Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Team event
2022 Winter Olympics event
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The figure skating team event at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held between 4 and 7 February at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. The team event consisted of competitions in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters and teams earned points based on their placements in each event, and the medalists were determined based on the total points earned. The team representing the Russian Olympic Committee originally finished in first place, while the team from the United States finished second, and the Japanese team finished third. However, when it was revealed that a sample submitted by Kamila Valieva of Russia had tested positive for a banned substance, the medal ceremony was postponed. After nearly two years of litigation, Valieva's scores were stricken and the newly tabulated results placed the American team first, the Japanese team second, and the Russian team third. The American and Japanese teams finally received their medals at a ceremony held at the Jardins du Trocadéro in Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics.
| Team event at the XXIV Olympic Winter Games | |
|---|---|
| |
| Venue | Capital Indoor Stadium Beijing, China |
| Dates | 4–7 February 2022 |
| Competitors | 66 from 10 nations |
| Teams | 10 |
| Winning score | 65 points |
| Medalists | |
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Background
The team event is the newest Olympic figure skating event and was first contested at the 2014 Winter Olympics. The event combines the four Olympic figure skating disciplines (men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance) into a single event; skaters earn points based on their placement in each discipline, and the gold medals are awarded to the team that earns the most placement points.[2] At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Canada won the team event, the team representing the Olympic Athletes from Russia finished in second place, and the United States third.[3]
In 2016, an independent report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed allegations that the Russian Olympic team had been involved in a state-sponsored doping program from at least late 2011 through February 2014, when Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi.[4][5] On 9 December 2019, the WADA banned Russia from all international competitions after it found that data provided by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency had been manipulated by Russian authorities to protect athletes involved in its doping scheme.[6] Under a ban imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December 2019, Russian athletes could not use the Russian flag or anthem in international competition and had to compete as "Neutral Athletes" or a "Neutral Team" at any world championships for the next two years.[7] On 19 February 2021, it was announced that Russian athletes would compete under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[8]
The figure skating team event at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held between 4 and 7 February at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China.[1] The Russian team was heavily favored to win the team event, with the United States, Canada, and Japan also expected to be in medal contention.[9][10] In addition to having won the 2022 European Figure Skating Championships,[11][a] Kamila Valieva had set new world records in both the free skate and total score at the 2021 Finlandia Trophy, bested those scores at the 2021 Skate Canada International just three weeks later, and then bested them again at the 2021 Rostelecom Cup. She was expected to dominate both the individual women's event and the women's segments of the team event.[9]
Qualification
For the team event, scores from the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships and the 2021–22 Grand Prix Series were tabulated to establish the top ten nations. For a nation to qualify for the team event, it had to have qualified entrants in at least three of the four disciplines (men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, or ice dance). If there were not ten nations that had qualified entrants in all four disciplines, nations with only three entrants could use the ISU's "Additional Athletes Quota" to complete their team. These additional athletes were eligible to compete in the team event but not in the individual Olympic figure skating events.[13]
Entries
- Code key
- SP – Short program
- FS – Free skate
- RD – Rhythm dance
- FD – Free dance
Member nations submitted the following entrants for the indicated segments in each discipline.[18]
| Country | Men | Women | Pairs | Ice dance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Canada |
Roman Sadovsky (SP/FS) | Madeline Schizas (SP/FS) | (SP) | (RD/FD) |
| (FS) | ||||
 China |
Jin Boyang (SP/FS) | Zhu Yi (SP/FS) | (SP) | (RD/FD) |
| (FS) | ||||
 Czech Republic |
Michal Březina (SP) | Eliška Březinová (SP) | (SP) | (RD) |
 Georgia |
Morisi Kvitelashvili (SP) | Anastasiia Gubanova (SP) | (SP) | (RD) |
 Germany |
Paul Fentz (SP) | Nicole Schott (SP) | [e] | (RD) |
 Italy |
Daniel Grassl (SP) | Lara Naki Gutmann (SP) | (SP) | (RD) |
 Japan |
Shoma Uno (SP) | Wakaba Higuchi (SP) | (SP/FS) | (RD/FD) |
| Yuma Kagiyama (FS) | Kaori Sakamoto (FS) | |||
 ROC |
Mark Kondratiuk (SP/FS) | (SP/FS) | (RD/FD) | |
 Ukraine |
Ivan Shmuratko[g] | Anastasiia Shabotova (SP) | (SP) | (RD) |
 United States |
Nathan Chen (SP) | Karen Chen (SP/FS) | (SP/FS) | (RD) |
