why are flips banned in figure skating

Figure skating doesn’t ban “flips” in general, but specific acrobatic flips like the backflip were historically banned in competition for two main reasons: safety risk and rule/technique issues.

Quick Scoop: Why (Back)flips Were Banned

• The International Skating Union (ISU) banned the backflip in 1977 after it was performed at the 1976 Olympics.

• Official reasons:
  • It was considered too dangerous because a failed flip can lead to head and neck injuries, including paralysis.

* It violated a core principle of figure skating jumps: landing cleanly on **one** foot; most backflips land on two feet or in a way judges considered non‑classical.

• For decades, doing a backflip in competition meant an automatic deduction and the move was listed as an “illegal element/movement.”

So when people ask “why are flips banned in figure skating,” they almost always mean “why were backflips banned?”

Safety First: The Big Reason

The backflip is spectacular but unforgiving if it goes wrong.

• During the flip, the skater’s head passes very close to the ice; a small error can send them straight down onto the head or neck.

• Reports and coaching lore mention amateur skaters who suffered severe spinal or neck injuries, including paralysis, while trying the move in practice.

• Because those injuries can be life‑altering and the backflip doesn’t add scoring value like a quad jump, officials saw it as “high risk, low reward.”

From a regulator’s perspective, it was easier to ban the move outright than to wait for a catastrophic injury to force a rule change.

Rules & “Purity” of the Sport

There’s also a philosophical side: what figure skating should look like.

• Traditional jumps (axel, lutz, flip, loop, etc.) all take off and land on one blade, with very specific edges and body positions.

• The backflip:
  • Often takes off from two feet.
  • Typically lands on two feet, or in a way that doesn’t match standard jump mechanics.

• Some judges and officials argued that acrobatic flips made the sport look more like a circus or gymnastics routine than classical figure skating.

So the ban was also about protecting the aesthetic and technical identity of the sport, not just safety.

But Skaters Never Really Stopped

Even while banned, backflips stayed culturally important.

• Terry Kubicka’s backflip at the 1976 Olympics is still a famous “rule‑breaking” moment that directly preceded the ban.

• Surya Bonaly famously did a backflip at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, landing it on one foot as an act of defiance and self‑expression, knowing she’d be penalized.

• Skaters kept using backflips in exhibitions and shows, where competition rules don’t apply.

This turned the backflip into a kind of symbol of rebellion and showmanship in figure skating culture.

What’s the Latest News?

In the mid‑2020s, the status of the backflip shifted: after nearly fifty years on the banned list, the ISU moved to legalize it again under specific conditions.

• The ISU’s formal explanation was brief: the backflip is “very spectacular” and it was “no longer logical” to keep it among the illegal movements.

• The move can now be performed in competition, but it does not give extra base value like a new high‑scoring jump; it’s more of a choreographic showpiece.

• High‑profile skaters incorporating it have reignited debate about whether it belongs in competitive programs or only in exhibitions.

So historically, flips like the backflip were banned because they were seen as too dangerous and not in line with one‑foot landing rules and classical technique—but recent rule changes have started to bring them back in a controlled, low‑reward way.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.