Jan Dijkema has been re-elected by acclamation to remain President of the International Skating Union ©ISU

Jan Dijkema has been re-elected by acclamation to remain President of the International Skating Union (ISU) as the organisation's biennial Congress concluded today in Seville. 

The 73-year-old Dutchman was the only contender for the top job two years after he first assumed the position by replacing the retiring Ottavio Cinquanta in Dubrovnik.

It came in a meeting at the Barcelo Renacimiento in the Spanish city at which a proposal was also made to combine the three separate speed skating World Championships.

Existing separate events for sprint, all-around and single-distance will be scrapped from 2020-2021 onward in favour of a combined event, the Congress decided.

This will avoid confusion, they hope, and lead to a better presented and publicised lone event.

The Royal Dutch Skating Federation were among those to vote against the proposal.

A proposal for a mixed four person short-track relay for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games programme was also approved.

Synchronised skating will also be proposed for consideration by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board next month.

The Congress was, for the first time, broadcast live online rather than being completely closed to the public.

The new ISU Council pose following the elections today. There has only been one change from before ©ISU
The new ISU Council pose following the elections today. There has only been one change from before ©ISU

Russia's Alexander Lakernik and Norway's Tron Espeli were also re-elected without opposition for the ISU vice-presidential positions responsible for figure and speed skating respectively. 

United States' Patricia St. Peter received the most votes for one of five Council positions representing figure skating, with 107.

She will be joined by Japan's Tatsuro Matsumura, with 105, Spain's Maria Teresa Samaranch - daughter of former IOC President Juan Antonio - with 104, Finland's Marie Lundmark, with 96, and Canada's Benoit Lavoie, with 90.

Of these, four of the five are re-elected, while sole newcomer Matsumura replaces a fellow countryman in the retiring Junko Hiramatsu.

For speed skating, all five incumbents were re-elected.

Stoycho Stoytchev of Bulgaria led the way with 109 votes while there was 106 for Sergio Anesi of Italy, 96 for former IOC Athletes' Commission member Yang Yang of China as well as for Kim Jae-youl of South Korea, and 90 for Roland Maillard of Switzerland.

Germany's Volker Waldeck will lead the Disciplinary Commission while Fabio Bianchetti of Italy, Halina Gordon-Poltorak of Poland, Philippe Maitrot of France, Nathalie Lambert of Canada and Alexander Kibalko of Russia will lead respective Commissions responsible for single and pairs skating, ice dancing, synchronised skating, short-track and speed skating.

Phuket in Thailand will host the next edition of the ISU Congress in 2020.