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- Figure skating at the 2026 Olympics in Italy: competition program and alignment of forces
Figure skating at the 2026 Olympics in Italy: competition program and alignment of forces
Figure skating will be one of the key disciplines of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The tournament in Milan will be held according to the updated ISU rules and will bring together the strongest singles, pairs and dance duets. Special attention is focused on the fight for medals and the performances of Russian figure skaters who will take part in the competition in a neutral status. For more information, see the Izvestia article.
Where and when will the figure skating tournament at the 2026 Olympics be held
Figure skating competitions at the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Milan. The tournament will be hosted by the Milano Ice Skating Arena (Milano Ice Park), built specifically for the Games. The competitions are scheduled for the period from February 6 to February 19 and will become part of the overall program of the Olympiad, which will officially take place from February 6 to February 22, 2026.
As part of the Olympic tournament, five sets of awards will be awarded: in men's and women's single skating, pair skating, ice dancing, as well as in the team tournament. About 140-150 athletes from about 35 countries are expected to participate.
The competition format and judging system will comply with the current rules of the International Skating Union (ISU), with an emphasis on balancing technical complexity and program components. The figure skating tournament is traditionally considered one of the key and most spectacular events of the Winter Olympic Games.
Figure skating schedule at the 2026 Olympics
Figure skating competitions at the 2026 Winter Olympics will start on February 6 with a team tournament. On the first day of the competition, a rhythm dance in ice dancing is planned, as well as short programs for sports couples and women.
On February 7, men with a short program will take to the ice as part of the team competition, after which a free dance will be played. The team tournament will end on February 8 with free programs for pairs, women and men.
The individual part of the Olympic tournament will be held from February 9th to 19th. During this period, there will be a rhythm dance in ice dancing, a short program for men, as well as a free dance. On February 13, medals in men's single skating will be awarded based on the results of the free program.
The sports pairs competitions are scheduled for February 15 and 16, when the short and free programs will be held. The final point of the individual tournament will be the women's free skate, which will be held on February 19 and will determine the last champion of the 2026 Olympics in figure skating.
A detailed schedule with the exact start time will be published closer to the start of the Games on the official resources of the Olympiad.
Disciplines and what to expect from the programs at the 2026 Olympics
The figure skating program at the Olympic Games includes single competitions among men and women, in which athletes present short and free programs.
In pair skating, medals are awarded based on the sum of the results of the short and free programs, which include elements of supports, ejections and synchronized jumps. In ice dancing, participants perform in rhythm dance and free dance, where choreography, musicality and partner interaction are of key importance.
A separate type of program is the team tournament, which takes into account the results of representatives of one country in all four disciplines of figure skating. Athletes' performances traditionally combine high technical difficulty — triple and quadruple jumps for singles, as well as support and dropouts for sports pairs — with artistic performance, interpretation of musical accompaniment and thoughtful choreography.
By what rules will the rentals be judged?
Judging at the Olympic figure skating tournament is carried out according to the current ISU Judging System, adopted by the International Skating Union.
The final score consists of two main components: the technical part, which includes points for completed jumps, rotations and step tracks, and the scores for the program components, reflecting the interpretation of music, choreography and the overall quality of performance.
For mistakes, short turns and falls, athletes receive fines that reduce the final result. The final amount is formed based on the results of short and free programs or dances. The judging Rules and element requirements are reviewed and updated by the ISU on an annual basis.
Who are the favorites of the tournament and which schools set the tone?
The Russian figure skating school, despite the restrictions and the neutral status of individual athletes, continues to be perceived as one of the most powerful and influential in the world. In women's single skating, Russians are traditionally associated with the maximum technical complexity of the programs, a high percentage of ultra-si elements and fierce internal competition, which has raised the overall level of the sport over the years.
In men's skating, Russian athletes rely on a combination of quadruple jumps, physical endurance and content density in free programs. In pair skating and ice dancing, the Russian school is known for its attention to detail, complex choreography, musical drama, and a well-structured duet training system.
Even with limited representation at the 2026 Olympics, neutral athletes from Russia remain potential contenders for high places and are able to significantly influence the distribution of medals in their disciplines.
In men's and women's single skating, representatives of Japan, the USA and South Korea are also traditionally considered among the main favorites, where they rely on the stability of the quadruple jumps, high speed and purity of execution.
The Japanese school stands out for its sophisticated technical content and well—balanced choreography, while the American school stands out for its versatility and ability to score high points for program components. The Canadian and Chinese national teams maintain their strong positions in pair skating, where the emphasis is on powerful supports, synchronicity and complex emissions.
In ice dancing, the leading roles are held by duets from France, the USA and Canada, which set the fashion for modern musical solutions, complex plasticity and dramaturgy of programs.
The chances of Russian athletes and participation in a neutral status
Qualification for the Olympic Games was carried out mainly based on the results of the 2025 World Cup, as well as through the Skate to Milano qualification tournament, which was held in Beijing in September 2025. At these competitions, athletes competed for the remaining Olympic quotas.
Two figure skaters from Russia who received the status of individual neutral athletes were allowed to participate in the Games: Adelia Petrosyan in women's single skating and Peter Gumennik in men's. The decisions were made within the framework of the current procedure for admitting Russian and Belarusian athletes without national symbols after appropriate verification by international sports structures.
The main intrigues of figure skating at the 2026 Olympics
One of the key intrigues of the 2026 Olympics in Italy will be the figure skating team tournament, which is once again included in the program of the Games. In this format, the contribution of each participant is of particular importance, since the results of individual runs directly affect the final position of the national team.
There is also considerable interest in which programs the leading figure skaters will take to the ice in the 2025/26 Olympic season. Traditionally, it is the year of the Olympic Games that becomes the time of the prime minister — athletes and coaching staffs present the most complex and conceptual productions designed to maximize the effect in a highly competitive environment.
The audience is expected to see experiments with musical accompaniment, bolder dramatic solutions and complicated combinations of elements. At the same time, the requirements for technical performance will increase, primarily the quality of jumps, step paths and the level of cleanliness of the rolls, which will make every mistake especially significant.
Together, these factors create a high level of uncertainty and make the Olympic figure skating tournament in Italy one of the most intense and spectacular in recent years, both in terms of medal competition and the artistic level of the programs.
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