Figure skating at the Olympic Games


Figure skating was first contested in the Olympic Games at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Since 1924, the sport has been a part of the Winter Olympic Games.
Men's singles, ladies' singles, and pair skating have been held most often. Ice dance joined as a medal sport in 1976 and a team event debuted at the 2014 Olympics. Special figures were contested at only one Olympics, in 1908. Synchronized skating has never appeared at the Olympics but aims to be included.

History

was first contested as an Olympic sport at the 1908 Summer Olympics, in London, United Kingdom. As this traditional winter sport could be conducted indoors, the International Olympic Committee approved its inclusion in the Summer Olympics program. It was featured a second time at the Antwerp Games, after which it was permanently transferred to the program of the Winter Olympic Games, first held in 1924 in Chamonix, France.
In London, figure skating was presented in four events: men's singles, women's singles, men's special figures, and mixed pairs. The special figures contest was won by Russian Nikolai Panin, who gave his country its first ever Olympic gold medal. He remains the event's sole winner, as it was subsequently dropped from the program.
Ice dance joined as a medal sport in 1976, after appearing as a demonstration event at Grenoble 1968.
A team event debuted at the 2014 Olympics. It consists of two segments: qualification and finals. During qualification each team has one men's single skater, one ladies' single skater, one pair, and one ice dance couple skate their short program/dance. Before the finals, each team is allowed to replace up to two skaters/couples. The final consists of each skater/couple skating their short program/dance. Results are determined by placement points.

Qualifying

The number of entries for the figure skating events at the Olympic Games is limited by a quota set by the International Olympic Committee. There are 30 participants in each singles events, 20 pairs, and 24 ice dance duos.
Skaters must represent a member nation of the International Skating Union and reach the age of fifteen before July 1 of the previous year. They are also required to be citizens of the country they are representing. Competitors have until just before the Olympics to receive citizenship. Since nationality rules are less strict for the ISU Championships, sometimes skaters who have competed at World or European championships are not eligible for the Olympics.
80% of the Olympic spots are allotted to countries according to the results of the previous year's World Figure Skating Championships. A country may have a maximum of three entries per discipline. Countries earn two or three entries by earning points through their skaters' placements. The points are equal to the sum of the placements of the country's skaters. If a country only has one skater/couple, that skater/couple must place in the top ten to earn two entries and in the top two to earn three entries. If a country has two skaters/teams, the combined placement of those teams must be 13 or less to qualify 3 entries, and 28 or less to qualify two entries. The remaining places are awarded to one skater/couple each from countries that failed to get multiple places, in order of their skaters' placement in the world championships.
Following the World Championships, countries that have not qualified an entry in a particular discipline receive another opportunity in an international competition held in the autumn prior to the Olympic Games. Six spots are available in men's singles, six in ladies' singles, four in pairs, and five in ice dance. At some Olympics, the host country is automatically entitled to one entry in each discipline, e.g. in 1994, 2010, and 2018 if minimum scores are achieved. If a country receives a spot by being the host, one fewer spot is available in the autumn qualifying competition.
The selection of representatives is at the national governing body's discretion. Some countries rely on the results of their national championships while others have more varied criteria. This may include reaching a certain placement at the European Figure Skating Championships and the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

Events

Medal table

Updated after the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Participating nations

The number in each box represents the number of figure skaters the nation sent.
Nation08202428323648525660646872768084889294980206101418Years
1------------------------1
-------------------432---3
-------326---22243242114415
--4921210486108363-21-1-124220
-------------------432-2-4
-232143--------11---1121213
------------------5221---4
-----------------------112
---------------2211435---7
--25664678121071161517131310121312171723
--------------266444119991111
----------------21-1-----3
-----------------2-111---4
--13137-4288162366-------15
------------------85414357
------11--------1211-----6
-----2-----------1111352-8
-32311-21----12--331123-116
-2532-32345551156129148889823
--------------------123115
3--816-----------610645810812
-------841112--------------4
-----------8710785--------6
-----------1154798--------6
1166641298845751291097612276225
----47662-2213223532253-119
------------------13442377
-----2212222172347-6979111119
----25---3454334564746810918
------------------25--2235
-----------3111222214-23715
----------------26---41-25
-----4-----------23-----24
-----------------22222-2-6
-------------------1-1---2
------------------------11
----------------22-------2
-------1221-11-----------6
-6131434--2------------1-9
-----------------------112
-----------223-13235444-212
-----3-----11----1212211-10
---------4--------11-----3
------------------151716161615-6
1------------------------1
------------------------151
---------------------1---1
-------------------13-1135
-----------------2-1112--5
--------1-----1-1-11--2448
441121-21-111-1221-1-112120
-112-375438113222-11434-121
---------------------11224
---------44101016161717--------8
------------------101011117647
-----------------17-------1
1236129910101212121115141816161213141615151425
------------------42431117
--------------121--------3
Skaters2126295139846463597188966710583112128133129145143147146149153
Nations681112131712151514151718182020262828373135313032
Year0820242832364852566064687276808488929498020610141825

Medals per year

NOC0812202428323648525660646872768084889294980206101418Total
342321211120
112
1212211131211123429
1112218
111115
11331110
112
11111111121113
22111119
123
611111111115
1111116
112
112127
11
1113
31116
33
55542526
11
112
123445524
11
33111110
1113
112
55
1112145422122333123222251
112
Year0812202428323648525660646872768084889294980206101418-