| Vincent Zhou (FS) | (FD) |
Required performance elements
Single skating
Men competing in the team event performed their short programs on Friday, 4 February, while women performed theirs on Saturday, 5 February.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[22] the short program had to include the following elements:
For men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.[23]
For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.[23]
The five teams with the most points after the first round advanced to the final round. Regardless of their scores in the short program, the men from the top five teams performed their free skates on Saturday, 5 February, while the women performed theirs on Monday, 7 February.[1] The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes,[22] and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one a flying spin, and one a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.[24]
Pair skating
Pairs competing in the team event performed their short programs on Friday, 4 February.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[22] the short program had to include the following elements: one pair lift, one twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.[25]
The five teams with the most points after the first round advanced to the final round. Regardless of their scores in the short program, the couples from the top five teams performed their free skates on Monday, 7 February.[1] The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes,[22] and had to include the following: three pair lifts, of which one had to be a twist lift; two different throw jumps; one solo jump; one jump combination or sequence; one pair spin combination; one death spiral; and a choreographic sequence.[26]
Ice dance
Ice dance couples competing in the team event performed their rhythm dances on Friday, 4 February.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,[22] the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "street dance rhythms".[27] Examples of applicable dance styles included hip-hop, disco, swing, krump, popping, funk, jazz, reggae (reggaeton), and blues. The required pattern dance element was the Midnight Blues.[27] The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: the pattern dance, the pattern dance step sequence, one dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence.[28]
The five teams with the most points after the first round advanced to the final round. Regardless of their scores in the rhythm dance, the couples from the top five teams performed their free dances on Monday, 7 February.[1] The free dance could last no longer than 4 minutes,[22] and had to include the following: three dance lifts, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one step sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three choreographic elements, of which one had to be a choreographic character step sequence.[29]
Judging
Skaters were judged according to the required technical elements of their program (such as jumps and spins), as well as the overall presentation of their program, based on five program components (skating skills, transitions, performance, composition, and musical interpretation). Each technical element in a figure skating performance was assigned a predetermined base point value and scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from −5 to +5 based on the quality of its execution.[30] Each Grade of Execution (GOE) from –5 to +5 was assigned a value as indicated on the Scale of Values.[31][32][h] For example, a triple Axel was worth a base value of 8.00 points, and a GOE of +3 was worth 2.40 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of +3 earned 10.40 points.[31] The judging panel's GOE for each element was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a Total Elements Score.[34] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on the five aforementioned program components and assigned each a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments.[35] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the chart below; the results were added together to generate a total Program Component Score.[36]
| Discipline | Short program or Rhythm dance |
Free skate or Free dance |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 1.00 | 2.00 |
| Women | 0.80 | 1.60 |
| Pairs | 0.80 | 1.60 |
| Ice dance | 0.80 | 1.20 |
Deductions were applied for certain violations, such as time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[38] The Total Elements Score and Program Component Score were then added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.[39]
Team event scoring
The ten skaters or teams in each discipline performed their short programs and rhythm dances first, and they were judged just as they would be at any other figure skating competition. The skater or team in each discipline who received the highest score earned ten points, the next highest score earned nine points, and so on. Once all four events were held, the points earned in each event were totaled, and the five teams with the highest totals moved on to the final round.[40] Teams could elect to substitute up to two skaters or teams at this point.[14] The five skaters or teams in each discipline then performed their free skates and free dances, and again received scores from the judges. The skater or team in each discipline who received the highest score earned ten points, and so on. Once all four events were held, the points earned over both rounds were totaled to determine the medalists.[40]
Records
The following new record high score was set during this event.
