Tag: Figure Skating

This Winter Olympics event doesn’t give out any medals or scores. Instead, it’s a celebration

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As the number of unawarded medals at the Milan Cortina Olympics dwindles and the competition comes to a close, a no-stakes event remains on the Winter Olympics schedule.

The Olympic Figure Skating Gala, a non-competitive showcase scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. California time at the Forum di Milano, will take place just two days after the conclusion of the figure skating competitions.

Invitations to the gala are handed out to medalists and skaters who meet certain criteria, including the quality of an athlete’s seasonal performances, charisma and ability to engage local and international audiences.

The lineup of American skaters includes Olympians Amber Glenn and Ilia Malinin, who helped the men’s team earn gold.

Malinin, dubbed the “Quad God,” was a gold medal hopeful entering the competition, but stumbled during his free skate performance and placed eighth in the men’s singles.

Oakland native and UCLA Bruin Alysa Liu, who won the U.S.’s first Olympic women’s figure skating gold medal in 24 years Friday, also confirmed her attendance.

Alysa Liu shared what she plans to skate to at the Olympic Gala performance.

Iconic ice dance couple Madison Chock of Redondo Beach and Evan Bates, who both won silver and gold medals in Milan, will also take the ice.

The event provides skaters an opportunity to perform without the pressure of scores or medals, serving as a “celebration of artistry on ice.”

Spectators can expect to see unique costumes and performances as skaters show off their full imagination and creativity.

For instance, Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov shocked fans when he showcased a full panda costume at the International Skating Union Grand Prix Final in December 2024.

At this year’s gala, Olympic bronze medalist Carolina Kostner will open the event with a “new, innovative performance.”

Click here to learn how to watch Saturday’s event.

The Milan Cortina Olympics are Feb. 6 to Feb. 22. Click here for a full events schedule. The Winter Paralympics are March to March 15 in Italy.

Los Angeles is the Olympics’ next stop in 2028. The LA 2028 Olympics Opening Ceremony is July 14, 2028 with competition through July 30, 2028. The LA28 Paralympic Games will kick off Aug. 15, 2028 and close Aug. 27, 2028.

The Olympics will return to Los Angeles for an historic third time in 2028, but this will be the city’s first time as host of the Paralympic Games.

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Robert Westermann

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February 20, 2026
Figure skater Alysa Liu retired for two years: How the time away helped her skating

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Whoever said “quitters never win,” never met Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu. Liu’s figure skating comeback has been remarkable: The 20-year-old is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the Milan Cortina Games and a 2025 world figure skating champ.Her free skate on Olympic ice on Thursday clinched the 20-year-old the gold, marking the first time a U.S. woman won an individual figure skating gold since 2002.”My family is out there. My friends are out there. I had to put on a show for them,” Liu told the Associated Press afterward. “When I see other people out there smiling, because I see them in the audience, then I have to smile, too. I have no poker face.”She sat in third place after the short program and is the top American in those standings. The approach she took was one with no pressure on herself.”I’m OK if I do a fail program. I’m totally OK if I do a great program,” she said after the short program, according to the Associated Press. “No matter what the outcome is, it’s still my story.”Looking at her career and why she leftLiu became the youngest U.S. figure skating champ at 13. She’s the first female figure skater to land a quadruple jump in international competition.But at age 16, she announced her retirement from figure skating. Liu said she hated skating by that point and had been planning her exit for a year before she did it. Liu had skated since the age of 5. Skating can be a solitary and controlled sport. She craved teen normalcy, time with friends and freedom. She put her skates in the closet and said she didn’t miss the ice at all. “I left the sport completely,” Liu said. “Like I wouldn’t step in the rink. Honestly, I was low-key traumatized.”Liu spent the next two years making up for lost time. She spent time with her siblings in Oakland, California. She’s the oldest of five kids. She hung out with high school friends, graduated and traveled the world, including hiking in the Himalayas. She enrolled at UCLA and picked up a new sport: skiing. Skiing reminded her of skating because of the sensation of the cold air on her skin. One day, she ventured into a rink with a friend. And, she didn’t hate it. In fact, she enjoyed it. Making a comeback She started skating again for fun and then floated the idea of coming out of retirement to her longtime coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo. “I said, ‘Please don’t.’ I really did. I said, ‘Please don’t. Respect your legacy as an Olympic bronze medalist,’” DiGuglielmo said.DiGuglielmo had coached Liu since she was 5. “We had a Zoom call for two hours,” DiGuglielmo said. “The story is, I had a lot of glasses of wine over those two hours. And she talked me into a comeback.”Liu and DiGuglielmo resumed training for just seven months, and she won the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. DiGuglielmo said no one has taken a two-year break from skating and pulled off such a feat. “It makes me think if I was one of those athletes, I’d be like, ‘Why did I just skate for the last year? I could have taken a vacation for two years. But that’s Alysa. She’s different,” DiGuglielmo said. Liu pointed out that she left her sport while still in puberty. At 20, she’s physically and mentally stronger. And, she’s competing on her own terms, taking an active role in choreography, competition and training. “I have a perspective not many of the athletes in the sport have,” Liu said. “So many people, their goal is the Olympics, and when they get there, and it’s over, they don’t know what to do. I’m really just doing this for fun.”PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=

Whoever said “quitters never win,” never met Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu.

Liu’s figure skating comeback has been remarkable: The 20-year-old is a 2025 world figure skating champ and an two-time Olympic gold medalist in the Milan Cortina Games.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Alysa Liu of Team United States competes in the Women’s Single Skating – Short Program on Feb. 6, 2026.

Her free skate on Olympic ice on Thursday clinched the 20-year-old the gold, marking the first time a U.S. woman won an individual figure skating gold since 2002.

“My family is out there. My friends are out there. I had to put on a show for them,” Liu told the Associated Press afterward. “When I see other people out there smiling, because I see them in the audience, then I have to smile, too. I have no poker face.”

She sat in third place after the short program and is the top American in those standings. The approach she took was one with no pressure on herself.

“I’m OK if I do a fail program. I’m totally OK if I do a great program,” she said after the short program, according to the Associated Press. “No matter what the outcome is, it’s still my story.”

Looking at her career and why she left

Liu became the youngest U.S. figure skating champ at 13. She’s the first female figure skater to land a quadruple jump in international competition.

But at age 16, she announced her retirement from figure skating. Liu said she hated skating by that point and had been planning her exit for a year before she did it.

Liu had skated since the age of 5. Skating can be a solitary and controlled sport. She craved teen normalcy, time with friends and freedom. She put her skates in the closet and said she didn’t miss the ice at all.

“I left the sport completely,” Liu said. “Like I wouldn’t step in the rink. Honestly, I was low-key traumatized.”

Liu spent the next two years making up for lost time. She spent time with her siblings in Oakland, California. She’s the oldest of five kids. She hung out with high school friends, graduated and traveled the world, including hiking in the Himalayas. She enrolled at UCLA and picked up a new sport: skiing.

Skiing reminded her of skating because of the sensation of the cold air on her skin. One day, she ventured into a rink with a friend. And, she didn’t hate it. In fact, she enjoyed it.

Making a comeback

She started skating again for fun and then floated the idea of coming out of retirement to her longtime coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo.

“I said, ‘Please don’t.’ I really did. I said, ‘Please don’t. Respect your legacy as an Olympic bronze medalist,’” DiGuglielmo said.

