British Ice Skating (BIS), which regulates official ice skating competitions in the United Kingdom, has announced that same-sex pairs will be eligible to compete in couples competitions, starting with the qualifying rounds in March 2026. The change opens the door for more diverse representation, moves away from outdated norms, and may reduce the barrier to entry for some trans and nonbinary participants.

“We are pleased to inform you of several upcoming changes for the 2026/27 season,” BIS announced. “These updates follow recent reviews across all disciplines and reflect our continued commitment to supporting skater development, performance pathways, and fair access to competition… Same-sex couples will now be permitted to compete in all events, including at the Championships.”

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The move makes the United Kingdom only the third country to allow same-sex ice dancing couples to compete in championships. Skate Canada made its nation the first in 2022, when the rules were changed to allow any two skaters, regardless of gender, to partner.

Finland followed suit earlier this year, amending its rules under pressure from Millie Colling, a British ice dancer who moved to Finland at the age of 6, and Emma Aalto, with the support of their coach. The same-sex pair say they are “best friends who wanted to skate together,” and Colling added that there’s a “common misconception” that same-sex ice dancer pairs are in a relationship.

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However, same-sex partners still face limitations in competitions. The new BIS rules allow them to compete all the way to the national level, but the International Skating Union (ISU), which governs international competition, still requires ice dancing pairs to be composed of one man and one woman.

While some smaller competitions have allowed same-sex pairing on the ice before, BIS’s move is a big step for inclusivity in national-level sports. In addition to allowing people to choose their own partners based on skill and compatibility, the change likely makes it easier for trans and nonbinary ice skaters to participate in couples competitions without concern for how their birth gender or gender identity might clash with specific rules.

There has been an increasing push from the ice skating community to repeal old-school rules. In February, Olympic gold medalists Madison Hubbell and Gabriella Papadakis left their male partners on the sidelines and performed an exhibition dance together to challenge people’s image of the sport.

“We made people see other realities,” Papadakis told The Washington Post. She said of the requirement to have a male and female partner that “the new generation just doesn’t relate to it anymore.”

Canadian Olympic skater Kaitlyn Weaver, who waited until after her retirement to come out as queer, fearing it would damage her career, helped get the rules changed in Canada and has also been pushing for broader amendments. In an interview with the Post, she criticized the insistence on requiring a man and a woman to partner, saying, “The conservative people don’t want to see two men skating together… It’s their homophobia.”

The policy changes also address a gender imbalance in the sport. As fewer men take up figure skating (owing to perceived homophobia), female skaters have been hard-pressed to find male partners. This has reportedly given too much power to one side in the sport, but allowing women to pair up has helped redress that issue.

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