International Skating Union (ISU) President Jae Youl Kim has attended the Opening Ceremony of the XX Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, showing support for sport across the continent and engaging in productive exchanges with a broad cross-section of sporting stakeholders.

Among the key components of ISU Vision 2030 is to enhance collaboration with internal and external stakeholders including knowledge-sharing with other International Federations to advance common goals and meet mutual challenges. As well as meeting with several IOC Members and National Olympic Committee (NOC) representatives, President Kim met IOC President Kirsty Coventry and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, with a key ISU objective being the continued fostering of strong collaboration with the IOC, extending beyond the Olympic Winter Games.

The visit also provided an opportunity to engage with leaders from across Asia, reflecting President Kim’s continued efforts to strengthen the ISU’s relationships throughout the region. These exchanges support the ISU’s broader ambition to deepen its engagement in Asia, foster new opportunities for cooperation, and contribute to the continued growth and development of skating across the continent.

The XX Asian Games is among the biggest events in the continent’s sporting calendar, boasting more than 11,000 athletes representing 46 nations. The event runs until October 4.

The visit came at a significant time for skating in Japan with the re-election of Seiko Hashimoto as the President of the Japanese Skating Federation.

ISU President Jae Youl Kim said: “I would like to congratulate Seiko Hashimoto, who has brought so much to skating in Japan and beyond the borders of this country with her dedication to sport on the ice and also since being elected as the first female leader of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC). I would like to wish her every success for her latest mandate and everyone at the ISU looks forward to our collaboration with a view to delivering the greatest possible value to everyone involved in skating in Japan.”