| Date | Skater(s) | Segment | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 February | Pairs' short program | 82.83 | [41] |
Medal summary
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|
 United States |
Japan |
ROC |
Nathan Chen; Vincent Zhou; Karen Chen; Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue; Madison Chock and Evan Bates
(Not pictured: Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier)
Results (qualifying round)
- Code key
- TSS – Total segment score
- TES – Total elements score
- PCS – Program component score
- SS – Skating skills
- TR – Transitions
- PE – Performance
- CO – Composition
- IN – Interpretation of the music
Men's singles
The men's short program was held on Friday, 4 February 2022.[43] Ivan Shmuratko of Ukraine was forced to withdraw from the team event after he tested positive for COVID-19. Since Ukraine had no other men competing in single skating at the Olympics, they could not offer a substitute, so Ukraine received zero points for the men's event.[20] Additionally, Keegan Messing of Canada, who had been scheduled to compete in the team event, was denied entry to China after a positive COVID-19 test. He was required to provide four negative COVID-19 tests, two each 24 hours apart, before he would be allowed to enter China. That last test result was received on 4 February – the first day of the team event – so Roman Sadovsky competed in his place.[44] Messing eventually arrived in China in time to compete in the men's individual event.[45]
Nathan Chen of the United States, having won three consecutive World Championships and six consecutive U.S. Championships,[46] was heavily favored to win a gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Chen, who had performed below expectations at the 2018 Winter Olympics, finished in first place after the men's short program, setting a new season best score of 111.71, and also the second-highest short program score in history.[47] He also successfully performed two quadruple jumps.[43] Chen later topped his own score with a new world record in the short program during the men's individual event on 8 February.[48]
Shoma Uno of Japan, who had won the silver medal in the men's individual event at the 2018 Winter Olympics, finished in second place with a new personal best score.[49] Mark Kondratiuk of Russia, who had previously won the 2022 European Championships, finished in third place.[50] Roman Sadovsky, who had only found out he would compete in the team event the night before, had a failed quadruple jump and finished in eighth place.[51]
| Pl. | Skater | Nation | TSS | TES | PCS | SS | TR | PE | CO | IN | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathan Chen | United States |
111.71 | 63.85 | 47.86 | 9.54 | 9.39 | 9.64 | 9.61 | 9.68 | 10 |
| 2 | Shoma Uno | Japan |
105.46 | 58.89 | 46.57 | 9.43 | 9.07 | 9.39 | 9.32 | 9.36 | 9 |
| 3 | Mark Kondratiuk | ROC |
95.81 | 52.81 | 43.00 | 8.57 | 8.29 | 8.64 | 8.75 | 8.75 | 8 |
| 4 | Morisi Kvitelashvili | Georgia |
92.37 | 50.63 | 41.74 | 8.39 | 8.21 | 8.43 | 8.39 | 8.32 | 7 |
| 5 | Daniel Grassl | Italy |
88.10 | 47.18 | 40.92 | 8.18 | 8.00 | 8.21 | 8.32 | 8.21 | 6 |
| 6 | Jin Boyang | China |
82.87 | 43.91 | 39.96 | 8.21 | 7.71 | 7.89 | 8.11 | 8.04 | 5 |
| 7 | Michal Březina | Czech Republic |
76.77 | 36.63 | 40.14 | 8.21 | 7.75 | 8.00 | 8.11 | 8.07 | 4 |
| 8 | Roman Sadovsky | Canada |
71.06 | 32.27 | 38.79 | 7.79 | 7.64 | 7.61 | 7.86 | 7.89 | 3 |
| 9 | Paul Fentz | Germany |
68.64 | 33.43 | 35.21 | 7.21 | 6.89 | 6.93 | 7.18 | 7.00 | 2 |
| WD | Ivan Shmuratko | Ukraine |
Withdrew from competition | 0 | |||||||
Ice dance
The rhythm dance was held on Friday, 4 February 2022. After an uncharacteristic error in their rhythm dance at the 2022 U.S. Championships caused them to finish in second place, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the United States finished in first place, setting a new season best score in the process.[46] Hubbell and Donohue's twizzles were judged level four (the highest possible of four levels) and their pattern dance a level three.[50]
Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia, who had won the 2021 World Championships, finished a close second.[50] They earned a level four on their pattern dance, but Katsalapov's twizzles were judged a level three, while Sinitsina's were judged a level four. Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy finished in third place, receiving level four scores for their stationary lift, twizzles, and pattern dance step sequence.[50] Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada, who had won the bronze medals at the 2021 World Championships, had a solid performance, finishing fourth.[53]