DiGuglielmo had coached Liu since she was 5.

“We had a Zoom call for two hours,” DiGuglielmo said. “The story is, I had a lot of glasses of wine over those two hours. And she talked me into a comeback.”

WANG Zhao / AFP via Getty Images
Alysa Liu reacts after competing in the figure skating women’s single free skating final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 19, 2026.

Liu and DiGuglielmo resumed training for just seven months, and she won the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. DiGuglielmo said no one has taken a two-year break from skating and pulled off such a feat.

“It makes me think if I was one of those athletes, I’d be like, ‘Why did I just skate for the last year? I could have taken a vacation for two years. But that’s Alysa. She’s different,” DiGuglielmo said.

Andy Cheung/Getty Images
Gold medalist Alyssa Liu of Team United States celebrates after the medal ceremony for the Team Event on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 8, 2026, in Milan, Italy.

Liu pointed out that she left her sport while still in puberty. At 20, she’s physically and mentally stronger. And, she’s competing on her own terms, taking an active role in choreography, competition and training.

“I have a perspective not many of the athletes in the sport have,” Liu said. “So many people, their goal is the Olympics, and when they get there, and it’s over, they don’t know what to do. I’m really just doing this for fun.”

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February 20, 2026
Alysa Liu gives US its first women’s figure skating Olympic gold in 24 years

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MILAN — Alysa Liu delivered the U.S. its first women’s figure skating Olympic gold medal in 24 years, performing a near-flawless free skate Thursday night in a glittering golden dress to upstage Japanese rivals Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai at the Milan Cortina Games.

The 20-year-old from the San Francisco Bay Area, who had walked away from the sport after the Beijing Games four years ago only to launch a remarkable comeback, finished with a career-best 226.79 points. Nakai and Sakamoto, skating right behind her, each made a mistake on a combination sequence, and that made the difference in the medals.

Sakamoto had 224.90 points to earn a silver to go with her bronze from Beijing. Nakai finished third with 219.16 points.

The moment Nakai’s score was read after the final program of the night, teammate Amber Glenn jumped onto the kiss-and-cry stand and raised Liu’s hand in triumph. Liu sheepishly turned and applauded the 17-year-old Nakai, who raced over and hugged her.

It’s the first gold medal for an American woman since 2002, when Sarah Hughes stood atop the podium in Salt Lake City.

Glenn finished in fifth behind Mone Chiba of Japan, a stunning rebound from a disastrous short program Tuesday night. Her season-best free skate gave a score of 214.91 points, and just about landed her on the podium as well.

Glenn pumped her first and fought back tears when her score was read, then she took a seat in the new “leader’s chair.”

She wound up sitting there for quite a while.

Through an ice resurfacing. And through eight programs by other skaters, including American teammate Isabeau Levito, whose fall on her opening triple flip in an otherwise elegant performance kept her from taking over the top spot herself.

Adeliia Petrosian, the 18-year-old Russian competing as a neutral athlete at the Milan Cortina Games, tried the only quadruple jump during the women’s competition but fell on the quad toe loop. She was clean the rest of the way, but the points Petrosian lost on that fall ended up leaving her less than a half-point behind the leader.

It was Chiba — the ninth skater to follow Glenn — that finally took over first place.

That didn’t last long with Liu next on the ice.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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February 19, 2026
Oakland’s Alysa Liu carries U.S. hopes into women’s free skate final

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Alysa Liu is left to bear the ambitions of the American figure skating team on Thursday night, when the last of the “Blade Angels” with a legitimate shot at the Olympic gold medal tries to catch Japanese teammates Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto during the women’s free skate at the Milan Cortina Games.

Nakai, Sakamoto and Mone Chiba give Japan the chance for the first-ever women’s podium sweep.

Then there is Adeliia Petrosian, the young Russian sprite competing as a neutral athlete, and the only one of the contenders who has the ability to land a quad jump. She could shake up the entire competition with one big performance.

Those are the key players as the final night of figure skating drama unfolds at the Winter Games.

“Of course I want a medal. It would be very nice,” said Sakamoto, the bronze medalist from the 2022 Beijing Games, who trails Nakai by just a point in what is likely her final Olympics. “But I want to let everybody know what I’ve done over my career. I want people to know that there was a skater of this kind in Japan who had performed for a long period.”

Indeed, the Olympic gold medal is just about the only thing the 25-year-old Sakamoto has yet to win in her career.

At the opposite end of the longevity spectrum is Nakai, the 17-year-old inspired by the great Mao Asada. She will be the final skater on the ice after a brilliant performance Tuesday night, when she landed one of two triple axels in the entire women’s short program.

Chiba trails both of her Japanese teammates along with Liu, but the world bronze medalist is firmly in the mix.

“Being in Italy, with the music ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ I hope to skate as well as possible,” Chiba said, “and see how things are.”

Liu, who is two points out of first place, was the only skater to wedge herself among the Japanese trio.

The 20-year-old from the Bay Area has been on a dream ride ever since her two-year retirement, which had allowed her to reprioritize the things in her life and rediscover her love for skating. Liu became the first American world champion since Kimmie Meissner in 2006 last year in Boston, and now she could end an even longer U.S. drought for women at the Olympics.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” has not played for a podium ceremony since Sarah Hughes triumphed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

“I don’t think about stuff like that,” said the carefree Liu, who finished sixth at the Beijing Games, shortly before walking away from the sport. “My goal is just to do my program and share my story.”

Petrosian is the wildcard in the competition simply because she is so largely unknown.

The 18-year-old from Moscow has been unable to compete on a global stage because Russia remains banned from international events following its invasion of Ukraine. The few glimpses that people have seen have come from domestic events, where scores are typically inflated, and where the competition is far different from what Petrosian is experiencing at the Olympics.

Yet the latest pupil of controversial coach Eteri Tutberidze, Petrosian has proven in Milan that she could well become her nation’s next gold medalist, following in the footsteps of compatriots Adelina Sotnikova, Alina Zagitova and Anna Shcherbakova.

The last non-Russian to win the Olympic gold medal was South Korea’s Yuna Kim at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

“At first I was worried, not about my skate, but about my (emotional) state. This was the most important start of my life,” Petrosian said following her short program Tuesday night. “I hope this will help me with my free skate.”

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Dave Skretta | The Associated Press

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February 19, 2026
Alysa Liu surges into medal range as US teammates stumble in Olympic short program

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MILAN — Alysa Liu is left to carry the hopes of the “Blade Angels” into the women’s free skate at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The reigning world champion was the only one of American’s vaunted figure skating trio to put herself in contention for gold after the short program on Tuesday night. Liu landed a triple lutz-triple loop, the hardest combination that any woman attempted, and sat only two points back of leader Ami Nakai and right behind her Japanese teammate Kaori Sakamoto on the leaderboard.

“I am really happy about how I skated,” Liu said, “and my siblings, my best friends and a ton of my family is out there. And I saw them on the warmup. I also saw them during my program, so, I don’t know. It was a really cool moment, because they never come to watch like this. I’m really glad I did super well. I felt super grounded and I connected with my program on another level.”

Things didn’t go nearly as well for the rest of the American team Tuesday night.

Isabeau Levito was dinged for under-rotating her triple loop and got leveled down for her step sequence, which is where she tends to pick up points on the competition. It left her in eighth place and a long shot to climb her way onto the podium Thursday night.

