Backflips are (or were, until very recently) banned in figure skating mainly because the move is considered too dangerous and because it conflicts with the sport’s traditional rules about how jumps must be landed.

Why Are Backflips Banned in Ice Skating?

Quick Scoop

If you’ve ever watched an old clip of Surya Bonaly or Terry Kubicka and wondered, “Why are backflips banned in ice skating?”, the answer comes down to a mix of safety , rule philosophy, and competition logistics. The move has also become a hot topic again because figure skating bodies have started to reconsider how strictly the old ban should apply in modern programs.

The Core Reasons for the Ban

1. Safety risks for the skater

The International Skating Union (ISU) banned the backflip in 1977 after it was used at the 1976 Winter Olympics, judging it too dangerous for competition.

Key safety concerns include:

  • High risk of landing on the head or neck, with possible concussion, spinal injury, or paralysis.
  • Enormous stress on the lower back, neck, and joints because the body rotates fully backward on hard ice with no protective padding.
  • Even a small mistake in timing or edge control can lead to crashing flat onto the ice from height.

Unlike gymnasts, figure skaters perform on a thin blade on a slippery surface, with no mats or helmets, so the margin for error is tiny.

2. Violating a core rule of figure skating jumps

Backflips also clash with the “philosophy” of traditional figure skating jumps.

Historically, ISU rules have required that jumps:

  • Be landed on one skate.
  • Be landed on a controlled backward edge (e.g., a clean right back outside edge).

Backflips often land on two feet , which judges saw as breaking a fundamental aesthetic and technical principle of the sport. When the ISU banned backflips, one of the reasons cited was that they “violated one of the sport’s principles of landing on one skate.”

That’s why Surya Bonaly’s famous backflip at the 1998 Olympics was such a big deal: she landed it on one foot to show that she could fit it into the sport’s one-foot-landing ideal, even though the move was still illegal at the time.

3. Safety and fairness for other skaters (and the ice)

There are also practical competition concerns:

  • A failed backflip can gouge or chip the ice, leaving ruts or holes.
  • That damaged patch can trip or destabilize the next skater, increasing their risk of injury.
  • Fixing the ice mid-event takes time, delaying the schedule and disrupting the flow of the competition.

From an organizer’s point of view, banning high‑risk, high‑impact tricks reduces maintenance interruptions and keeps the field more predictable and fair.

4. Judging, scoring, and “circus tricks”

Judges and officials have long debated whether backflips “fit” the artistic and technical identity of figure skating.

Concerns have included:

  • Difficulty standardization: How do you compare a backflip to traditional jumps like the Axel or Lutz in base value and grade of execution?
  • “Circus” vs. skating: Some officials worried that if acrobatic flips were rewarded, programs might drift toward stunt shows instead of edge work, spins, and classical jump technique.
  • Rules clarity: Allowing skaters to leave their feet in non‑standard ways (like unsupported flips) makes it harder to distinguish legitimate elements from “falls” or errors.

Because of this, the ISU labeled backflips an “illegal element/movement,” meaning doing one in competition led to an automatic penalty or could even cause disqualification.

Penalties and Famous Examples

Historically, if a skater did a backflip in an ISU‑sanctioned competition:

  • The move was treated as an illegal element on the scoresheet.
  • The skater received a deduction (e.g., a fall-like penalty) or, in more extreme interpretations, risked disqualification.

Notable moments:

  • Terry Kubicka (1976 Winter Olympics): Successfully performed a backflip, after which the ISU moved to ban the move the following year.
  • Surya Bonaly (1998 Winter Olympics): Performed a backflip landed on one foot in protest and as a statement of ability, knowing she would be penalized.

Even after the ban, skaters continued performing backflips in ice shows and exhibitions, where rules are looser and entertainment is the focus.

Newer Developments and “Latest News” Angle

In the past couple of seasons, there has been renewed discussion about backflips in elite skating.

Recent trends include:

  • Media coverage of top skaters planning to include backflips at major events now that rules have been relaxed in certain contexts.
  • Official documents and commentary noting that backflips, while once banned outright, are being re‑evaluated, sometimes allowed under tightly controlled conditions and labeled as legal elements again in specific settings.
  • High‑profile skaters and Olympic champions (like Katarina Witt) publicly encouraging more creativity and even saying backflips are “fun” and should be welcomed when safely done.

So while the historic answer to “why are backflips banned in ice skating” is straightforward—danger and rule philosophy—the current conversation is more nuanced, with the sport trying to balance safety, tradition, and modern showmanship.

What Forums and Fans Are Saying

On forums and discussion threads, fans and skaters often split into a few camps:

  • Those who think backflips are still too risky and distracting, so the original ban made sense.
  • Those who argue that many legal jumps are also dangerous, so with proper training and regulation, backflips should be fine.
  • Those who just love them because they “look cool” and make programs more memorable and TV‑friendly.

A common nuance in forum talk is that people distinguish between competitive programs (where scoring fairness and safety are paramount) and shows or galas, where fans are more open to acrobatics.

“If everyone can suddenly flip, are we still judging skating or a circus act?” — a typical sentiment you’ll see in fan debates paraphrased from figure skating forums.

Mini FAQ

Are backflips completely illegal everywhere?
No. The historic ISU rule banned them in competition, but they remained common in exhibitions and shows, and recent rule changes and discussions have started to reopen the door in certain competitive contexts.

Can you practice a backflip at a public rink?
Technically, yes, but many rinks and coaches strongly discourage or outright forbid it because of liability and injury risk.

Did anyone ever “beat” the rule by landing it on one foot?
Yes, Surya Bonaly famously did exactly that in 1998, landing a one‑foot backflip as a statement, even though she knew it was still classified as an illegal element.

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