| Pl. | Team | Nation | TSS | TES | PCS | SS | TR | PE | CO | IN | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
86.56 | 48.50 | 38.06 | 9.50 | 9.32 | 9.57 | 9.54 | 9.64 | 10 | |
| 2 | ROC |
85.05 | 46.92 | 38.13 | 9.50 | 9.46 | 9.43 | 9.64 | 9.64 | 9 | |
| 3 | Italy |
83.83 | 47.12 | 36.71 | 9.14 | 9.04 | 9.29 | 9.21 | 9.21 | 8 | |
| 4 | Canada |
82.72 | 45.47 | 37.25 | 9.25 | 9.11 | 9.43 | 9.39 | 9.39 | 7 | |
| 5 | China |
74.66 | 41.66 | 33.00 | 8.25 | 8.07 | 8.39 | 8.21 | 8.32 | 6 | |
| 6 | Czech Republic |
68.99 | 38.68 | 30.31 | 7.54 | 7.36 | 7.68 | 7.64 | 7.68 | 5 | |
| 7 | Japan |
66.54 | 37.15 | 29.39 | 7.32 | 7.18 | 7.39 | 7.39 | 7.46 | 4 | |
| 8 | Georgia |
64.60 | 35.00 | 29.60 | 7.36 | 7.21 | 7.50 | 7.46 | 7.46 | 3 | |
| 9 | Ukraine |
64.08 | 34.16 | 29.92 | 7.50 | 7.36 | 7.54 | 7.43 | 7.57 | 2 | |
| 10 | Germany |
63.21 | 33.53 | 29.69 | 7.36 | 7.25 | 7.46 | 7.54 | 7.50 | 1 |
Pairs
The pairs' short program was held on Friday, 4 February 2022. Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nolan Seegert of Germany were forced to withdraw from the team event after Seegert tested positive for COVID-19. Since Germany had no other teams competing in pair skating at the Olympics, they could not offer a substitute, so Germany received zero points for the pairs' event.[19]
Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China set a new world record score in the pairs' short program with an 82.83.[41] Their routine was described as "flawless" with solid side-by-side triple toe loops,[50] a throw triple flip, and elements all graded at level four.[50] Sui and Han later surpassed their own world record in the pairs' individual event with a score of 84.41.[55] Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov of Russia finished in second place after a solid performance that set a new personal best score and garnered level four values in all elements.[50] Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the United States, who had earlier had to withdraw from the 2022 U.S. Championships when Frazier tested positive for COVID-19, finished in third place with a new personal best score.[56] Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan also set a new personal best score and finished in fourth place.[50]
| Pl. | Team | Nation | TSS | TES | PCS | SS | TR | PE | CO | IN | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China |
82.83 | 44.97 | 37.86 | 9.36 | 9.25 | 9.64 | 9.54 | 9.54 | 10 | |
| 2 | ROC |
82.64 | 45.22 | 37.42 | 9.25 | 9.21 | 9.46 | 9.43 | 9.43 | 9 | |
| 3 | United States |
75.00 | 41.02 | 33.98 | 8.36 | 8.39 | 8.61 | 8.54 | 8.57 | 8 | |
| 4 | Japan |
74.45 | 39.83 | 34.62 | 8.68 | 8.64 | 8.68 | 8.75 | 8.54 | 7 | |
| 5 | Canada |
67.34 | 34.06 | 33.28 | 8.29 | 8.18 | 8.25 | 8.43 | 8.46 | 6 | |
| 6 | Georgia |
64.79 | 35.59 | 29.20 | 7.39 | 7.21 | 7.32 | 7.29 | 7.29 | 5 | |
| 7 | Italy |
60.30 | 30.75 | 30.55 | 7.82 | 7.50 | 7.29 | 7.86 | 7.71 | 4 | |
| 8 | Czech Republic |
56.70 | 30.01 | 27.69 | 7.07 | 6.71 | 6.71 | 7.07 | 7.04 | 3 | |
| 9 | Ukraine |
53.65 | 28.23 | 25.42 | 6.39 | 6.18 | 6.29 | 6.64 | 6.29 | 2 | |
| WD | Germany |
Withdrew from competition | 0 | ||||||||
Women's singles
The women's short program was held on Saturday, 5 February 2022. Kamila Valieva of Russia, who had set a new world record in the short program at the 2022 European Championships,[58] finished in first place, outscoring Wakaba Higuchi of Japan by more than fifteen points. Valieva landed a triple Axel, making her only the fourth woman to land one at the Olympics. Tara Lipinski, Olympic gold medalist and figure skating commentator for NBC Sports, said that "a talent like this comes along once in a lifetime."[59] At the time, Valieva's first-place finish gave the Russian team the points they needed to move into first place.[58] However, Valieva's achievements at both the European Championships and the Winter Olympics were later nullified by her retroactive disqualification in 2024.[21]
Wakaba Higuchi delivered a solid performance that included three triple jumps to finish in second place.[60] Madeline Schizas of Canada finished in third place with a "standout performance",[59] earning a new personal best score and ensuring that the Canadian team would advance to the second round of the competition.[59] Karen Chen of the United States, who had performed below expectations at the 2018 Winter Olympics, finished in fifth place after falling on her triple loop.[61]
