Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Team event
2022 Winter Olympics event
| Team event at the XXIV Olympic Winter Games | |
|---|---|
 Figure skating | |
| Venue | Capital Indoor Stadium Beijing, China |
| Dates | 4–7 February 2022 |
| Competitors | 66 from 10 nations |
| Teams | 10 |
| Winning score | 65 points |
| Medalists | |
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 positive test confirming the presence of a banned substance was received from a sample submitted by Kamila Valieva of Russia, 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
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 Russian team was heavily favored to win the team event, with the United States, Canada, and Japan also expected to be in medal contention. In addition to having won the 2022 European Figure Skating Championships, 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.
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.
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.
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. Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds, 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.
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.
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. The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes, 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.
Pair skating
Pairs competing in the team event performed their short programs on Friday, 4 February. Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds, 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.
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. The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes, 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.
Ice dance
Ice dance couples competing in the team event performed their rhythm dances on Friday, 4 February. Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds, the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "street dance rhythms". 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. 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.
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. The free dance could last no longer than 4 minutes, 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.
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. Each Grade of Execution (GOE) from –5 to +5 was assigned a value as indicated on the Scale of Values. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Deductions were applied for certain violations, such as time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls. 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.
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. Teams could elect to substitute up to two skaters or teams at this point. 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.
Records
The following new record high score was set during this event.
Medal summary
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. 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. 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. Messing eventually arrived in China in time to compete in the men's individual event.
Nathan Chen of the United States, having won three consecutive World Championships and six consecutive U.S. Championships, 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. He also successfully performed two quadruple jumps. Chen later topped his own score with a new world record in the short program during the men's individual event on 8 February.
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