Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Five figure skating events held amid a doping controversy.
The figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics ran from 4 to 19 February at Beijing’s Capital Indoor Stadium, with the gala exhibition taking place on 20 February. Five medal events were held: men’s singles, women’s singles, pair skating, ice dance, and the team event. Nathan Chen (United States) won the men’s gold, Anna Shcherbakova (Russian Olympic Committee) took the women’s title, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong (China) claimed the pairs gold, and Gabriella Papadakis with Guillaume Cizeron (France) won ice dance.
A doping scandal involving Kamila Valieva cast a shadow over the Games. A sample she submitted in December 2021 tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. The Court of Arbitration for Sport allowed her to compete in the individual women’s event while the investigation continued, citing that barring her would cause “irreparable harm.” The Russian Olympic Committee team originally finished first in the team event, but the medal ceremony was postponed after Valieva’s test results became public. Following nearly two years of litigation, the CAS disqualified Valieva’s scores in January 2024, and the United States team was officially awarded the gold medals by the IOC on 7 August 2024.
**Background** An independent report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2016 confirmed that the Russian Olympic team had run a state-sponsored doping program from late 2011 through February 2014, when Russia hosted the Sochi Winter Olympics. On 9 December 2019, WADA banned Russia from all international competitions after finding that Russian authorities had manipulated data from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency to protect doped athletes. A December 2020 CAS ruling allowed Russian athletes to compete as “Neutral Athletes” or a “Neutral Team” at world championships for two years, without the Russian flag or anthem. On 19 February 2021, it was announced that Russian athletes would compete under the name “Russian Olympic Committee” (ROC) at the 2020 Summer and 2022 Winter Olympics.
Five figure skating events were contested. The International Skating Union changed the name of the women’s event from “ladies’ singles” to “women’s singles” starting in the 2021–22 season.
**Qualification** A total of 144 quota spots were available.
Quick Facts
- Event
- Figure Skating
- Games
- 2022 Winter
- Venue
- Capital Indoor Stadium / Beijing, China
- Dates
- 4–20 February 2022
- Num Events
- 5
- Competitors
- 148 (74 men, 74 women)
- Nations
- 32
- Prev
- 2018
- Next
- 2026
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The figure skating events at the 2022 Winter Olympics were held from 4 to 19 February at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, followed by the gala exhibition on 20 February. Medals were contested in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, ice dance, and the team event. Nathan Chen of the United States won the men's event; Anna Shcherbakova, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, won the women's event; Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China won the pairs event; and Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France won the ice dance event.
Reader's Guide
The figure skating events at the 2022 Winter Olympics are significant for both athletic achievement and controversy. The competition featured five events, with gold medals awarded to Nathan Chen (USA), Anna Shcherbakova (ROC), Sui Wenjing and Han Cong (CHN), and Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron (FRA). However, the games were overshadowed by a doping scandal involving Kamila Valieva of Russia, who tested positive for trimetazidine from a sample submitted in December 2021. The Court of Arbitration for Sport allowed Valieva to compete in the individual women's event while the investigation continued. After nearly two years of litigation, Valieva's scores were annulled, and the team from the United States was awarded the gold medals in the team event, with Japan receiving silver and Russia bronze. The medal ceremony for the reallocated medals took place on 7 August 2024 during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. This case highlighted ongoing issues with doping in Russian sports and the complexities of anti-doping rules for minor athletes.
Did You Know?
- The team event medal ceremony was postponed after Kamila Valieva's positive test results were announced.
- The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Valieva be allowed to compete in the individual women's event because preventing her would cause 'irreparable harm'.
- Valieva's scores were annulled in January 2024, and the United States team was awarded the gold medals in the team event.
- The American and Japanese teams received their medals on 7 August 2024 during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
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