iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.
iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.



Link to original content: http://web.archive.org/web/20180323142538/https://www.olympic.org/figure-skating
Figure skating - Winter Olympic Sport
The Wayback Machine - http://web.archive.org/web/20180323141952/https://www.olympic.org/figure-skating
skip to content
Figure Skating

View PyeongChang 2018 Figure Skating Schedule, Results, Photos and more arrow right

Men's events

Women’s events

Mixed events

Figure skating News

mask left mask right
prev next
  • Turin 2006

Figure skating has developed from a practical way to get around on ice into the elegant mix of art and sport it is today.

Early pioneers

The Dutch were arguably the earliest pioneers of skating. They began using canals to maintain communication by skating from village to village as far back as the 13th century. Skating eventually spread across the channel to England, and soon the first clubs and artificial rinks began to form. Passionate skaters included several kings of England, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon III and German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Steel Ballet

Two Americans are responsible for the major developments in the history of the sport. In 1850, Edward Bushnell of Philadelphia revolutionised skating when he introduced steel-bladed skates allowing complex manoeuvres and turns. Jackson Haines, a ballet master living in Vienna in the 1860s, added elements of ballet and dance to give the sport its grace.

Oldest sport

Figure skating is the oldest sport on the Olympic Winter Games programme. It was contested at the 1908 London Games and again in 1920 in Antwerp. Men’s, women’s, and pairs were the three events contested until 1972. Since 1976, ice dancing has been the fourth event in the programme, proving a great success.

Hollywood star

Sonja Henie made her Olympic debut in Chamonix in 1924, aged just 11, and was so nervous she had to ask her coach what to do midway through her routines. However, she won gold in the next three Olympic Games and developed a huge legion of fans. She later moved into films, where she greatly increased the popularity of her sport.

More

Featured Stories

Calgary 1988

Figure Skating - The battle of the Brians

Gallery

play
https://olympic-vh.akamaihd.net/i/Assets/MediaPlayer/Videos/Streaming/2010/03/01/276FigureSkatingWomenEventH/276FigureSkatingWomenEvent_,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8

Kim is Olympic Champion

Kim, Asada, Rochette are the best competitiors in Figure Skating Ladies
Canada Figure Skating Individual Japan Republic of Korea Vancouver 2010 Women
play
https://olympic-vh.akamaihd.net/i/Assets/MediaPlayer/Videos/Streaming/1998/02/07/Tara Lipinski - Figure Skating - USA/208 - 1998_LIPINSKI_Tara_Master_IOC HD _,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8

Tara Lipinski - Youngest Winter Winner of an Individual Event

Raised in Sugarland, Texas, Tara Lipinski first attracted international attention when, at the age of 13, she qualified for the United States team at the 1996 world championships. She placed 15th, but the following year she caused a sensation when she finished first and became the youngest world champion in figure skating history.
 
Still, when the 1998 Olympic Games came around, Lipinski was picked for the silver medal behind Michelle Kwan. Kwan led after the short programme, but Lipinski's exuberant long programme won her the first place votes of six of the nine judges and she edged ahead to take the gold medal. At the age of 15 years and 255 days, Lipinski became the youngest winner of an individual event in the history of the Winter Games, beating Sonja Henie's 70-year-old record by two months.

Figure Skating Individual LIPINSKI, Tara Nagano 1998 Skating United States of America Women
play
https://olympic-vh.akamaihd.net/i/Assets/MediaPlayer/Videos/Streaming/1988/02/13/lot3-witt katarina wm duke high/witt_katarina_wm_duke_high_,0200,0400,0600,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8

Katarina Witt - Germany

Katarina Witt’s Gold performance to the music of Bizet’s Carmen during the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary.
Calgary 1988 Figure Skating Germany Individual WITT, Katarina Women
play
https://olympic-vh.akamaihd.net/i/Assets/MediaPlayer/Videos/Streaming/2014/02_Sochi_IOC/sarajevo-1984/087-1984_TORVILLE_Jayne_DEAN_Christopher_Master_IOCYoutube_,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,1200,0600,1800,0400,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0400,0600,1200,1800,0200,0200,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8

Torvill & Dean Win Gold - Figure Skating

Highlights of the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Games in which Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill from Nottingham, England, won the ice dance competition. This was the first time that the competition had been won by a non-Russian couple.

DEAN, Christopher Figure Skating Ice Dance Sarajevo 1984 Skating TORVILL, Jayne Mixed
IOC
play
https://olympic-vh.akamaihd.net/i/Assets/MediaPlayer/Videos/Streaming/1976/02/04/lot3-curry john wm duke high/curry_john_wm_duke_high_,0200,0400,0600,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8

CURRY John - Great Britain

Figure skating/men/individual - Austria 1976 (Winter)
CURRY, John Figure Skating Great Britain Individual Innsbruck 1976 Men
play
https://olympic-vh.akamaihd.net/i/Assets/MediaPlayer/Videos/Streaming/1948/01/30/lot4-Button 1948 wm cio high/Button_1948_wm_cio_high_,0200,0400,0600,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8

St.Moritz 1948 Figure Skating Men Individual

At the 1948 Olympic Winter Games in St Moritz, Richard Button landed the double axel jump in his free skate programme, becoming the first figure skater to do so and winning the gold medal.
BUTTON, Richard Figure Skating Individual St. Moritz 1948 United States of America Men
More

Featured Athletes

back to top
Fr