Millie Colling and Emma Aalto, two professional ice dancers, will become the first same -sex team to participate in large competitions. The two athletes received the green wave from the Finland skating federation to compete, together, in the qualifications for the national championships scheduled this year.
Emma Aalto and Millie Colling participate together in the Finland competitions/kirkkojakauunki.fi
Therefore, the two young people, aged 20 and 19, have managed to produce a historical modification in the Final Skill regulation.
Millie Colling, born in England, but also Emma Alto, of Finnish origin, insisted on changing the rule that did not allow, initially, that a same sex couple participated in official competitions.
Susted unconditionally by their coach, Neil Brown, they convinced the federation to accept the idea that the dance partners should not be defined. In this context, the officials decided that the dance part of the official competitions should be identified as a skater and skater, instead of a man and woman.
“If you are part of a non-traditional team, it does not mean that you are homosexual!”
Millie Colling believes that there was “a common misconception” on the teams made up of same -sex participants. The British sportswoman wants to destroy the idea that same -sex participants are automatically homosexuals.
“There are many homosexual athletes and we truly admire them. But it is not true that, in order to be part of a non-traditional team, you have to be homosexual.
One of us leads, the other follows, one raises, the other is high. We have a rather similar body mass, so technically, there are some differences, but we still do the same! ”Millie Colling also admitted, according to The Guardian.
“We want to offer possibilities to everyone!”
Emma Aalto also supports diversity and inclusion in sports, with ice dance becoming an eloquent example of how artistic expression and athletic performance can overcome conventional barriers.
“The idea is to offer possibilities to everyone, not just homosexual people. The ice dance with a same -sex partner was not necessarily different. Each partnership is different.
Each couple has its own strengths and weaknesses, and their programs are built around these strengths and weaknesses. Ice dance is a really individual sport, each couple is unique, and we are just another unique couple! ”said Emma Aalto, according to the same source.
Disappointment on the last hundred meters
Even if they received the green wave from the federation, for the two it will not be possible to participate in the national competition in December, as it requires additional changes that are difficult to achieve in a short time.
“The federation said that we cannot do this yet, but we keep the fists for the future. We do not expect to win, but we are excited to win. When we are on ice, we are no longer our normal versions. On the ice you can be whatever you want!”Millie Colling concluded.
The two athletes were inspired by the act of the former Olympic dancers, Madison Hubbell, who joined Gabriele Papadakis, an Olympic champion at Beijing 2022, and Guillaume Cizeron, in a gala dedicated to the promotion of the same-sex partnerships, in the artistic skating.