Amber Glenn, the three-time reigning U.S. champion, was right in the medal mix until her final jump.

After landing a huge opening triple axel — Glenn and Nakai were the only ones in the women’s field to attempt the 3 1/2-revolution jump — she kept the momentum going with a triple flip-triple toe loop. But something seemed amiss as Glenn approached a triple loop, and she wound up bailing out of it. The resulting double loop became an invalid element and earned her no points.

The lost points on the jump, somewhere in the range of seven or eight, took away any chance of being a medal contender.

“I had it,” Glenn told her coach, Damon Allen, as she tried to hold back the tears stepping off the ice.

“It’s not over,” he replied, giving her a hug.

It certainly was not the way Glenn wanted to end a night that began with the euphoria of a message from Madonna, the “Queen of Pop.” Her song “Like a Prayer” serves as the soundtrack to Glenn’s free skate, and Madonna had seen a clip of the short program and sent a video to Glenn, telling her, “Go get that gold.”

Glenn already has one from the team event on the opening weekend of the Winter Games. Liu also has one from that event.

Now, it’s up to Liu if the Americans are going to bring home a medal from the individual competition.

She also can salvage what has been a largely frustrating Olympics for U.S. Figure Skating. While it won the team event, ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates were left with a bittersweet silver medal thanks in part to some questionable scoring by the French judge, while two-time world champion and Olympic favorite Ilia Malinin crashed out of the men’s free skate.

Liu has experience on this stage, having finished sixth at the 2022 Beijing Games. She also has a carefree attitude after going through a brief retirement, which allowed her to learn a whole lot about herself and put figure skating into perspective.

Liu was asked whether she thinks she can beat the Japanese on Thursday night.

“I don’t think about stuff like that,” she replied. “Whether I beat them or not is not my goal. My goal is just to do my programs and share my story and I don’t need to be over or under anyone to do that.”

___

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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February 17, 2026
Alysa Liu Comes of Age

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And that was, in some sense, the way it turned out: two Russians came away with gold and silver, while Sakamoto took the bronze. But in Beijing the Russian team imploded on live television. During the Olympics, it was reported that the favorite to win, a wisp of a girl named Kamila Valieva, had tested positive for a banned heart medication; she was allowed to continue to compete, while the investigation was ongoing, but fell apart during her long program and afterward, on television, was berated by her coach. The silver-medal winner, Alexandra Trusova, who landed five quads during the free skate, was heard shouting, “I hate this sport.” The gold-medal winner, Anna Shcherbakova, sat alone, clutching a stuffed animal.

The Russians were excluded from international competition soon after, on account of the invasion of Ukraine, and in their absence Liu took bronze at the world championship that spring. Then she retired at sixteen. The grim joke among figure-skating fans was that Tutberidze’s skaters came with an expiration date: seventeen. Maybe they weren’t the only ones.

Figure skating was the only sport to include women at the first official Winter Olympics, in 1924, and it was the last to drop the designation of “ladies”: the event was called women’s figure skating for the first time in 2022. The term “ladies” reflected the sport’s traditional origins as an artistic pursuit for upper-class women instead of a merely athletic contest, but there could have been another justification: many of the sport’s most successful competitors were not fully grown women. The sport has long been dominated by teen-agers, but particularly in the past thirty years, as compulsory figures that demonstrated edgework were abandoned in competition and jumps have become more difficult. Tara Lipinski, who won Olympic gold for the U.S., in 1998, was fifteen years old, and Sarah Hughes, who won the team’s most recent gold, in 2002, was sixteen.

There were the usual obvious explanations, based on physics: small, light, narrow bodies that have not undergone puberty can spin faster and fly higher than bodies with, say, hips. That’s not to say older skaters can’t land big jumps; the only American woman at the Milan Olympics who currently performs a triple axel is Amber Glenn, who is twenty-six. But the kind of total commitment and discipline required to master many of those skills is also easier to demand of a child. “You should get ready for war before war started,” Rafael Arutyunyan, who coached Nathan Chen, the men’s gold medallist in Beijing, and taught Ilia Malinin the quad axel, told Defector, in 2022. “My problem is I am coaching women, not [junior] ladies skaters, because until they get to the point to come to me, they become women and then it’s too late. The system should be created when a child comes to you from 4 or 5 years old and you give them the shortest way to get more than anybody else.”

Liu had begun skating when she was five. Her father, Arthur, had committed her life—and a great deal of money—to turning her into a champion. Her career did not have the structural stability of the Russian system—Arthur had a habit of cycling through coaches—but she was told what to eat, what to wear, what music to use, how to angle her fingers. Naturally creative and sociable, she chafed against that kind of rigidity. During COVID, she was glad when the rinks closed.

After retiring, she hung out with her friends. She hiked to the Mt. Everest base camp and went to U.C.L.A. But on a ski trip, enjoying the sense of exhilaration, she found that she missed skating. So about two years after retiring, she called her old coach and told him that she wanted to come back. He tried, and failed, to talk her out of it. This time, though, she made it clear that it would be on her terms. She would be involved in every aspect: her clothes, her choreography, her music, her training. Only after she’d assembled her team did she inform her father.

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Louisa Thomas

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February 15, 2026
‘Horrible, just horrible’: Reaction from watch party at Ilia Malinin’s home rink in Reston – WTOP News

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Supporters and fellow skaters who’ve watched Malinin train since childhood were stunned by the rare mistakes, but rallied around him with pride and encouragement, insisting: “This isn’t the end.”

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Ilia Malinin’s home rink reacts to his eighth place performance

There was screaming, crying and hands covering eyes and mouths at the Winter Olympics watch party hosted by SkateQuest in Reston, Virginia, on Friday.

They were all in disbelief as they watched Fairfax-native Ilia Malinin’s Olympic dreams crash to the ice from his home rink.

Malinin’s eighth place showing in the Olympic free skate final seemed impossible to everyone in the room; and to most everyone else watching around the world, he was supposed to bring home the gold.

There were so many people in attendance at the watch party that a movie screen had to be set up on one of the ice rinks.

When you walk into SkateQuest, a giant image of the “Quad God” from his 2024 World Championship welcomes you into the building.

Anthony Lamirata started working at SkateQuest as Zamboni driver 18 years ago, and is now the general manager.

“I’ve known (Malinin) since he was seven years old when he started skating here,” Lamirata said. “I just felt so bad for him.”

When asked what he would say to Malinin, Lamirata’s voice cracked a bit: “I’d just give him a hug. That’s it.”

Emily Desjardins, who said she’s skated with Malinin from time to time, said he is a lovely person.

“He’s wonderful to skate with. He’s super kind to everyone here and it makes my heart break,” Desjardins said.

Desjardins pointed out that the public saw his four minute-long routine, but everyone at SkateQuest sees the hard work put in day after day, year after year since he was a little boy.

One of the people sitting front row that looked physically pained by Friday afternoon’s results was 17-year-old Lucius Kazanecki.

The 2025 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist was trained by Malinin‘s parents.

“Horrible. Just horrible,” Kazanecki said of the disappointing dual falls. “Not what any of us expected at all. He’s been thinking about this for years. … I feel horrible for him.“

Around the room, two teenage girls held up a sign as Malinin gave an interview, almost like they were trying to tell him everything was going to be OK.

The handmade sign read, “Ilia. Keep calm and quad on.”

Dakota Flood, a teenage figure skater, couldn’t have agreed with that message more.

