Two young women are set to become Finland's first same-sex ice dancing team after a landmark rule change by the country's skating federation, paving the way for greater inclusivity in the sport.
Emma Aalto, 19, of Finland and 20-year-old Millie Colling of England will compete together in Finnish domestic competitions following a revision to the federation's rules, which now refer to ice dancers as "Skater A" and "Skater B" instead of "man" and "woman." The change was made earlier this year after the duo submitted a request to compete together.
"Now we are allowed to compete in domestic events in Finland," Colling said. "We're the first and only junior-level team to do that."
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