The Events
The Olympic figure skating competition will consist of five medal events (in chronological order): team event, men’s singles, ice dance, women’s singles and pairs.
The 2022 Winter Olympics mark the third time the team event has been held.
Competition Format
The singles and pairs events consist of two portions: the short program and the free skate.
The ice dance event also consists of two portions: the rhythm dance and the free dance.
The team event consists of eight portions: short program/short dance for each discipline and free skate/free dance for each discipline.
The allotted time for each program is as follows:
Men's, women's, and pairs' short programs - 2 minutes, 40 seconds (plus or minus 10 seconds)
Women's free skate - 4 minutes (plus or minus 10 seconds)
Men's and pairs' free skates - 4 minutes, 30 seconds (plus or minus 10 seconds)
Short dance - 2 minutes, 50 seconds (plus or minus 10 seconds)
Free dance - 4 minutes (plus or minus 10 seconds)
Judging
There are two sets of people who control the marks the skater(s) receive: the judges and the technical panel.
The technical panel is responsible for identifying the elements (the kind of jump, the type of spin, etc.) along with assigning levels for spins and step sequences and determining whether a jump was under-rotated, etc. Each of the elements the technical panel calls has a specified base value as dictated by the Scale of Values.
There are nine judges who then judge each of the elements based on their quality, awarding one of seven grades of execution (-3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3) which add or subtract points from the base value of the element. The judges are also responsible for marking the Program Components, or the marks for artistry.
Participants
The maximum number of entries for the Winter Olympics is as follows: 30 women, 30 men, 20* pairs and 24 ice dancing couples. In the two singles events, 24 of the 30 competitors advance from the short program to the free skate. In the pairs event, 16 of the 20 teams advance to the free skate. In the ice dance event, 20 of the 24 couples advance to the free dance.
For the individual events, the majority of berths per country were based on the results of the 2021 World Championships; the rest were determined by the Nebelhorn Trophy in September 2021.
For the team event, the maximum number of participating countries is 10. The five highest ranked countries after the short program/dance phase will advance to the free skate/dance phase.
Starting Order
Women's Singles and Men's Singles
The draw for the short program is based on the skaters’ ISU World Rankings. Both men and women skate in five groups of six. For the purposes of the draw, the 30 competitors are divided into two groups, with the lowest ranked skaters drawing for spots 1-15 for the short program, and the higher ranked skaters drawing for spots 16-30. Skaters with the six highest world rankings draw for the six start positions in the final group; skaters with the next six highest world rankings will draw for the six start positions in the next to last group. Only the top 24 skaters after the short program advance to the free skate.
After the short program, the top 24 skaters are divided into four groups of six for the free skate. The order of skating for the final two groups will be drawn in four subgroups, as follows:
- The top three finishers from the short program will draw for the last three start positions in the final group.
- The fourth, fifth, and sixth-place finishers from the short program will draw for the first three start positions in the final group.
- The seventh, eighth, and ninth-place finishers from the short program will draw for the last three start positions in the second-to-last group.
- The 10th, 11th, and 12th-place finishers from the short program will draw for the first three start positions in the second-to-last group.
The remaining 12 skaters are divided equally into the first two groups of six based on their placement in the short program. The 13th through 18th-place finishers will draw for the six starting positions in the second group, and the 19th through 24th-place finishers will draw for the six starting positions in the first group.
Pairs
The draw for the short program is based on the pairs' ISU World Rankings. Pairs will skate in six groups: the first two groups will contain three teams each, and the remaining four groups will contain four teams each. For the purposes of the short program draw, the 22 teams are divided into two equal groups. The teams with the highest world rankings will draw for start positions 12-22, with the four highest ranked teams drawing for the last group, the fifth through eighth highest ranked teams drawing for the second-to-last group, and the teams ranked ninth through 11th drawing for the 11th through 13th start positions, i.e. the last three positions in the fourth group. The teams with the lowest world rankings draw for start positions 1-11. Only the top 16 pairs after the short program will advance to the free skate.
After the short program, the top 16 pairs are divided into four groups of four for the free skate. The order of skating for the final two groups will be drawn in four subgroups, as follows:
- The top two finishers from the short program will draw for the last two start positions in the final group.
- The third and fourth-place finishers from the short program will draw for the first two start positions in the final group.
- The fifth and sixth-place finishers from the short program will draw for the last two start positions in the second-to-last group.
- The seventh and eighth-place finishers from the short program will draw for the first two start positions in the second-to-last group.
The remaining eight pairs are divided equally into the first two groups of four based on their placement in the short program. The ninth through 12th-place finishers will draw for the four starting positions in the second group, and the 13th through 16th-place finishers will draw for the four starting positions in the first group.
Ice Dance
The short dance draw is based on the couples' ISU World Rankings. The groups are divided 4-5-5-5-5. For the purposes of the draw, the 24 teams are divided into two equal groups. The teams with the highest world rankings will draw for start positions 13-24, with the five highest ranked teams drawing for the last group, the sixth through tenth highest ranked teams drawing for the second-to-last group, and the teams ranked 11th and 12th drawing for the 13th and 14th positions, i.e. the last two positions in the third group. The teams with the lowest world rankings draw for start positions 1-12. Only the top 20 couples after the short dance will advance to the free dance.
After the short dance, the top 20 couples are divided into four groups of five for the free dance. The order of skating for the final two groups will be drawn in four subgroups, as follows:
- The top three finishers from the short dance will draw for the last three start positions in the final group.
- The fourth and fifth-place finishers from the short dance will draw for the first two start positions in the final group.
- The sixth, seventh, and eighth-place finishers from the short dance will draw for the last three start positions in the second-to-last group.
- The ninth and tenth-place finishers from the short dance will draw for the first two start positions in the second-to-last group.
The remaining ten couples are divided equally into the first two groups of five based on their placement in the short dance. The 11th through 15th-place finishers will draw for the five starting positions in the second group, and the 16th through 20th-place finishers will draw for the five starting positions in the first group.
The Rink
The skating area must be rectangular and if possible should measure 60 meters (196 feet, 10 inches) by 30 meters (98 feet, five inches); it cannot exceed this size. The minimum rink size is 56 meters (183 feet, nine inches) by 26 meters (85 feet, four inches).
Age Requirements
All competitors must have turned 15 before July 1, 2021.
Awards
In the individual events, gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to the competitors finishing first, second and third, respectively, in each of the four events.
In the team event, gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to the teams finishing first, second and third, respectively. Medals are only awarded to those who skated in the event (i.e. not the entire figure skating delegation from a participating country).