“We’re so incredibly proud of him,” Flood said. “This isn’t the end.”

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Jimmy Alexander

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February 14, 2026
‘The community is super proud’ of figure skater Maxim Naumov

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For Maxim Naumov, Friday marked the moment he had worked toward his entire life: The men’s single free skate final on Olympic ice.

Back home at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, supporters packed in to watch the 24-year-old skater compete at the Milan Cortina Olympics, cheering every jump, every clean landing and even rallying behind him after a fall.

For many in the skating community, the moment was bittersweet.

Naumov has spent the past year navigating unimaginable loss after his parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov — longtime coaches at the club — were killed in a plane crash over Washington, D.C.

Despite the tragedy, he pushed forward, earning his place on Team USA and a spot in the Olympics.

“I’m happy that I can be proud of myself, honestly, today, because the journey, and what it took to get here, was very difficult,” Naumov said Friday.

The skater, who lost his parents in the midair collision over the Potomac River last year, showed the power of resiliency in his Olympic debut.

As he skated, applause and cheers echoed at the club’s watch party.

Jimmy Ma, a professional figure skater at the Skating Club of Boston who has supported Naumov through the past year, said the Olympic stage represents more than a final score.

“What everybody puts out there is very awe-inspiring, right? Mistake or not,” he said.

Ma also urged the public to remember the humanity of Olympic athletes competing under intense scrutiny.

“Respect them as humans — they are humans, all of them,” he said. “So give them their space, think about what you’re going to put online, cause believe it or not, we do see it.”

For younger skaters watching at the club, Naumov’s performance — imperfect as it may have been — carried a powerful lesson about dedication and resilience.

The NBC Nightly News anchor says he is inspired by the Olympian’s strength.

“The people in the Olympics, I know how much the sport means to them, and the anticipation of if they do well or not, especially cause they care about it,” said Scottie Shu, a fellow Skating Club of Boston skater.

Olympic legend Nancy Kerrigan said she empathized with Naumov’s experience on the ice.

“I felt for him, cause I’ve had those moments,” she said. “He’s really shown us that he didn’t give up, he kept going, and now, he’s an Olympian, and he’s got a lot to be proud of.”

Speaking to NBC10 Boston after his skate, Naumov continued to exhibit perseverance.

“Of course there were some mistakes, but you know, life’s going to throw some stuff at you, and you’re not going to be able to be perfect, but you move your feet forward, you continue, and you still give it your all, no matter what,” Naumov said.

He credited his home club for carrying him through the past year and helping him reach the Olympic stage.

“I love those guys, man, the Skating Club of Boston, what they’ve done for me, man,” he said. “It’s hard to put in words, the support, the love, the care, everything that they’ve done for me, it means so much to me, and it’s a big part of why I’m here today,” he said.

He ultimately placed 20th in the event. His teammate, Ilia Malinin, placed eighth after also struggling during his skate.

Still, support from home remains unwavering.

“Prepare to come home and be mobbed by the other skaters telling you ‘good job,’” said Owen Ide, another Skating Club of Boston skater. “Just be ready for that.”

Ma said the pride within the community outweighs any disappointment.

“I’m super proud, the community is super proud, so when you guys get home, we’re getting good dinner together,” he said.

Naumov has said he plans to rest once he returns home. And while Friday’s result may not have been what he or his supporters hoped for, many believe this is only the beginning — with another Olympic opportunity likely ahead for the young skater who has already overcome so much.

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Oscar Margain and Eli Rosenberg

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February 13, 2026
American ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin carries 5-point lead into the free skate at Olympics

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MILAN — Ilia Malinin, widely considered the best figure skater of this generation, could take a big step toward going down as one of the greatest ever Friday night down when the American goes for the gold medal in the men’s free skate at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The 21-year-old known as the “Quad God” has a five-point lead over Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and France’s Adam Siao Him Fa after the short program. That would be a big margin for anyone, but it could be insurmountable given who is in first place.

Malinin is undefeated over two-plus years, a stretch of 14 consecutive victories in full competitions. That includes the past four U.S. championships, the last two world titles, and a host of world records — most crucially, the best mark ever for a free skate, a massive score of 238.24 points that pushed him to a 30-point victory at the Grand Prix Final in December.

Yagiyama, the last man to beat Malinin, was second that day. Siao Him Fa finished in fifth.

“Being the favorite is one thing,” Malinin said after his short program, “but actually getting it done and doing it under pressure and having the skate of your life to earn that medal is another thing. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself and say that it’s guaranteed that I’m getting that gold medal. Because, of course, I still have to put in the work.”

In truth, he doesn’t have to do much more than show up.

That’s because the longer nature of the free skate plays even more to his advantage, since it contains seven jumping passes instead of the three in the short program. He has a record-tying seven quadruple jumps scheduled for his program; by comparison, Kagiyama and Siao Him Fa have four in each other free skates.

“It’s not so much the point total, it’s the difference between the placements,” said Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic champion. “Say it’s football. You win by seven points, that’s a touchdown; that’s good. If you win by 10 points, that’s a two-possession victory. You kind of dominated, right? He is winning competitions by 50 points or more. That’s like, seven touchdowns.”

The real drama might not be whether Malinin wins but whether he lands the first quad axel in the Olympics.

The sons of Olympic skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, the ever-confident Malinin is the only person ever to land the jump in competition. The reason it is so difficult is that the axel begins facing forward, whereas the other five main jumps in figure skating start facing backward, and that adds another half revolution to the quad axel.

“I’m hoping that I’ll feel good enough to do it,” Malinin acknowledged. “But of course I always prioritize health and safety. So I really want to put myself in the right mindset where I’ll feel really confident to go into it.”

Malinin already has one gold medal from the team event, where he finished a surprising second to Kagiyama in the short program but beat fellow Japanese star Shun Sato in the free skate. That head-to-head win allowed the Americans to defend their team title.

Afterward, Malinin admitted that the pressure of the Olympics had gotten to him in his debut. But those nerves settled during his free skate, and by the time of his individual short program Tuesday night, his fearlessness and spunk was back again.

“Now I feel like I’ve taken over that fight that I had in the team event,” Malinin said, “so now I can really just focus solely on that free program, and let everything happen naturally.”

___

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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February 13, 2026
Madison Chock and Evan Bates Felt a ‘Roller Coaster of Emotions’ at Olympics

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Figure skaters Madison Chock and Evan Bates are bringing home gold at the team event after competing at the Winter Olympics, but their second-place finish in the ice dancing competition is drawing controversy. “We’ve certainly gone through a roller coaster of emotions, especially in the last 24 hours,” Chock said to NBC News. “And I think what we will take away is how we felt right after our skates and how proud we were of what we accomplished and how we handled ourselves throughout the whole week. Putting out four great performances at the Olympic Games is no small feat, and we’ve got a lot to be proud of.” The couple placed second in the rhythm dance and the free dance competition; France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron came in first in the overall competition, beating them by 1.43 points.

Some judges’ scores throughout the Olympics drew criticism, like two free dance scores; one judge from Spain ranked Chock and Bates third, and a judge from France ranked the French couple 7.71 points higher than the American couple — five of the nine judges ranked Chock and Bates first.

The husband-and-wife duo, who have been fan favorites leading up to the Winter Olympics, have won three World Championships in a row and led to some confusion about their scoring but it seems like the couple accepted their second place in stride. “I feel like life is sometimes you can feel like you do everything right and it doesn’t go your way, and that’s life and that’s sport,” Bates explained. “And it’s a subjective sport. It’s a judged sport.”

