a somersault) earns no value AND a deduction (typically -2.0 points per illegal element). Extra elements beyond the allowed number receive no value. The technical panel identifies and the Referee confirms these violations. Some pair/dance lifts exceeding the permitted duration are also penalised. All deductions are applied after TES and PCS are summed.

The Technical Panel identifies what was performed. It has three members from different ISU members:

• Technical Controller (TC): leads the panel, confirms or corrects calls and assigns final Levels.
• Technical Specialist (TS): calls each element in real time.
• Assistant Technical Specialist (ATS): supports the calls. The panel uses instant slow-motion replay to verify rotations, take-off edges, Levels and under-rotations, deciding by majority. Element identifications are independent of the judges' quality marks.

The Judging Panel evaluates how well each element and the program are performed, awarding GOE per element and the three Program Components. Major ISU events use nine (9) judges (minimum often five). To compute the panel value, the single highest and single lowest marks are discarded and the remainder averaged (trimmed mean), rounded to two decimals. Judges mark independently and anonymously on touchscreens; judges from the same federation as a competitor judge under conflict-of-interest rules.

The Referee has overall authority over the event, applies the program/rule deductions (falls, time, costume, music), can call for a review, and may correct obvious errors. After each skater, the system can perform an after-event review of flagged elements (video/audio) before scores are finalised. The full judges' protocol - every element's base value, GOE, Levels and each judge's marks (anonymised) - is published, making the scoring transparent and auditable.

An ISU figure skating rink should where possible measure 60 m x 30 m (length x width) and must not be smaller than 56 m x 26 m. The surface is freshly resurfaced ('flooded') between warm-up groups for consistent ice. There are no goals, nets or markings as in team sports - the whole sheet is the performance area, and skaters are expected to use its full surface in step sequences and program coverage.

Skaters wear figure skates with a toe pick at the front of the blade (essential for toe-assisted jumps). Costumes must be modest, not give the effect of nudity, and suit an athletic competition; excessive decoration that may fall on the ice is penalised. Music may include lyrics/vocals (permitted since 2014). The competitor's name, music and program content must be submitted in advance via the Planned Program Content (PPC) sheet so the technical panel can verify intended elements.

For ISU Championships and senior international events a skater must reach the minimum Senior age of 17 before 1 July preceding the season (for 2025/26, born before 1 July 2008). The Junior age range is generally at least 13 and under 19 before that date (under 21 for male Pair Skaters and Ice Dancers). The senior minimum was raised in stages to 17 by the 2024/25 season (ISU Congress 2022) to protect athlete welfare. Skaters must represent an ISU Member federation and meet eligibility/anti-doping requirements.

Final standings rank skaters by Total Competition Score (Short + Free, or Rhythm + Free). If two skaters tie on total points, the higher score in the Free Skating / Free Dance breaks the tie. The published protocol lets anyone reconstruct the result element by element. A skater who withdraws is removed from the standings; one who does not start (DNS) a segment is ranked behind those who completed both segments.

Key context for the current and next cycle:

• The 2024 ISU Congress approved 34 Special Regulations changes; most technical changes were deferred to after the Olympic season, so the 2025/26 (Olympic) season runs on the 2024 Technical Rules plus that season's Communications.
• GOE / levels / Scale of Values are refreshed each season by Communications (e.g. 2701/2707 for Single & Pair, 2704/2705 for Ice Dance for 2025/26).
• From 1 June 2026 the 2026/27 changes take effect (ISU Communication 2788), tightening positive-GOE caps when a visible error occurs and refining judging criteria - applicable only after Milano Cortina 2026.