Jae Youl Kim remains president of the International Skating Union until 2030
South Korean sports official Jae Youl Kim has received a new four-year term at the head of the International Skating Union, the organization that governs figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating and short track at the global level. According to the official ISU announcement, the members re-elected him by acclamation on 12 June 2026 at the 60th Ordinary ISU Congress held in Tenerife, Spain, after he was the only candidate for the presidential post. This confirmed the continuity of leadership begun in 2022, when Kim first took over the presidential function and opened a period of more extensive organizational and developmental changes.
The Congress in Tenerife lasted from 10 to 12 June 2026, and according to the ISU announcement and programme, it brought together member federations, officials and representatives of the skating community from different parts of the world. Alongside the presidential election, the delegates elected vice presidents, members of the ISU Council, members of the technical committees and persons for supervisory and integrity bodies. The re-election of Jae Youl Kim was therefore not an isolated administrative act, but part of a broader renewal of the governance structure for the period from 2026 to 2030. In that period, according to the ISU, the emphasis will be on implementing the Vision 2030 strategy, strengthening the global reach of skating sports, modernizing competitions and further regulating the governance system.
Confirmation of continuity after the first term
After the confirmation of his term, Kim said that he thanked the members for their trust, engagement and support on what the ISU described as an ambitious path of change. In the official ISU announcement, it was emphasized that the president assessed that considerable progress had been achieved in previous years, but also that Vision 2030 was not conceived as an endpoint, but as a lasting obligation to strengthen the future of skating sports. According to a report by the South Korean agency Yonhap, after his re-election Kim emphasized that he was just as committed to leading the organization as he was in 2022, when he was first elected president.
The special importance of his new term stems from the fact that the ISU is in a period in which traditional winter sports are trying to retain audiences, attract new generations and adapt to changes in media consumption. According to the Vision 2030 strategy, the ISU wants to increase the number of viewers and new skaters, simplify the communication of rules, improve the television and digital presentation of competitions and open more space for the development of countries that do not have a long tradition of winter sports. Such a direction directly builds on Kim's first term, during which the ISU, according to its own assessment, launched the modernization of governance, the expansion of the digital ecosystem and changes in the presentation of events.
The Congress in Tenerife as an electoral and strategic meeting
According to the official ISU website, the 60th Ordinary Congress was conceived as a key platform for discussion on governance, development and the long-term priorities of international skating. The agenda included reports by the president and the director general, financial reviews, budget decisions, reports on legal matters, disciplinary proceedings, development activities, athletes, medical and anti-doping topics, and technical reports by discipline. The final day was reserved for elections and confirmations of governing bodies, including the president, vice presidents, Council, technical committees, audit and disciplinary bodies and the new integrity body.
Such a congress structure shows that in the coming period the ISU wants to connect sports development, financial sustainability and trust in the competition system. According to the ISU, topics such as athlete welfare, anti-doping, integrity, rules and global development were part of a broader discussion on the future of all disciplines under the federation's jurisdiction. This includes figure skating and synchronized skating, but also speed skating and short track, sports that have different competition formats, different market challenges and different levels of recognition by region.
Vision 2030 remains the central framework of the new term
The Vision 2030 strategy has been set as the main programme framework for Kim's second term. According to ISU documents, the plan is based on five pillars: growth, opportunities, innovation, safeguarding and unity. In practical terms, in this strategy the ISU lists goals such as attracting a global audience, explaining rules and decisions more clearly, increasing revenue for sustainable growth, expanding the skater base, developing athletes from a larger number of countries, modernizing the competition product and strengthening governance.
The official material on Vision 2030 also highlights the need for better presentation of competitions on television, a higher-quality experience for audiences in arenas and greater use of digital and streaming channels. The strategy also emphasizes the physical and mental well-being of athletes, zero tolerance toward doping and competition manipulation, and the inclusion of sustainability in the federation's operations. For the ISU, which governs sports strongly tied to the Olympic cycle and the international competition calendar, such goals are not only a communication framework, but also an operational task for national federations, competition organizers and technical bodies.
Kim's second term will therefore be measured not only by the number of reforms implemented, but also by whether skating sports will expand their base beyond traditionally strong markets. According to Yonhap, Kim's leadership is credited with introducing skating sports and strengthening activities in countries that are not considered traditional centers of winter sports, including Thailand, Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates. In its own materials, the ISU describes a similar direction through development programmes, new formats, strengthening media production and greater connection with audiences.