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February 12, 2026
Madison Chock and Evan Bates claim silver at 2026 Winter Olympics, their first medal in ice dance

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Madison Chock and Evan Bates claimed a silver medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday following a stunning free dance routine, falling just 1.43 points behind Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, the controversial duo from France.

The Americans were 0.46 points behind Beaudry and Cizeron in the rhythm dance program on Monday. They performed Wednesday’s free dance program to “Paint It Black” by Ramin Djawadi, scoring 134.67, and waited for the French’s turn on the ice. Beaudry and Cizeron scored 135.64, edging out the married American couple by 0.94 points in the free dance.

Madison Chock and partner Evan Bates compete in the Ice Dance competition at the Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026.

Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

Chock and Bates have been skating together for 15 years. They got married in 2024.

In the team event, for which they helped Team USA win its second consecutive gold, Chock and Bates dominated the rhythm dance and the free dance in what is their fourth consecutive Winter Olympic Games together. While they have two golds together in the team event, Wednesday’s silver is their first Olympic medal in ice dance.

Controversy behind French ice dance duo

French Gold medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron after the victory ceremony in the figure skating ice dance final in the Winter Olympics at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 11, 2026.

WANG Zhao /AFP via Getty Images

Beaudry and Cizeron have been a pair for less than a year. Cizeron previously won gold in the ice dance event at the 2022 Winter Olympics with then partner Gabriella Papadakis.

Cizeron needed a new partner after Papadakis retired in 2024. She has since accused him of abusive behavior, alleging he was “controlling” and “demanding,” CBS News partner BBC News reported. He countered that Papadakis had spread false information about him in a “smear campaign.”

Beaudry was born in Montreal and has spent most of her career representing Canada, but she was granted French citizenship last November. She asked Cizeron to team up after her former partner, Nikolaj Sørensen, was suspended by Skate Canada after an American skater accused him of sexual assault.

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February 11, 2026
Olympics 2026: How to watch, schedule of events, and everything else you need to know about the Winter Games
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The 2026 Winter Olympics are taking place in Italy this year, with all the action taking place in Milan and the Alpine city of Cortina. This year marks the fourth time Italy has hosted the Winter Games; most recently, Turin hosted in 2006. Of the 16 sports that will be featured at the Winter Olympics, there will be 15 returning favorites, including figure skating, Alpine skiing, curling, ice hockey, speedskating, snowboarding, freestyle skiing and ski jumping, and one entirely new sport, snow mountaineering. (Will it be as big a hit as the 2024 Summer Games’ new addition, breaking? It remains to be seen.)

Live coverage of every event at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will be available to stream on Peacock — though thanks to the time difference between Italy and the U.S., to watch many of the events live, you’ll have to wake up (or stay up) until 2AM or 3AM ET. Primetime replays and select live coverage will air on NBC. The games officially kick off with the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, 2026.

Here’s what else you need to know about watching the 2026 Winter Olympics.

How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics

Dates: Feb. 6 – Feb. 22

TV channel: NBC

Streaming: Peacock

When are the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The Winter Olympics officially begin with the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, although some events will start as early as Feb. 4). The Milano Cortina 2026 games will run through Feb. 22. The closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in the Arena di Verona on Feb. 22.

Where are the Winter Olympics this year?

The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Northern Italy, primarily in Milan and also the Alpine mountain resort town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, where events like bobsled, skeleton, alpine skiing, curling, para snowboard, and more will take place.

What channel are the Olympics on?

The 2026 Winter Olympics will air on NBC and stream live on Peacock.

How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics without cable

For $11/month, an ad-supported Peacock subscription lets you stream live sports and events airing on NBC, including the 2026 Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX and more. Plus, you’ll get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and The Office, every Bravo show and much more.

For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.

When is the Winter Olympics opening ceremony?

The Milano Cortina 2026 opening ceremony will be held on Feb. 6, 2026. Due to the time difference, the ceremony will kick off around 2PM ET/11AM PT.

Winter Olympics time difference

This year’s Olympic Games are in Italy, which is 6 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. Meaning that some events will start bright and early for U.S. viewers, and live coverage will likely wrap up around 4PM ET each day. NBC will have primetime replays of the biggest moments each night.

2026 Winter Olympics TV/streaming schedule:

All times Eastern.

Wednesday, Feb. 4 (early competition starts)
- Curling (round robin) – 2AM (Peacock – Live)
- Curling (round robin) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Alpine skiing training – 3–6AM (Peacock – Live)
Thursday, Feb. 5
- Curling (round robin) – 2AM (Peacock – Live)
- Curling (round robin) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Freestyle skiing qualifications – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
- Snowboard qualifications – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Friday, Feb. 6 – opening ceremony
- Curling (round robin) – 2AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating (team event short programs) – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Snowboard slopestyle qualifications – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Speedskating (early distances) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- opening ceremony – 2PM (Peacock – Live)
- opening ceremony – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)
Saturday, Feb. 7
- Alpine skiing (men’s downhill) – 3AM (Peacock – Live)
- Snowboard slopestyle finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Speedskating medals – 7AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating (team free programs) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Hockey (group play begins) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)
Sunday, Feb. 8
- Alpine skiing (women’s downhill) – 3AM (Peacock – Live)
- Freestyle skiing moguls finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating (pairs short program) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Luge (singles runs) – 9AM (Peacock – Live)
- Hockey (group play) – 12PM (Peacock – Live)
Monday, Feb. 9
- Biathlon sprint – 5AM (Peacock – Live)
- Speedskating medals – 7AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating (pairs free skate – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Curling (round robin) – 9AM (Peacock – Live)
- Skeleton (heat 1–2) – 11AM (Peacock – Live)
Tuesday, Feb. 10
- Alpine skiing (giant slalom) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
- Snowboard halfpipe qualifications – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating (men’s short program) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Curling (round robin) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)
Wednesday, Feb. 11
- Nordic combined – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
- Freestyle skiing aerials finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating (men’s free skate – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Speedskating medals – 11AM (Peacock – Live)
Thursday, Feb. 12
- Alpine skiing (slalom) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
- Snowboard halfpipe finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating (ice dance rhythm dance) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Curling (medal round qualifiers) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)
Friday, Feb. 13
- Biathlon pursuit – 5AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating (ice dance free dance – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Skeleton finals – 10AM (Peacock – Live)
- Hockey (quarterfinals) – 12PM (Peacock – Live)
Saturday, Feb. 14
- Alpine skiing (team combined) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
- Cross-country skiing distance race – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating (women’s short program) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Speedskating medals – 11AM (Peacock – Live)
Sunday, Feb. 15
- Snowboard cross finals – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating (women’s free skate – medals) – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Luge relay – 11AM (Peacock – Live)
- Hockey (semifinals) – 1PM (Peacock – Live)
Monday, Feb. 16
- Freestyle skiing dual moguls – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Cross-country skiing team sprint – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Curling (medal games) – 10AM (Peacock – Live)
Tuesday, Feb. 17
- Biathlon relay – 5AM (Peacock – Live)
- Speedskating team pursuit – 7AM (Peacock – Live)
- Hockey (placement games) – 12PM (Peacock – Live)
Wednesday, Feb. 18
- Alpine skiing (final technical events) – 4AM (Peacock – Live)
- Freestyle skiing big air – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Curling (gold medal match) – 9AM (Peacock – Live)
Thursday, Feb. 19
- Cross-country skiing marathon – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Snowboard parallel events – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Hockey (bronze medal games) – 1PM (Peacock – Live)
Friday, Feb. 20
- Biathlon mass start – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- Speedskating final medals – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
- Figure skating gala – 1PM (Peacock – Live)
Saturday, Feb. 21
- Men’s hockey gold medal game – 12PM (Peacock – Live)
- Women’s hockey gold medal game – 3PM (Peacock – Live)
- Men’s hockey gold medal game – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)
Sunday, Feb. 22 – closing ceremony
- Cross-country skiing final event – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
- closing ceremony – 2PM (Peacock – Live)
- closing ceremony – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)
More ways to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on NBC

