Section 4: Players & Officials
4.1 Competitors
- Singles: One individual skater per entry.
- Pairs: One man and one woman skating together. Both partners must be from the same ISU member federation (nation).
- Ice Dance: One man and one woman. Same nationality requirement as pairs.
- Team Event: Each nation may enter one team comprising up to five entries (Men's Singles, Women's Singles, Pairs, Ice Dance, with flexibility on the fifth entry). Points are accumulated based on placement in each segment.
4.2 Age Eligibility
Skaters must reach the age of 17 before July 1 of the preceding year to compete at the Olympic Games and ISU Senior Championships (rule updated for the 2024–2025 season, raised from 15). Junior competitors must be at least 13 and under 19. Age is verified by passport.
4.3 Technical Panel
The Technical Panel identifies and confirms every technical element performed. It consists of:
- Technical Specialist (TS): Calls each element in real time (jump type, number of revolutions, spin level, etc.).
- Assistant Technical Specialist (ATS): Independently verifies element calls and may challenge the TS call through a review process.
- Technical Controller (TC): Oversees the panel, resolves disagreements between TS and ATS, and has final authority on element identification. May initiate video review.
- Data Operator & Replay Operator: Enter element calls and provide instant video replay to the Technical Panel for review.
4.4 Judging Panel
A panel of nine judges scores each performance. Judges are selected from different ISU member federations to ensure international representation. For the final score calculation, the highest and lowest marks for each element and component are discarded, and the remaining seven scores are averaged (trimmed mean). Judges are anonymized — individual scores are published but not attributed to specific judges at ISU Championships. Judge assignments are determined by random draw.
4.5 Other Officials
- Referee: Oversees the entire competition, applies deductions for falls, time violations, and costume infractions. Has authority to stop a program in case of emergency.
- Event Controller: Manages the overall organization and logistics of the competition.
- Ice Marshal: Monitors warm-up sessions for safety.