Figure skating at the Olympic Games

Figure skating has been a thrilling part of the Olympic Games for over a century. It was first introduced at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, England and has been a staple of the Winter Olympic Games since 1924. Skaters compete in exciting disciplines such as men's singles, women's singles and pair skating, where athletes perform graceful spins, jumps, and elegant moves on ice. Over time, new events have been added, including ice dance in 1976 and a team event that began at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The sport became even more popular when the Winter Games started being televised, beginning with the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. This allowed people all over the world to watch the amazing skills of the skaters. In 2004, a new way of scoring called the ISU Judging System was introduced after some problems with judging in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Figure skating at the Olympics is governed by the International Skating Union (ISU), which works with the International Olympic Committee. They make sure that all skaters follow the rules and that the best athletes have the chance to compete. In 2022, during the Beijing Winter Games, changes were made to ensure fair competition by raising the age limit for participants.

History

Figure skating was first an Olympic sport at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, England. The events included men, ladies, pair skating, and special figures. It happened because of the work of the British figure skating community and having indoor ice in England. The games were planned to be in Rome, but after a big eruption made it impossible, England offered to host instead.

Since 1924, figure skating has been part of the Winter Olympic Games. The 1924 Paris Olympic Games were the first to split Summer and Winter Games, held at Chamonix in France. Over the years, new events like ice dance joined in 1976. Today, figure skating remains a favorite part of the Winter Olympics.

Qualifying

There are five figure skating events at the Winter Olympics: men's single skating, women's single skating, pair skating, ice dance, and the team event. Athletes are chosen to represent their countries by their National Olympic Committees, which select skaters based on their performance and compliance with Olympic rules.

For the 2026 Winter Games, there will be 24 spots for both men's and women's singles, 16 for pairs, and 19 for ice dance. Countries with skaters who have earned enough points can enter two or three skaters in each event. Other spots are filled based on results from international competitions the year before the Olympics. Skaters must have certain scores from recognized competitions to qualify. The host country can also enter one skater per event if they meet the score requirements.

Judging

In figure skating, each move like jumps and spins has a set point value. Judges give scores from -5 to 5 for how well each move is done. These scores are averaged to give a final point for each move. All the move points are added up for a total.

Judges also score how the skater moves, presents themselves, and puts together their program. These scores are added to the move points, and any small mistakes are taken away to find the final score.

Events

Figure skating first appeared at the Olympic Games during the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, England. Since 1924, it has been a part of the Winter Olympic Games. The main events include men's singles, women's singles, and pair skating, all of which have been part of the Olympics since 1908.

Participating nations

The number in each box shows how many figure skaters each country sent to the Olympic Games. Figure skating started at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, England, and has been a part of the Winter Olympic Games since 1924. The main events include men's singles, women's singles, and pair skating, which have all been part of the Olympics since 1908.

Overall medal table

Main article: List of Olympic medalists in figure skating

Figure skating has been part of the Olympic Games since 1908. The sport has taken place at both the Summer and Winter Olympics, with men's singles, women's singles, and pair skating being the main events since the beginning. The table shows the total medals won by countries in figure skating up to the 2026 Winter Olympics.