Figure skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics

Lore & Background

As host, Norway automatically qualified spots to the 1994 Olympics. However, no Norwegian skaters met the qualification criteria, so Norway entered no skaters in any figure skating event. Switzerland did not send a pairs team because Leslie Monod and Cédric Monod's 13th-place finish at the 1993 World Championships did not secure an Olympic quota spot.

Reader's Guide

The 1994 Winter Olympics figure skating competition is remembered for the controversy surrounding the medal results. Oksana Baiul won the gold medal, while Nancy Kerrigan took the silver. The event was marked by a split decision among judges, with some observers questioning whether Baiul deserved the gold. The Los Angeles Times reported that Baiul won on a split decision, and a New York Times article noted that a judge said Baiul deserved the gold. The participation of Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, whose rivalry and associated scandal became widely known, was later dramatized in the 2017 film I, Tonya. The competition also saw Norway withdraw from all figure skating events due to a qualification rule, and Switzerland declined to send a pairs team after the Monods' performance at the 1994 European Championships. Twenty-eight nations sent figure skaters to compete.

Did You Know?

• Norway had no skaters entered in figure skating because none met the qualification criteria.
• Tonya Harding's and Nancy Kerrigan's participation is part of the story of the 2017 American film I, Tonya.