{"id":18199,"date":"2026-02-06T16:08:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/olympic-figure-skating-team-event\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T16:08:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:08:26","slug":"olympic-figure-skating-team-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/olympic-figure-skating-team-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympic figure skating team event: what to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p><strong>Lead:<\/strong> On Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at the Milan\u2011Cortina Winter Olympics, Team USA closed the first day of the figure skating team event leading the standings with 25 points after ice dance and short programs. Japan sat close behind with 23 points and host Italy with 22 points as competition continues across the weekend. The opening day featured a world\u2011best ice dance score, strong pairs performances and a tight women\u2019s short program where Kaori Sakamoto edged Alysa Liu. With two competition days left, teams are weighing athlete selection and technical risk \u2014 including whether Ilia Malinin will attempt a quadruple axel in the team segment.<\/p>\n<h2>Key takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Team USA leads after day one with 25 points; Japan is second with 23 and Italy third with 22.<\/li>\n<li>Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates posted a world\u2011best rhythm dance score of 91.06, narrowly ahead of France\u2019s Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry (89.98).<\/li>\n<li>Pairs leaders on day one were Japan\u2019s Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi, while Georgia (Berulava\/Metelkina) and Italy (Conti\/Macii) also placed on the podium in the pairs short program.<\/li>\n<li>Alysa Liu initially topped the women\u2019s short program before Kaori Sakamoto produced a season\u2011best to move Japan up; Sakamoto skated to an emotional program ahead of her planned retirement.<\/li>\n<li>Each country fields skaters across four disciplines (men\u2019s, women\u2019s, pairs, ice dance); points are awarded 1\u201310 in short\/rhythm segments and the top five nations advance to free programs.<\/li>\n<li>Teams may swap up to two entries midway through the event; the U.S. has a roster advantage with 16 athletes versus 12 for Japan and Canada.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Background<\/h2>\n<p>The Olympic team event was introduced at the 2014 Sochi Games to aggregate results across the four figure\u2011skating disciplines and crown a country champion. Under the format used here, the short program and rhythm dance are contested first, with nations scoring 1\u201310 based on placement; the five highest\u2011scoring teams progress to free skate and free dance to decide medals. The U.S. won the team event in 2022 after Russia was removed from medal contention in that cycle following a doping case connected to one of its skaters; Russia remains banned from these Games due to separate political sanctions tied to the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>The team event compresses individual and team schedules, forcing national federations to balance medal opportunity against athlete health. Some countries enter their top competitors in both segments of a discipline; others stagger entries so skaters can conserve energy for individual events later in the fortnight. That strategic calculus is particularly visible in the men\u2019s field, where top skaters may choose riskier elements (like a quadruple axel) during team competition or reserve them for individual free skates.<\/p>\n<h2>Main event<\/h2>\n<p>Friday opened with ice dance, where Madison Chock and Evan Bates paced the field with 91.06 in the rhythm dance \u2014 a world\u2011best for that segment \u2014 and put the U.S. in an early points lead. France\u2019s Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry were a close second at 89.98, while Britain\u2019s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson energized the crowd with a high\u2011tempo Spice Girls medley, finishing third in the morning session. Canada\u2019s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier were fourth.<\/p>\n<p>In the pairs short, American debutants Ellie Kam and Danny O\u2019Shea drew loud home\u2011team support in the arena; Kam fell on an early throw but the pair regrouped to complete the program and place fifth. Japan\u2019s two\u2011time world champions Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi won the segment decisively, with Georgia\u2019s Luka Berulava and Anastasiia Metelkina \u2014 a pairing bolstered by recent recruits \u2014 placing second and Italy\u2019s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii taking third to cheers from the local crowd.<\/p>\n<p>The women\u2019s short program closed the day. Alysa Liu delivered an enthusiastic performance that briefly put her atop the leaderboard, but Japan\u2019s Kaori Sakamoto, skating last to an emotive \u201cTime to Say Goodbye\u201d in acknowledgment of her approaching retirement, produced a season\u2011best to reclaim the top individual spot. Despite Sakamoto\u2019s jump in the segment standings, the U.S. retained the overall team lead by a narrow margin.<\/p>\n<h2>Analysis &#038; implications<\/h2>\n<p>The tight early standings illustrate how every placement matters in the team format: a one\u2011 or two\u2011place swing in any segment can reshape medal probabilities. With five teams to advance, nations such as France, Georgia and Canada remain within striking distance and could reshuffle the leaderboard with strong free programs. The absence of Russia changes medal dynamics; federations that placed behind Russia in recent cycles see a clearer path to podium contention.<\/p>\n<p>Strategic entry choices will be decisive over the next two days. Teams can replace up to two skaters, so federations may preserve premier athletes for individual events or use them to secure team points. The U.S. depth \u2014 a 16\u2011member roster and full quota spots in men\u2019s, women\u2019s and ice dance \u2014 offers flexibility other teams lack, allowing America to rest key skaters if needed without relinquishing competitiveness.<\/p>\n<p>Ilia Malinin\u2019s potential quadruple axel is a headline subplot. If he attempts it in the team free skate, a successful land would be historic on Olympic ice; a failure, however, could cost Team USA valuable points or increase injury risk. Given that Malinin has won the U.S. championship without the quad axel and that the team lead is not yet secure, U.S. coaches must weigh historic ambition against pragmatic medal strategy.