2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea to Prohibit Reggae, Hip-Hop in Figure Skating Events

Figure skaters and ice dancers planning to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will not be able to use hip-hop or reggae music in their performances, and they have been told to minimize the use of sheer materials in their costumes. Wearing “sheer” materials will be a costume deduction, said Sahwn Rettstatt, of the International Skating Union (ISU) technical committee. Costumes must be “appropriate” for an athletic  “ladies” competition, he said, with the torso being covered “appropriately.” Dancers will still be allowed to use Latin American rhythms like rhumba, samba, mambo, salsa and meringue. All types of reggae are disallowed, said Halina Gordon-Poltorak, ice dance technical committee chair, and hip-hop is not allowed; if a dancer uses hip-hop, it will be trigger a deduction.