| Pl. | Skater | Nation | TSS | TES | PCS | SS | TR | PE | CO | IN | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wakaba Higuchi | Japan |
74.73 | 40.54 | 34.19 | 8.61 | 8.32 | 8.57 | 8.61 | 8.61 | 9 |
| 2 | Madeline Schizas | Canada |
69.60 | 37.56 | 32.04 | 7.86 | 7.79 | 8.25 | 8.04 | 8.11 | 8 |
| 3 | Anastasiia Gubanova | Georgia |
67.56 | 36.90 | 30.66 | 7.71 | 7.39 | 7.75 | 7.61 | 7.86 | 7 |
| 4 | Karen Chen | United States |
65.20 | 32.72 | 33.48 | 8.39 | 8.21 | 8.21 | 8.46 | 8.57 | 6 |
| 5 | Nicole Schott | Germany |
62.66 | 32.52 | 30.14 | 7.50 | 7.39 | 7.61 | 7.54 | 7.64 | 5 |
| 6 | Anastasiia Shabotova | Ukraine |
62.49 | 35.63 | 26.86 | 6.68 | 6.50 | 6.79 | 6.82 | 6.79 | 4 |
| 7 | Eliška Březinová | Czech Republic |
61.05 | 33.97 | 27.08 | 6.79 | 6.50 | 7.00 | 6.64 | 6.93 | 3 |
| 8 | Lara Naki Gutmann | Italy |
58.52 | 30.78 | 27.74 | 6.79 | 6.93 | 7.00 | 6.96 | 7.00 | 2 |
| 9 | Zhu Yi | China |
47.03 | 22.34 | 25.69 | 6.57 | 6.46 | 6.07 | 6.64 | 6.36 | 1 |
| DSQ | Kamila Valieva | ROC |
Overall
- Code key
- M-SP – Men's short program
- D-RD – Rhythm dance
- P-SP – Pairs short program
- W-SP – Women's short program
Upon completion of the women's short program, the top five teams were cleared to move on to the second round of competition. With Kamila Valieva's disqualification not yet in effect, the Russian team was in the lead with 36 points, followed by the United States, Japan, Canada, and China. The bottom five teams – Georgia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Ukraine – were eliminated from the competition.[59] Valieva's eventual disqualification deducted ten points from the Russian score, retroactively demoting them to third place at this stage of the competition, and elevating the United States and Japan to first and second, respectively.
| Pl. | Nation | M-SP | D-RD | P-SP | W-SP | Pts. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 34 | Advanced to final round |
| 2 | Japan |
9 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 29 | |
| 3 | ROC |
8 | 9 | 9 | (DSQ)[f] |
26 | |
| 4 | Canada |
3 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 24 | |
| 5 | China |
5 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 22 | |
| 6 | Georgia |
7 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 22 | Did not advance to final round |
| 7 | Italy |
6 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 20 | |
| 8 | Czech Republic |
4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 15 | |
| 9 | Germany |
2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | |
| 10 | Ukraine |
0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
Results (final round)
- Code key
- TES – Total elements score
- PCS – Program component score
- SS – Skating skills
- TR – Transitions
- PE – Performance
- CO – Composition
- IN – Interpretation of the music
Men's singles
The men's free skate was held on Saturday, 5 February 2022. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan, who had won the silver medal at the 2021 World Championships, finished in first place, successfully landing four quadruple jumps and two triple Axels, and shattering his personal best score by over eleven points. Kagiyama was only the third person to ever score above 200 points in the free skate, joining Nathan Chen of the United States and Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan.[60]
Mark Kondratiuk of Russia, who had won the 2022 Russian Championships,[63] finished in second place with a performance that featured three quadruple jumps.[59] Vincent Zhou, competing on behalf of the United States, finished in third place after performing the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon routine that he had originally performed in 2019. Zhou had wanted to perform this routine – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon being based on a Chinese novel and starring a cast of Chinese actors – before the all-Chinese audience at the Olympics. It was also dedicated to his parents who had emigrated from China in 1992.[64] Zhou later tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw from the men's individual event, rendering this his only performance at the Olympics.[65]
Roman Sadovsky of Canada finished in last place, nearly thirty points behind Jin Boyang of China. Sadovsky's last-place finish, coupled with Kagiyama's first-place finish, put the Canadian team into fourth place, nine points behind Japan. Sadovsky had an error on his opening quadruple Salchow, and then continued to make a series of errors as his program progressed. "Definitely not the outcome I hoped for," he stated afterward. "I've had some good skates, some not so good skates, but this one is definitely closer to not so good. But hoping that I can use this opportunity to find that comfort in the [individual] event."[66]