<\/p>\n<h2>Comparison &#038; data<\/h2>\n<figure>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Country<\/th>\n<th>Points (after day 1)<\/th>\n<th>Notable segment leaders<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>United States<\/td>\n<td>25<\/td>\n<td>Chock\/Bates (Ice dance)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Japan<\/td>\n<td>23<\/td>\n<td>Sakamoto (Women), Miura\/Kihara (Pairs)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Italy<\/td>\n<td>22<\/td>\n<td>Conti\/Macii (Pairs)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><figcaption>Standings and leading performers after ice dance and short programs (Feb. 6, 2026).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The table summarizes the podium chase after the opening day. Because points are allocated by placement in each segment (1 point for 10th through 10 points for 1st under this edition), narrow margins between teams mean tomorrow\u2019s free dance and Saturday\u2019s short programs could flip the scoreboard. Expect nations to deploy their best tactical lineups where they believe they can gain the most points with the least risk to athletes\u2019 longer\u2011term schedules.<\/p>\n<h2>Reactions &#038; quotes<\/h2>\n<p>Several competitors and officials noted confidence in their teams while acknowledging the tactical balancing act ahead.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Team USA is off to a great start \u2014 we have a ton of amazing athletes and I have all the confidence in the world in them,&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Madison Chock, U.S. ice dancer<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Chock\u2019s comment followed the U.S. rhythm dance victory and framed her team\u2019s morale. The tone in the U.S. delegation was upbeat, even as coaches consider whether to rest skaters before individual events.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;If we can keep our condition until the end, we have a very good chance of getting a gold medal,&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Kaori Sakamoto, Japan (after women\u2019s short)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sakamoto emphasized fitness and consistency after delivering a season\u2011best short program; her experience from 2022 (bronze) was cited as a stabilizing factor for Japan\u2019s campaign. Team officials from other countries similarly described the event as both a chance to score points and a logistical challenge for athlete recovery.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;It\u2019s disappointing to make a mistake, but we did an amazing job of picking ourselves back into the program,&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Danny O&#8217;Shea, U.S. pairs skater<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>O\u2019Shea, who returned from retirement to skate with Ellie Kam, framed the pairs duo\u2019s comeback after an early throw fall as resilient and team\u2011oriented \u2014 a useful narrative as federations decide who to keep on the ice.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: team event format and key terms<\/summary>\n<p>The Olympic figure skating team event aggregates results from four disciplines: men\u2019s singles, women\u2019s singles, pairs and ice dance. Each discipline has a short\/rhythm segment and a free segment; in the opening phase teams score points based on placement in short\/rhythm (10 points for first place down to 1 point for tenth). The top five nations after those segments advance to free skate\/free dance, where additional placements determine the final team medals. Short programs focus on required elements and technical scores, while free programs are longer and emphasize both technical difficulty and artistic components. A quadruple axel is an extremely difficult jump worth significant technical base value but carries high execution risk.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<h2>Unconfirmed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Whether Ilia Malinin will attempt a quadruple axel during the team free skate is undecided and has not been officially announced by his coaches.<\/li>\n<li>Final lineup choices for several countries (including whether the U.S. will swap men between short and free segments) are typically posted about 24 hours ahead and remain subject to change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Bottom line<\/h2>\n<p>The team event\u2019s opening day set up a close three\u2011way race among the United States, Japan and Italy, with several other nations well within reach. Tactical decisions about who skates when \u2014 and whether star skaters pursue high\u2011risk elements \u2014 will shape the remaining two days and could alter individual event outlooks that follow.<\/p>\n<p>Watch for Saturday\u2019s free dance and men\u2019s short program and Sunday\u2019s free skates, which will conclude this team competition and deliver the first figure\u2011skating Olympic medals of Milan\u2011Cortina 2026. With margins slim and substitution rules allowing mid\u2011event changes, both national strategy and individual execution will determine which countries advance to the medal podium.<\/p>\n<h3>Sources<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/06\/nx-s1-5702747\/olympic-figure-skating-team-event\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NPR<\/a> \u2014 media coverage and event reporting<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/olympics.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">International Olympic Committee (olympics.com)<\/a> \u2014 official schedule and event format<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isu.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">International Skating Union (ISU)<\/a> \u2014 governing body results and technical rules<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lead: On Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at the Milan\u2011Cortina Winter Olympics, Team USA closed the first day of the figure skating team event leading the standings with 25 points after ice dance and short programs. Japan sat close behind with 23 points and host Italy with 22 points as competition continues across the weekend. The &#8230; <a title=\"Olympic figure skating team event: what to know\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/olympic-figure-skating-team-event\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Olympic figure skating team event: what to know\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Olympic figure skating team event \u2014 What to know | SportsBrief","rank_math_description":"After day one in Milan\u2011Cortina, Team USA leads the Olympic figure skating team event. Read standings, results, strategy decisions and what to watch over the weekend.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"olympics,figure skating,team event,Team USA,Ilia Malinin","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}