While Peacock is the best way to watch the Winter Olympics, there are other options if you restrict yourself to the NBC broadcasts. As our guide to the best live TV streaming services to cut cable notes, both YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are excellent options, but you’ll want to skip Fubo until and unless the service resolves its contract dispute with Comcast, as NBC channels remain unavailable for now.
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Danica Creahan,Liz Kocan

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February 8, 2026
US Olympians speaking up about politics at home face online backlash – including from Trump

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MILAN — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said that it is hard to cheer for American Olympians who are speaking out against administration policies, calling one such critic “a real Loser” who perhaps should have stayed home.

It was the latest and most prominent example of U.S. Olympians at the Milan Cortina Games inviting online backlash with their words.

Reporters on Friday asked U.S. athletes at a news conference how they feel representing the country during the Trump administration’s heighted immigration enforcement actions. Freestyle skier Hunter Hess replied that he had mixed emotions since he doesn’t agree with the situation, and that he is in Milan competing on behalf of everyone who helped get him to The Games.

“If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it,” Hess said. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

Among those who piled on Hess were YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

“From all true Americans If you don’t want to represent this country go live somewhere else,” he wrote on X, where he has 4.4 million followers. Minutes later, he was photographed sitting beside U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the U.S women’s hockey game in Olympic host city Milan.

Trump said the next day that Hess’ comments make it hard to root for him.

“Hess, a real Loser, says he doesn’t represent his Country in the current Winter Olympics. If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it,” he wrote on his Truth Social account.

Hess wasn’t the only athlete voicing discontent – or facing blowback

At Friday’s news conference with the athletes, freestyle skier Chris Lillis referenced Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying he’s “heartbroken” about what is happening in the U.S.

“I think that, as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody, with love and respect,” Lillis said. “I hope that when people look at athletes compete in the Olympics, they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent.”

And U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn said the LGBTQ+ community has had a hard time during the Trump administration.

In addition to Paul, conservative figures criticizing the athletes on social media include former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, actor Rob Schneider and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds – who Trump has endorsed for the Florida gubernatorial race in November. And there was a flood of vitriol directed at them from ordinary Americans.

Glenn posted on Instagram that she had received “a scary amount of hate / threats for simply using my voice WHEN ASKED about how I feel.” She added that she will start limiting her social media use for her well-being.

In response to questions from The Associated Press, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement Sunday that it is aware of an increasing amount of abusive and harmful messages directed toward the athletes and was doing its best to remove content and report credible threats to law enforcement.

“The USOPC stands firmly behind Team USA athletes and remains committed to their well-being and safety, both on and off the field of play,” it said.

Anti-ICE protests in Italy

Support for the U.S. abroad has eroded as the Trump administration has pursued an aggressive posture on foreign policy, including punishing tariffs, military action in Venezuela and threats to invade Greenland.

During the opening ceremony, Team USA athletes were cheered on, but jeers and whistles could be heard as Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, were shown on the stadium screens, waving American flags from the tribune.

In Milan, several demonstrations have broken out against the against the local deployment of ICE agents – even after clarification that they are from an investigations unit that is completely separate from the enforcement unit at the forefront of the immigration crackdown in the U.S.

Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE unit that focuses on cross-border crimes, frequently sends its officers to overseas events like the Olympics to assist with security. The ICE arm seen in the streets of the U.S. is known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, and there is no indication its officers were sent to Italy.

A demonstration on Saturday featured thousands of protesters. Toward its end, a small number of them clashed with police, who fired tear gas and a water cannon. That followed another one last week, when hundreds protested the deployment of ICE agents.

___

Associated Press writer Graham Dunbar contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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February 8, 2026
Ilia Malinin leads Team USA to 2nd consecutive gold in Olympic figure skating team event

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Team USA defended its Olympic figure skating team event gold medal on Sunday after Ilia “Quad God” Malinin ushered the team to victory at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, attempting a total of five quad jumps.

The U.S. and Japan were tied at 59 points before the men’s free skate, the final event of the team competition. It came down to Malinin’s performance to decide the podium placement, and the 21-year-old two-time World champion didn’t disappoint. He earned a score of 200.03, topping Japan’s Shun Sato (194.86) who substituted for Yuma Kagiyama who outperformed Malinin on Saturday in the short program.

Sato, who skated after Malinin, performed a routine of a lifetime that left fans fearing it would be enough to push Japan ahead.

In the end, Malinin’s technical prowess edged out the competition and Japan will head into the individual competitions on Monday with a silver medal. Host country Italy took home the bronze medal.

Ilia Malinin competes in Men’s Single Skating – Free Skating Team Event on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 8, 2026.

Jamie Squire / Getty Images

The Olympic figure skating team event on Sunday consisted of four separate events: free ice dance, free pair skating, women’s single free skate and men’s single free skate.

Amber Glenn debuts on Olympic ice

North Texas native Amber Glenn placed third in the women’s free skate event, which took place before the men’s on Sunday.

When the 26-year-old took the ice, the first-time Olympian became the oldest U.S. women’s singles skater to compete in an Olympics in 98 years, according to U.S. Figure Skating. She was also the first out LGBTQ woman to skate at an Olympic Games.

Team USA’s Amber Glenn competes in the figure skating women’s singles free skating team event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 8, 2026.

WANG Zhao /AFP via Getty Images

Following her free skate, in which she shakily landed her hallmark triple axel, Glenn told NBC that she felt “disappointed” but she was “very proud of the fight.” She was the only woman to attempt the triple axel in the single free skate.

“I just felt really not my best today and I’m just really disappointed in that,” she said. Her performance earned the team eight points.

Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, who is retiring after this season, had a flawless routine and helped bring her team into a tie.

Pair skaters Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea take 4th

Team USA pair skating duo Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea place fourth on Sunday in the second team event, after Japan, Georgia and Italy.

In Sunday’s competition, the pair skated to “Sweet Dreams,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” the same medley of songs they performed to at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis last month. Their performance in the second section of the team event earned the U.S. seven points.

The figure skating duo based in Colorado Springs first teamed up in 2022.

Both began skating at 4 years old. Kam previously skated with Ian Meyh, and O’Shea previously skated with Chelsea Liu, as well as Tarah Kayne, with whom he was the 2016 U.S. champion and 2018 Four Continents champion, CBS Colorado reported.

Ellie Kam and partner Danny O’Shea of Team United States compete in Pair Skating – Free Skating Team Event on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 8, 2026.

