Penalties, yellow cards and red cards
ISU · 2026A penalty disqualifies the skater or relay team from that race and prevents progress to the next round of that distance. A yellow card covers unsafe, unsporting or harmful conduct and certain repeated infringements within a race; previous results on the affected distance are forfeited. Other distances are not automatically lost.
The rule
A penalty disqualifies the skater or relay team from that race and prevents progress to the next round of that distance. A yellow card covers unsafe, unsporting or harmful conduct and certain repeated infringements within a race; previous results on the affected distance are forfeited. Other distances are not automatically lost.
In practice
A red card applies to dangerous or grossly negligent conduct and other specified serious offences, including repeated yellow cards within the event. The skater cannot continue in any remaining race at that event. Completed finals on other individual distances remain unaffected. Officials announce the sanction; it is not simply a time added to the result.
Sources & approach ↗