Figure skating competition begins on Feb. 6, the day of opening ceremonies, with the team event—a relatively new contest introduced in Sochi that features 10 nations competing across four disciplines: women’s, men’s, pairs, and ice dance. However, one traditionally powerful team will be absent from the lineup—Russia.
Why Isn’t There a Team Representing Russia?
Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which started days after the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) condemned the action, stating the war breached the Olympic Truce—a call to suspend armed conflicts during the Games—and violated the Olympic Charter. The IOC initially imposed sanctions on both Russia and Belarus, which backed the invasion. It has since permitted individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions as neutral competitors.
How Can Russians Compete if The Country Is Banned?
Currently, individual athletes from these nations can apply to compete, though not under their national identities. They must participate as neutral athletes and are prohibited from displaying or wearing their country’s flag. Additionally, they must satisfy specific criteria confirming they have not supported Russian military actions.
Are Any Russian Figure Skaters Participating?
Two Russian skaters—Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik—and one Belarusian, Viktoriya Safonova, have qualified to compete. However, since the team event requires nations to enter a complete roster of women, men, pairs, and ice-dance teams, these individual athletes will be unable to participate in that competition.
Didn’t Russia Face a Controversy at the Last Olympics?
Even prior to the ban, Russia’s involvement in figure skating was mired in controversy. At the 2022 Olympics, it emerged that one of the female competitors, Kamila Valieva, had tested positive for a banned substance before the Games. Russia had initially won the team event, but after Valieva’s scores were stripped from the results, the U.S. team—which had placed second—was awarded the gold medal.
Russia’s absence will be most noticeable in the team, pairs, and ice-dance categories—traditionally their strongest disciplines. However, this creates an opening for the United States, Canada, and Japan, all of which have internationally acclaimed dance and pairs competitors, to secure points for their nations.