Elsa / Getty Images

Madison Chock and Evan Bates dominate in ice dance

Madison Chock and Evan Bates followed their rhythm dance triumph on Saturday with a winning free dance on Sunday.

The duo dominated the ice dance programs in what is their fourth consecutive Winter Olympic Games together.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete in the Team Event – Ice Dance on day one of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 7, 2026.

Steve Christo – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

“We definitely skated great and we’re very happy, as you saw when we finished. I think we both felt the excitement of just getting these Olympics underway,” said Bates.

The three-time world champions, Chock and Bates are the favorites to win individual Olympic gold later in the Winter Games.

The duo are the only holdovers from the gold medalists at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Team USA technically won a silver medal in the Olympic figure skating team event four years ago, but the team was awarded the gold two years later after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva received a four-year ban for taking a banned substance and disqualified her and her team from the gold.

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February 8, 2026
Spanish figure skater gets last-minute approval for Minions-themed Olympic program

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Those mischievous Minions will have their Olympic moment after all.

Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate obtained the final approval he needed for his music on Friday, allowing the Spanish figure skater to perform his short program — set to a medley from the animated comedy of the same name from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment — when the men’s competition begins at the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday night.

Sabate had been performing the fan-favorite program all season, thinking he had the proper approval through a system called ClicknClear to use four cuts of music Minions. Last week, Universal Studios asked for him to provide more details on the music Sabate was using and the Minions-inspired outfit that he had been wearing.

He was able to quickly get approval for two cuts of music, and Sabate obtained a third by reaching out directly to the artist, a fellow Spaniard. The holdup was the song “Freedom” by the American musician and producer Pharrell Williams.

That approval finally came Friday, about two hours before the Olympic figure skating program opened with the team event.

Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate competes in the Men’s Short Program during the ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2026 on Jan. 15, 2026.

Yuan Tian/NurPhoto via Getty Images

“I’m so happy to announce that we’ve done it! We’ve secured the licenses for all four songs, and I’ll be able to skate the Minions at the Olympic Games,” Sabate wrote on social media. “It hasn’t been an easy process, but the support of everyone who has followed my case has been key to keeping me motivated and optimistic these past few days.”

At one point, Sabate’s situation had grown so dire that he began practicing his Bee Gee-inspired short program from last year. But as news of his plight came out, and he began to get approval for some of the music, his hopes of performing Minions began to grow.

He even practiced the program, which opens with peals of laughter from the characters, during an early session Thursday. By the next morning, the Royal Spanish Ice Sports Federation announced that the copyright issue had been resolved.

“I want to thank ClickClear and the RFEDH, as well as Universal Pictures, Pharrell Williams, Sony Music and Juan Alcaraz for managing the rights in such a short time so I can perform my program in Milan,” Sabate said.

The copyright issue has become a big problem in figure skating, where for years skaters could only use music without words, usually considered part of the public domain. But when the rules changed in 2014, and more modern music began to be used in competition, some artists began to object to their work being used without the proper permission.

Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate competes at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2026 on Jan. 15, 2026 in Sheffield, England.

Joosep Martinson – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images

Two-time world medalist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium also had copyright issues ahead of the Olympics.

The Belgian had been performing her short program to “Ashes” by Celine Dion from the film “Deadpool 2.” But after the European championships last month, her brother and coach, Jorik Hendrickx, and choreographer Adam Solya became concerned that the music would not be approved for the Olympics, and they decided to change the soundtrack at the last minute.

Hendrickx is now performing a slightly modified program to “I Surrender,” another song by Dion, which has the same rhythm and feel as “Ashes.” She was able to obtain permission for that piece because it is part of ClicknClear’s catalogue of licenses.

The 26-year-old Sabate is not considered a medal contender at the Olympics; he was 20th at the world championships last year. But after the past week, he figures to have plenty of support when he brings the Minions with him Tuesday night.

“Right now, I just want to give my all on the ice and perform a program worthy of the love I’ve received from around the world,” Sabate said. “I’m thrilled by the love that a small skater from a small federation has received.”

The opening ceremony time for the 2026 Winter Olympics is taking place on Friday, but some early rounds of competition began two days earlier. USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates rock-and-rolled their way to a world-best 91.06 points in the rhythm dance to open the team competition at the Olympics on Friday, cheered on by a crowd that included Vice President JD Vance and his family, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Olympic events are set to continue through the closing ceremony on Feb. 22, and the Paralympics will take place the following month, from March 6 to March 15.

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February 6, 2026
Minions to get Olympic moment as Spanish figure skater gets final approval for music

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MILAN — Those mischievous Minions will have their Olympic moment after all.

Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate obtained the final approval he needed for his music on Friday, allowing the Spanish figure skater to perform his short program — set to a medley from the animated comedy from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment — when the men’s competition begins at the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday night.

Sabate had been performing the fan-favorite program all season, thinking he had the proper approval through a system called ClicknClear to use four cuts of music Minions. Last week, Universal Studios asked for him to provide more details on the music Sabate was using and the Minions-inspired outfit that he had been wearing.

He was able to quickly get approval for two cuts of music, and Sabate obtained a third by reaching out directly to the artist, a fellow Spaniard. The hold up was the song “Freedom” by the American musician and producer Pharrell Williams.

That approval finally came Friday, about two hours before the Olympic figure skating program opened with the team event.

“I’m so happy to announce that we’ve done it! We’ve secured the licenses for all four songs, and I’ll be able to skate the Minions at the Olympic Games,” Sabate wrote on social media. “It hasn’t been an easy process, but the support of everyone who has followed my case has been key to keeping me motivated and optimistic these past few days.”

At one point, Sabate’s situation had grown so dire that he began practicing his Bee Gee-inspired short program from last year. But as news of his plight came out, and he began to get approval for some of the music, his hopes of performing Minions began to grow.

He even practiced the program, which opens with peels of laughter from the characters, during an early session Thursday. By the next morning, the Royal Spanish Ice Sports Federation announced that the copyright issue had been resolved.

“I want to thank ClickClear and the RFEDH, as well as Universal Pictures, Pharrell Williams, Sony Music and Juan Alcaraz for managing the rights in such a short time so I can perform my program in Milan,” Sabate said.

The copyright issue has become a big problem in figure skating, where for years skaters could only use music without words, usually considered part of the public domain. But when the rules changed in 2014, and more modern music began to be used in competition, some artists began to object to their work being used without the proper permission.

Two-time world medalist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium also had copyright issues ahead of the Olympics.

The Belgian had been performing her short program to “Ashes” by Celine Dion from the film “Deadpool 2.” But after the European championships last month, her brother and coach, Jorik Hendrickx, and choreographer Adam Solya became concerned that the music would not be approved for the Olympics, and they decided to change the soundtrack at the last minute.

Hendrickx is now performing a slightly modified program to “I Surrender,” another song by Dion, which has the same rhythm and feel as “Ashes.” She was able to obtain permission for that piece because it is part of ClicknClear’s catalogue of licenses.

The 26-year-old Sabate is not considered a medal contender at the Olympics; he was 20th at the world championships last year. But after the past week, he figures to have plenty of support when he brings the Minions with him Tuesday night.

“Right now, I just want to give my all on the ice and perform a program worthy of the love I’ve received from around the world,” Sabate said. “I’m thrilled by the love that a small skater from a small federation has received.”