| Pl. | Name | Nation | TSS | TES | PCS | SS | TR | PE | CO | IN | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yuma Kagiyama | Japan |
208.94 | 116.50 | 92.44 | 9.29 | 9.00 | 9.43 | 9.25 | 9.25 | 10 |
| 2 | Mark Kondratiuk | ROC |
181.65 | 95.09 | 86.56 | 8.75 | 8.39 | 8.75 | 8.68 | 8.71 | 9 |
| 3 | Vincent Zhou | United States |
171.44 | 85.24 | 86.20 | 8.71 | 8.46 | 8.54 | 8.75 | 8.64 | 8 |
| 4 | Jin Boyang | China |
155.04 | 78.26 | 76.78 | 7.93 | 7.32 | 7.75 | 7.75 | 7.64 | 7 |
| 5 | Roman Sadovsky | Canada |
122.60 | 50.10 | 74.50 | 7.57 | 7.36 | 7.14 | 7.68 | 7.50 | 6 |
Pairs
The pairs' free skate was held on Monday, 7 February 2022. Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov of Russia finished in first place despite an unexpected fall during their final lift.[68] In 2021, Mishina and Galliamov had already made history by being the first pairs team in thirty-five years to win the World Championships in their first appearance. They had also recently won the 2022 European Championships, setting new world records in all segments in the process.[69] Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan finished in second place, while Peng Cheng and Jin Yang of China finished in third.[68] Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the United States, who were in third place after the short program, finished in fifth place after Knierim improperly landed a triple jump as a single and under-rotated another.[70]
| Pl. | Team | Nation | TSS | TES | PCS | SS | TR | PE | CO | IN | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROC |
145.20 | 74.97 | 72.23 | 9.07 | 9.04 | 8.75 | 9.25 | 9.04 | 10 | |
| 2 | Japan |
139.60 | 70.11 | 69.49 | 8.68 | 8.64 | 8.86 | 8.68 | 8.57 | 9 | |
| 3 | China |
131.75 | 63.35 | 68.40 | 8.54 | 8.43 | 8.46 | 8.75 | 8.57 | 8 | |
| 4 | Canada |
130.07 | 64.46 | 65.61 | 8.11 | 8.04 | 8.32 | 8.25 | 8.29 | 7 | |
| 5 | United States |
128.97 | 62.74 | 66.23 | 8.36 | 8.21 | 8.11 | 8.39 | 8.32 | 6 |
Ice dance
The free dance was held on Monday, 7 February 2022. Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia delivered a "beautiful performance", which Olympic silver medalist and NBC News ice dance commentator Tanith Belbin White described as "the best".[70] Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States delivered "an excellent and engaging program" to finish in first place, narrowly beating out Sinitsina and Katsalapov.[72] Chock and Bates' free skate featured music from Daft Punk, with Chock dressed as an alien and Bates as an astronaut. Their performance netted a season-best score. "We have an opportunity to inspire the next generation of American skaters with what we do here," Bates said after the team event had concluded, "because let's be honest, [there are] so many new eyes, so many new viewers to our sport at this event; that's what makes it so unique."[73]
| Pl. | Team | Nation | TSS | TES | PCS | SS | TR | PE | CO | IN | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
129.07 | 71.81 | 57.26 | 9.43 | 9.29 | 9.64 | 9.71 | 9.64 | 10 | |
| 2 | ROC |
128.17 | 71.42 | 57.75 | 9.61 | 9.46 | 9.71 | 9.64 | 9.71 | 9 | |
| 3 | Canada |
124.39 | 68.73 | 55.66 | 9.21 | 9.11 | 9.32 | 9.36 | 9.38 | 8 | |
| 4 | China |
107.18 | 57.41 | 49.77 | 8.29 | 8.14 | 8.36 | 8.39 | 8.29 | 7 | |
| 5 | Japan |
98.66 | 54.29 | 44.37 | 7.36 | 7.25 | 7.43 | 7.54 | 7.39 | 6 |
Women's singles
The women's free skate was held on Monday, 7 February 2022. Kamila Valieva of Russia originally finished in first place, becoming the first woman to not only successfully perform a quadruple jump at the Olympics, but to perform two. Despite falling on an attempted third quadruple jump, Valieva still finished with a margin of over thirty points ahead of Kaori Sakamoto of Japan.[70] However, all of Valieva's achievements here were eventually nullified by her later disqualification.[21] Karen Chen of the United States, who had made several errors in her short program, delivered a much stronger free skate, crying tears of happiness and guaranteeing the United States a silver medal finish.[70] Madeline Schizas of Canada finished in third place with a "nearly flawless skate" that beat her previous personal best score and included several triple jump combinations.[75] It was, however, not enough to pull the Canadian team into third place, as they were already too far behind in the ranking to make up the difference.[75]
