Despite being the most technically advanced skater in the world, Mao Shimada has been excluded from the Milan Winter Olympics due to ISU age restrictions.
This essay exposes the structural parallels with Mao Asada’s exclusion, examines the composition of the ISU Council, and argues—through historical examples such as Jascha Heifetz—that imposing age limits on artistic and athletic genius is a grave and enduring mistake.
Mao Shimada, widely regarded as possessing the highest level of technical ability in the world today, has been prevented from competing in the Milan Olympics due to a formally applied age restriction.
This situation closely mirrors the earlier case of Mao Asada and once again brings into focus structural issues within the International Skating Union (ISU), particularly regarding how its governance framework affects competitive outcomes involving Japanese athletes.
Through historical comparison and concrete precedent, this essay critically examines the consequences of imposing rigid age ceilings on artistic and athletic excellence.

2025-11-04
Seventeen-year-old Ami Nakai won the opening event of the Grand Prix series, marking her first step toward qualification for the Milan Olympics.
At the same time, Mao Shimada—despite being widely recognized as the strongest skater in the world at present—remains ineligible due to the application of the “under 17” age rule.
Recently, sports coverage reported that at the first event of the women’s figure skating Grand Prix series, which also serves as a qualifying competition for the upcoming Milan Winter Olympics, seventeen-year-old Ami Nakai successfully landed a triple Axel and secured victory over Sakamoto.
As long-time observers are aware, I have followed women’s figure skating for many years.
I still vividly recall the Nagano Olympics, where fifteen-year-old Tara Lipinski dramatically defeated the overwhelming favorite Michelle Kwan to claim gold.
That memory remains particularly clear.

Some time after the Ritz-Carlton opened in Kapalua on the island of Maui, Hawaii, I was sitting with a friend on a balcony overlooking the pool and the ocean when I sensed an intense gaze from behind.
Turning around, I found Michelle Kwan—accompanied by young American men—looking in my direction with striking intensity.
It was one of the most passionate expressions I have ever experienced, an episode that left a lasting impression.

Returning to the present discussion.
Ami Nakai went on to compete in the Canada event, where a top-three finish would secure her participation in the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya.
The competition was not broadcast on terrestrial television, satellite channels, or standard streaming platforms, and was available only via paid distribution.
Despite difficulties in both the short program and free skate, she placed third, qualifying for the Final and moving closer to Olympic selection.
Mone Chiba won the event with flawless performances in both segments, likewise advancing her prospects.

At that point, a fundamental question arose.
The strongest skater in the world at present is overwhelmingly Mao Shimada.
She is currently the only athlete capable of executing both the triple Axel and quadruple jumps with consistency at the highest level.
For this reason, I have often referred to her as the “Hibari Misora of figure skating,” in reference to a prodigy whose brilliance was evident from early childhood.
Logically, her inclusion would create four candidates for selection, meaning that one athlete would be excluded.
Given that Mao Shimada has already reached senior eligibility, her absence from Grand Prix events raises serious concerns.

A similar situation occurred when Mao Asada, then clearly the world’s top skater, was unable to compete in the Winter Olympics in Italy due to age restrictions.
At that time, the president of the ISU stated publicly that consideration might have been given had a formal request been submitted by Japan, but no such request was made.
This episode remains well known among informed observers.

In the current case, structural factors again warrant scrutiny.
As of June 2025, the publicly confirmed leadership and committees of the ISU include the following.

ISU Council
President: Kim Jae-youl
First Vice President (Speed Skating): Tron Espeli
Second Vice President (Figure Skating): Benoît Lavoie

Council Members include representatives from multiple countries across both speed skating and figure skating disciplines, with only one Japanese member, an individual largely unknown to the Japanese public.
When examining past decisions that have resulted in outcomes unfavorable to Japan, there appears to be limited evidence of strong institutional advocacy for Japanese interests within the existing governance structure.

During Mao Asada’s era, South Korea had Kim Yuna, a dominant competitor.
At present, while no skater of identical stature exists, multiple athletes with medal potential are active.
As previously argued, sustained international narratives and institutional dynamics have at times functioned to place Japan at a structural disadvantage within global sporting frameworks.
The present case further reinforces that interpretation.

Mao Shimada, now seventeen years old, is unable to compete in the Milan Olympics.
Why is this the case?

Regarding age regulations.
The International Skating Union has decided to raise the minimum age for senior-level competitions, including the Olympics, World Championships, and Grand Prix events.
From the 2024–25 season onward, eligibility requires athletes to be at least seventeen years old as of July 1.
For the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan–Cortina, qualification materials specify that athletes must have been born on or before July 1, 2008.
Mao Shimada was born on October 30, 2008.

The question that must be asked is why Japan continues to accept such outcomes without substantial challenge.

Members of the ISU Council should reflect seriously on historical precedent.

At a Berlin concert, Fritz Kreisler, who happened to be present alongside Efrem Zimbalist, heard the thirteen-year-old Jascha Heifetz perform and famously remarked that both of them might as well break their violins, describing Heifetz as a genius who turned the ultimate destination of others into his starting line.
Itzhak Perlman later observed that violinists of Heifetz’s era struggled profoundly under the weight of his extraordinary talent, often suffering from what he termed “Heifetz disease,” a deep sense of inferiority born of comparison.

Imposing rigid age ceilings on artistic and athletic excellence risks ignoring precisely this historical reality.