New vice presidents and the ISU Council
Alongside the president, the Congress also elected two vice presidents who will take part in leading the federation in the coming period. According to the official ISU announcement, György Elek of Hungary was elected first vice president for figure skating, while Alexander Kibalko of Russia was elected second vice president for speed skating. Their election is important because of the specific structure of the ISU, in which different disciplines are under the same international umbrella, but often have different technical, calendar and development priorities.
The delegates also elected a new ISU Council, the body responsible for supervising the implementation of Congress decisions and the further development of the organization. According to the ISU, in the figure skating branch Kristina Lundgren of the United States, Tatsuro Matsumura of Japan, Benoit Lavoie of Canada, Susan Lynch of Australia and Fabio Bianchetti of Italy were elected. In the speed skating branch, Chunlu Wang of China, Albert Hazelhoff of the Netherlands, Mona Adolfsen of Norway, Cornelis Lepoeter of Belgium and Rafal Tataruch of Poland were elected. Such a composition, according to the ISU's interpretation, brings different international experiences to a body that will have an important role in implementing the strategy until 2030.
Technical committees and an emphasis on integrity
The Congress also confirmed the technical leadership for the period from 2026 to 2030. According to the ISU, Leena Laaksonen of Finland was elected chair of the Single & Pair Skating Committee, Michela Cesaro of Italy chair of the Ice Dance Committee, Nina Bischoff of Switzerland chair of the Synchronized Skating Committee, Nick Thometz of the United States chair of the Speed Skating Committee, and Wim de Deyne of Belgium chair of the Short Track Committee. Technical committees in skating sports have a particularly important role because they participate in shaping rules, competition standards and professional guidelines that directly affect athletes, coaches, judges and organizers.
An important part of the decisions also related to integrity and supervision. According to the official announcement, Joyce Cook of Great Britain was confirmed as chair of the newly established Skating Integrity Unit Committee, together with Herman de Haan of the Netherlands and Jill Pilgrim of the United States. The ISU also stated that members of the Audit, Risk and Investment Committee and the Disciplinary Commission were elected. Such decisions fit into the broader trend of international sport, in which federations are increasingly expected to show clear accountability, transparent decision-making and more independent oversight of integrity issues.
Kim's role in the Olympic movement
Jae Youl Kim also has a broader role in the Olympic system. According to the official profile of the International Olympic Committee, he has been an IOC member since 2023, and he entered the IOC Executive Board in 2026. The same profile states that before his presidential position in the ISU he was president of the Korea Skating Union, vice president of the Korean Olympic Committee, a member of the ISU Council and executive vice president for international relations of the Organizing Committee for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
According to Yonhap, in 2022 Kim became the first non-European president of the ISU in the more than 130-year history of the organization. This fact carries symbolic weight because the ISU originated in Europe and for a long time developed in an environment in which European federations had strong institutional influence. His re-election therefore confirms a shift in the balance in international skating, in which Asia, North America and an ever wider circle of new markets have an increasingly important sporting, organizational and commercial role.
An organization with a long history and global challenges
According to official ISU data, the International Skating Union was founded in 1892 and is the oldest international federation in winter sports. The organization states that today it represents more than 100 members in almost 80 countries and that it is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. This institutional weight gives the ISU a central place in the development of winter sports, but at the same time increases its responsibility toward athletes, rules, the competition calendar and market sustainability.
The challenges faced by Kim and the new leadership will not be simple. Skating sports must preserve the credibility of the judging system, maintain audience interest between Olympic cycles, adapt to the digital habits of younger viewers and ensure conditions for the development of athletes in countries with less infrastructure. According to the ISU's strategic documents, that is precisely why development, transparency, innovation and athlete welfare have been placed at the center of Vision 2030. The new term until 2030 will be a period in which it will become clear how far these goals can be turned into measurable changes on the ice, in arenas and in the international competition system.
Sources:
- International Skating Union (ISU) – official announcement on the re-election of Jae Youl Kim, the new vice presidents, the ISU Council, technical committees and integrity bodies after the 60th Ordinary Congress in Tenerife (link)
- International Skating Union (ISU) – official information on the 60th Ordinary ISU Congress, the programme, agenda and election items held from 10 to 12 June 2026 in Tenerife (link)
- International Skating Union (ISU) – document and announcement on the Vision 2030 strategic framework, its pillars and development goals until 2030 (link)
- International Olympic Committee (IOC) – official profile of Jae Youl Kim with information on IOC membership, entry into the Executive Board and previous sports duties (link)
- Yonhap News Agency – report on Kim's re-election, his candidacy without an opposing candidate, his statement after the election and the historical context of his first election in 2022 (link)
- International Skating Union (ISU) – official description of the organization, the disciplines under its authority, its founding in 1892 and international membership (link)