| Pl. | Skater | Nation | TSS | TES | PCS | SS | TR | PE | CO | IN | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaori Sakamoto | Japan |
148.66 | 76.93 | 71.73 | 9.11 | 8.79 | 9.04 | 8.93 | 8.96 | 9 |
| 2 | Madeline Schizas | Canada |
132.04 | 67.53 | 64.51 | 8.00 | 7.86 | 8.14 | 8.18 | 8.14 | 8 |
| 3 | Karen Chen | United States |
131.52 | 65.68 | 65.84 | 8.25 | 7.96 | 8.29 | 8.29 | 8.36 | 7 |
| 4 | Zhu Yi | China |
91.41 | 42.79 | 50.62 | 6.54 | 6.21 | 6.07 | 6.57 | 6.25 | 6 |
| DSQ | Kamila Valieva | ROC |
Overall
- Code key
- M-SP – Men's short program
- D-RD – Rhythm dance
- P-SP – Pairs short program
- W-SP – Women's short program
- M-FS – Men's free skate
- P-FS – Pairs free skate
- D-FD – Free dance
- W-FS – Women's free skate
The team representing the Russian Olympic Committee initially won the event, nine points ahead of the United States team, who finished second. The Japanese team had originally finished in third place.[77] However, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended Kamila Valieva for four years retroactive to 25 December 2021,[12] the International Olympic Committee re-allocated the medals, upgrading the United States to gold and Japan to silver, while downgrading the Russian team to bronze.[42]
| Pl. | Nation | M-SP | D-RD | P-SP | W-SP | M-FS | P-FS | D-FD | W-FS | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
United States |
10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 65 |
 |
Japan |
9 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 63 |
 |
ROC |
8 | 9 | 9 | (DSQ) |
9 | 10 | 9 | (DSQ) |
54 |
| 4 | Canada |
3 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 53 |
| 5 | China |
5 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 50 |
Aftermath
The medal ceremony originally scheduled for Tuesday, 8 February, was delayed over what International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams described as a situation that required "legal consultation" with the International Skating Union (ISU).[78] Media outlets reported on 9 February that the issue was a positive drug test, administered in December 2021, for trimetazidine by Kamila Valieva,[79][80] which was officially confirmed on 11 February.[81] The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), under suspension from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2015 for hiding the positive doping results of Russian athletes for years,[82][83][84] cleared Valieva to compete on 9 February, a day after the December test results were released. The IOC and the ISU appealed that decision.[85]
On 14 February, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that Valieva be allowed to compete in the individual women's event, on grounds that preventing her from competing "would cause her irreparable harm in the circumstances",[86] though her gold medal in the team event was still under consideration. The favorable decision from the Court was made in part due to her age, as minor athletes were subject to different rules than adult athletes.[86][87] The IOC announced that the medal ceremony would not take place until the investigation was over and there was a concrete decision on whether to strip Russia of their medals.[88]
In mid-November, the WADA requested that CAS take up a review of the case, seeking a four-year suspension of Valieva, which would exclude her from competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and to disqualify all of her results dating back to the date of her positive drug test (25 December 2021). WADA President Witold Bańka wrote that "the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) did not meet a WADA-imposed Nov. 4 deadline to deliver a verdict" on Valieva's case.[89] In January 2023, RUSADA cleared Valieva of any wrongdoing.[90]
Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), criticized both WADA and the ISU for not taking the matter directly to the CAS: "You know, both [WADA and the ISU] could have gone directly to [the CAS], and taken [the decision] out of Russian hands ... Because we knew, you can't have a non-compliant [organization] making a fair, balanced decision."[91]
WADA and the ISU have to appeal this decision, for the sake of the credibility of the anti-doping system and the rights of all athletes. The world can't possibly accept this self-serving decision by RUSADA, which in the recent past has been a key instrument of Russia's state sponsored doping fraud and is non-compliant. Justice demands a full, fair, public hearing outside of Russia.
— Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)[90]
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On 29 January 2024, the CAS disqualified Valieva for four years retroactive to 25 December 2021 for the positive test for trimetazidine, which they ruled constituted an anti-doping rule violation.[12] On 30 January 2024, the ISU, among other actions, subtracted Valieva's points from Russia's score without changing any other scores, and re-allocated the medals in the figure skating team event, upgrading the United States and Japan to gold and silver, respectively, while downgrading Russia to bronze.[21] Skate Canada accused the ISU of not following its own rule,[92] which required that "competitors having finished the competition and who initially placed lower than [a] disqualified competitor will move up accordingly in their placement".[93] Had the other women in the team event received one additional point each for moving up one place, each of the other four teams in the final would have earned two additional points, including Canada, which would have placed them ahead of Russia.[92] In a statement on 9 February, the ISU contended that the rule did not apply in this case: "In any complex and extraordinary situation like this, the reallocation of points could negatively affect the relative team ranking, adversely impacting teams that had nothing to do with the incident in question".[94]
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), Skate Canada, and the members of the Canadian figure skating team appealed the decision to the CAS, requesting that two points be added to the scores of the teams from the United States, Japan, Canada, and China; thus awarding the Canadian team the bronze.[95][96] Three separate Russian appeals were also filed – one each by the ROC, the Russian Figure Skating Federation, and the Russian team (which included Valieva) – requesting reinstatement of the gold medals. All four appeals named the ISU as defendant, with the Canadian appeal additionally including all three Russia appellants and the IOC as defendants.[96] The Russian appeals were dismissed on 25 July;[97] the Canadian appeal was dismissed on 1 August, thereby finalizing the results.[98]
At the ISU Congress held in June 2022, members of the ISU Council accepted a proposal to gradually increase the minimum age for senior competition to seventeen beginning with the 2024–2025 season. So as to avoid forcing skaters who had already competed at the senior level to return to the junior level, the age limit remained unchanged during the 2022–2023 season, before increasing to sixteen for the 2023–2024 season, and then seventeen for the 2024–2025 season.[99] Although there had been previous proposals to increase this age limit, the 2022 vote gained traction following the 2022 Winter Olympics, where Kamila Valieva had only been fifteen years old when she competed.[100]
Medal ceremony
Shoma Uno; Yuma Kagiyama; Wakaba Higuchi; Kaori Sakamoto; Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara; Misato Komatsubara and Tim Koleto
The inordinate delay in awarding the medals from the team event was distressing for the skaters involved. Zachary Donohue of the United States described the loss felt by members of the American team: missing out on the Olympic medal ceremony, missed financial opportunities that come from being an Olympic medalist, missed sponsorships, and the loss of status from being able to describe oneself as an Olympic medalist.[91]
The Olympics represent something very special. It's a neutral playing field [where athletes] come and in front of the world, declare their hard work and their dedication and their determination and grit and their integrity of who they are as athletes. The decision being postponed for so long really detracts from the integrity of the Olympic image and the Olympic values. And I think it takes a lot away from the integrity that the majority of athletes choose, in the choices they make on an everyday basis of how they train, how they fuel, how they recover. So [the] conversation was a lot more than just one medal ceremony at stake here. [It's about] the way the world views the sport and the way the world views, specifically, figure skating. And that's something that is really in jeopardy.
— Zachary Donohue[91]
Vincent Zhou of the United States described the situation thusly: "It felt like a sting on the history of figure skating and the Olympics. It reflects poorly on the integrity of sport in the Olympics in general. There's been a shocking lack of transparency and communication, not just to the public, but to the athletes themselves."[101] On the one-year anniversary of the 2022 Winter Olympic opening ceremony, U.S. Figure Skating posted a picture on social media of the entire U.S. skating team standing in front of the Olympic rings, dressed in their team uniforms and holding empty presentation boxes that should have held medals.[102]
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, U.S. Figure Skating and its athletes are deeply frustrated by the lack of a final decision in the Team Event. We're very proud of how our Olympic medalists have carried themselves with poise and dignity since earning medals in Beijing. They have long deserved the recognition that has been withheld due to the ongoing process. U.S. Figure Skating calls for a fair and appropriate ruling to rightfully award medals to all clean sport athletes affected by this situation.
— U.S. Figure Skating[102]
The American and Japanese teams ultimately received their medals at a ceremony which took place on 7 August 2024 at the Jardins du Trocadéro during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[103][104] The Russian team was unable to attend the medal ceremony due to the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and other related logistical issues.[105][106] According to Sport Express, the Russian skaters filed a complaint with the Court of Arbitration for Sport over not receiving an invitation to the ceremony.[107] In January 2025, Match TV, citing the IOC press service, reported that the bronze medals would be handed over to the ROC when it became logistically possible to do so.[108]
Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov; Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov; Mark Kondratiuk
Notes
- Kamila Valieva originally finished in first place, earning ten points for the Russian team, but on 29 January 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport disqualified Valieva for four years retroactive to 25 December 2021 for an anti-doping rule violation.[12] Valieva's results from the team event were vacated; however, the points were not re-allocated.[21]