In December 2025, ISU unveiled a groundbreaking new format called Synchro 9. It is a new competitive category designed to make the sport more accessible, broadcast-friendly, and commercially viable.

The radically new format departs from the traditional synchronized skating in a few ways:

• Nine-Skater Teams instead of typically 16 skaters on the ice. It reduces the financial and logistical barriers for clubs and teams. Making them easier to form and maintain the teams.
• Head-to-Head "Battles" features a knockout-style structure which teams compete directly against one another to increase the suspense.
• Themed Rounds competitions will be organized into rounds of common themes allowing teams to compare directly to each others.
• New and Simplified Judging is a rebooted judging system designed to be intuitive for general audiences and television viewers.

The new Synchro 9 is widely viewed as a strategic move to secure synchronized skating a permanent spot in the Olympic Games. The Synchro 9 format will appear as the first-ever Olympic-sanctioned event in the 2028 Youth Olympics at Dolomiti Valtellina of Italy. The ISU also explicitly stated that Synchro 9 is the primary vehicle and pathway towards the main Winter Olympics.

The demonstrations of Synchro 9 will appear at the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships in March 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic and the World Synchronized Skating Championships in Salzburg, Austria. We look forward to seeing the new Synchro 9 format.

#synchro #youth_olympics #synchro9

2025-12-30 by Stephanie Sze