Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics
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The figure skating events at the 2010 Winter Olympics took place from 14 to 27 February at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Evan Lysacek of the United States won the men's event; Yuna Kim of South Korea won the women's event; Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China won the pairs' event; and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada won the ice dance event. In addition to her gold medal, Kim set new world records in the women's short program, free skating, and overall total score. Likewise, Shen and Zhao set new world records in the pairs' short program and overall total. Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia drew criticism for their use of Australian Aboriginal music and costume in the ice dance event, which many found offensive.
| Figure skating at the XXI Olympic Winter Games | |
|---|---|
| |
| Venue | Pacific Coliseum Vancouver, Canada |
| Dates | 14–27 February 2010 |
| No. of events | 4 |
| Competitors | 146 (73 men, 73 women) from 31 nations |
Qualification
A total of 148 quota spots were available to athletes to compete in figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics. The results of the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships determined 83 total spots: 24 entries each in men's and women's singles, 16 in pair skating, and 19 in ice dance.[2] The remaining quota spots were allocated based on the results of the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy.[3][4]
| Nations | Men's singles | Women's singles | Pairs | Ice dance | Total skaters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Austria |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
 Belgium |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
 Canada |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
 China |
0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
 Czech Republic |
2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
 Estonia |
0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
 Finland |
1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
 France |
2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
 Georgia |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
 Germany |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
 Great Britain |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
 Hungary |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
 Israel |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Italy |
2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
 Japan |
3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
 Kazakhstan |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
 North Korea |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Poland |
1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
 Romania |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Russia |
2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
 Slovenia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
 Slovakia |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 South Korea |
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
 Spain |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
 Sweden |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Switzerland |
1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
 Turkey |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Ukraine |
1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
 United States |
3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 15 |
 Uzbekistan |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total: 32 NOCs | 30 | 30 | 20 teams | 23 teams | 146 |
Competition schedule
A total of four figure skating events were contested: men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. All events were held from 14 to 27 February at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada.[1][5] All times are in local time (UTC-8).
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 14 February | 16:30 | Pairs' short program |
| 15 February | 17:00 | Pairs' free skating |
| 16 February | 16:15 | Men's short program |
| 18 February | 17:00 | Men's free skating |
| 19 February | 16:45 | Compulsory dance |
| 21 February | 16:15 | Original dance |
| 22 February | 16:45 | Free dance |
| 23 February | 16:30 | Women's short program |
| 25 February | 17:00 | Women's free skating |
| 27 February | 16:30 | Exhibition gala |
Entries
Medal summary
Evan Lysacek of the United States (men's singles); Yuna Kim of South Korea (women's singles); Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China (pair skating);
and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada (ice dance)
Medalists
Yuna Kim became the first skater from South Korea to win an Olympic medal in figure skating, and the first athlete from South Korea to win any medal at the Winter Olympics outside of speed skating.[37] Daisuke Takahashi became the first skater from Japan to win an Olympic medal in the men's individual event.[38] Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo won the first ever gold medal in figure skating for China, and also ended the streak of Russian and Soviet Olympic victories in pair skating that stretched back to 1960.[39] Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir became the first team from Canada (as well as all of North America) to win gold in the ice dance event.[40]
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| United States | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 | Canada | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | South Korea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Japan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Russia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 7 | Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (7 entries) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 | |
Records
The following new record high scores were set during this competition.
Controversy
Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia provoked some controversy with their original dance – set to Australian Aboriginal music – and their costume design, which many found garish.[45][46] The theme of the original dance was folk or country, and while it was recommended that couples should use traditional folk or country music and dance styles native to their own nations, this was not a requirement.[47] Domnina and Shabalin's routine was set to what they described as Australian Aboriginal music, complete with heavy drums, a didgeridoo, and vocal chanting; and their costumes consisted of dark flesh-toned bodysuits with red loincloths, decorated with white markings and faux green leaves, as well as face paint.[45] Bev Manton, chairwoman of the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council, found their depiction of Aboriginal culture offensive, although she did not believe that was their intention.[46]
Upon hearing that Domnina and Shabalin intended to perform the same routine at the 2014 Winter Olympics, representatives of the First Nations, in whose traditional land the 2014 Winter Olympics were being held, offered to meet with them.[48] They recommended that Domnina and Shabalin contact Aboriginals in Australia for feedback before coming to the Olympics.[49] Ultimately, Domnina and Shabalin's costumes were slightly modified for the Olympics; Shabalin's bodysuit was a lighter color tan, and neither he nor Domnina wore any face paint.[50]
