⛸️ This Week's Figure Skating News Roundup! - 2026.05.24 | Figure Skating

Hello, figure skating fans! ⛸️ This week is packed with news as hot and surprising as the ice itself. Take a deep breath, and let's dive into this week's highlights together!

📏 ISU Judging Criteria Change, Artistry UP!

The ISU figure skating judging criteria will completely change starting next season! The focus will shift towards the completeness and artistry of the program rather than pushing for overly difficult jumps ^[1]. Deductions for jump mistakes will increase, and a new 'windmill' move has been added as a requirement for the highest level in spins. Also, a choreographic spin that emphasizes expression over technical difficulty will be introduced ^[1]. This seems like it will be advantageous for our Korean skaters who excel in program composition and expression, so I'm already super excited!

👩‍❤️‍👨 Shoma Uno & Marin Honda, A Surprise Return to Ice Dance!

Truly shocking news! The retired Shoma Uno and Marin Honda have formed an ice dance team and are returning to the ice ^[2]. Their goal is to compete in the 2030 French Alps Winter Olympics! ^[3]. They've been secretly practicing ice dance with the Olympics in mind since October 2024 ^[2]. I fully support the new challenge of the top-tier single skater Shoma Uno and the return of Marin Honda!

💃 Lee Haein Prepares for the New Season with World-Renowned Choreographer Richaud

Lee Haein, who showed a wonderful performance at the Milano Olympics in February, flew to the US without a break to complete her new season's short program ^[4]. This time, she collaborated for the first time with Benoit Richaud, the top choreographer in the figure skating world who choreographed for many skaters at the Milano Olympics ^[5]. The background music is 'Circles', and it's said to be packed with the big, refreshing step sequences that Haein loves as the highlight, making me so eager for her performances next season! ^[4].

🧠 'Olympic Gold' Nathan Chen Accepted into Harvard Medical School!

Huge news that the 'Quad King' Nathan Chen has been accepted into Harvard Medical School ^[6]. Isn't it amazing that a Beijing Olympic gold medalist is also top-class in academics? He even worked as a medical engineering research assistant in a lab at Johns Hopkins University until recently ^[8]. It's so cool to see him continuing to take on challenges in a new field beyond the ice!

🌟 Cha Junhwan Expands His Spectrum as an Entertainer!

Our figure skating prince Cha Junhwan has signed an exclusive contract with Fantagio and released new profile photos showing his colorful charm ^[7]. He plans to be active not only in his main job, figure skating, but also in various fields like broadcasting in the future. He recently appeared on the entertainment show 'You Quiz on the Block' and shared his positive mindset on how to deal with jump failures ^[9], proving his mentality is also world-class!

That's all for this week's news! I'll be back next week with more thrilling and fun figure skating news. Have a happy skating life, everyone! ❄️