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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February 6, 2026
USA’s Madison Chock, Evan Bates post world-best score to open figure skating at Winter Olympics

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Madison Chock and Evan Bates rock-and-rolled their way to a world-best 91.06 points in the rhythm dance Friday to open the team competition at the Milan Cortina Olympics, where the American figure skaters are the reigning champions.

Cheered on by a crowd that included Vice President JD Vance, his family and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chock and Bates were able to secure their team the maximum 10 points for their Lenny Kravitz-inspired dance while making a big early statement.

The three-time world champions, Chock and Bates are the favorites to win individual Olympic gold later in the Winter Games. But they’ll be pushed by the new French team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who had made their own statement minutes before Chock and Bates took the ice when they set their own world-best score of 89.98 points.

“We’re not focused on that,” Chock said. “We’re just doing what we do.”

Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 6, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

The team event is expected to come down to the U.S. and Japan for the gold medal. The win by Chock and Bates in the rhythm dance, coupled with an eighth-place result for Utana Yoshia and Masaya Morita, means the U.S. has a big early lead.

The short program for women and pairs were later Friday, just hours before the opening ceremony. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea were on the ice in pairs for the U.S. with world champion Alysa Liu performing her short program.

“We definitely skated great and we’re very happy, as you saw when we finished. I think we both felt the excitement of just getting these Olympics underway,” said Bates, who along with Chock are the only holdovers from the gold medalists at the Beijing Games.

“That’s great start,” Bates added. “It’s always a great feeling to do it for U.S.”

Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 6, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

The Olympics opening ceremony is set for Friday, Feb. 6, but some early rounds of competition began two days earlier. The opening ceremony will feature performances from Mariah Carey, Laura Pausini and Andrea Bocelli.

Olympic events are set to continue through the closing ceremony on Feb. 22. The Paralympics will take place the following month, from March 6 to March 15.

Aliza Chasan

contributed to this report.

Milan Winter Olympics 2026

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February 6, 2026
Chock and Bates rock the ice with world-best score to open figure skating at Milan Cortina Olympics

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MILAN — MILAN (AP) — Madison Chock and Evan Bates rock-and-rolled their way to a world-best 91.06 points in the rhythm dance Friday to open the team competition at the Milan Cortina Olympics, where the American figure skaters are the reigning champions.

Cheered on by a crowd that included Vice President J.D. Vance, his family and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chock and Bates were able to secure their team the maximum 10 points for their Lenny Kravitz-inspired dance while making a big early statement.

The three-time world champions, Chock and Bates are the favorites to win individual Olympic gold later in the Winter Games. But they’ll be pushed by the new French team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, who had made their own statement minutes before Chock and Bates took the ice when they set their own world-best score of 89.98 points.

“We’re not focused on that,” Chock said. “We’re just doing what we do.”

They couldn’t have done it a whole lot better.

The team event is expected to come down to the U.S. and Japan for the gold medal. The win by Chock and Bates in the rhythm dance, coupled with an eighth-place result for Utana Yoshia and Masaya Morita, means the U.S. has a big early lead.

The short program for women and pairs were later Friday, just hours before the opening ceremony. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea were on the ice in pairs for the U.S. with world champion Alysa Liu performing her short program.

“We definitely skated great and we’re very happy, as you saw when we finished. I think we both felt the excitement of just getting these Olympics underway,” said Bates, who along with Chock are the only holdovers from the gold medalists at the Beijing Games.

“That’s great start,” Bates added. “It’s always a great feeling to do it for U.S.”

___

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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February 6, 2026
Minions hit Olympic ice: Spanish skater close to music approval

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MILAN — It appears as if those troublemaking Minions will be taking the Olympic ice after all.

Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate said after practice early Thursday that he has received the necessary approval for three of the four music cuts he needs to perform his short program. The only piece missing from his medley is “Freedom” by Pharrell Williams, and the American musician and producer has been sympathetic to his plight.

“They are discussing it,” Sabate told The Associated Press and a few other reporters. “He seems to be OK, but there’s problems because he’s restricted by his label. A lot of technical stuff. But they are working to make it happen.”

Sabate was optimistic enough to practice his Minions-themed program shortly after 7 a.m. local time inside a nearly empty Milano Ice Skating Arena. The program opens with peels of laughter from the characters before going into music from the film franchise.

Sabate had performed the program all season, believing he had gone through the proper protocols in a system called ClicknClear to obtain the necessary permissions. But then on Friday, Universal Studios stepped in, asking for more details not only on the music being used but also the blue-and-yellow Minions-themed outfit that Sabate plans to wear.

Suddenly, the possibility of performing Minions became so dire that Sabate began practicing last year’s program, set to music by the Bee Gees. The big problem with that plan: He used the same music for his free skate this season.

“Then people started sharing, reposting, sending so much support and love to me,” Sabate said. “The next thing I know, I wake up Tuesday with I don’t know how many messages. … And I think Tuesday night I had a message from people telling me Universal had changed their mind, and you have the rights to the first two pieces of music.”

One of the two remaining pieces turned out to be a Spanish artist, so Sabate reached out to him on social media. They had a chat over the phone and he was able to get approval. That left only the Pharrell Williams part in question.

The copyright problem is relatively new in figure skating. For years, music using lyrics was not allowed, and classical music and other standard fare was part of the public domain, meaning it could be used or modified freely and without permission.

That changed in 2014, when the International Skating Union began to allow words. Fast-forward to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and one of the indie artists who covered “House of the Rising Sun” objected to the use of its work by American pairs skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier. The ensuing lawsuit prompted the ISU to develop systems to help skaters get proper permissions.

The process remains confusing and full of pitfalls.

In fact, Sabate isn’t the only one at the Milan Cortina Olympics affected by it.

Two-time world medalist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium had been performing her short program to “Ashes” by Celine Dion from the film “Deadpool 2.” But after the European championships last month, her brother and coach, Jorik Hendrickx, and choreographer Adam Solya grew concerned that the music would not be approved for the Olympics, forcing them to change course.

Hendrickx is now performing what is largely the same program to “I Surrender,” another song by Dion, which has the same feel as “Ashes.” She was able to obtain permission for that piece because it is part of ClicknClear’s catalogue of licenses.

Other skaters also have had to make minor modifications to their Olympic programs over the past few weeks.

“We don’t want athletes to be worried about the music,” ISU president Jae Youl Kim told AP recently. “It’s really complicated because sometimes one piece of music is owned by 16 different individuals and entities, different rights holders. So actually we are taking a different approach. We are talking directly with the major music labels: ‘Guys, these are young skaters. How can we find a solution that works for everybody?’ We’re still in discussions. But this is something that we are very seriously committed to.”

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

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February 5, 2026
Roseville figure skating coaches hoping to inspire the next generation of Olympic athletes

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Athletes and their coaches are already in Milan with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony set for Friday. Meanwhile, coaches in Northern California, like Julia Durkee and Paolo Borromeo from Skatetown Roseville, are preparing to inspire the next generation of athletes. Most days, you can find Durkee and Borromeo on the ice, sharing their expertise from years of training and competing. “Before becoming a coach, I competed until I was like 21,” Durkee said. “And then I became a show skater.” Borromeo is still competing, having reached the Olympic qualifiers in October, although he fell short of skating for the Philippines in Italy. “I had a great time, and it was a good experience going for it,” Borromeo said.Durkee has her own Olympic journey, as she is going to Italy to watch the pair skating and to coach. “I coach in person here at Skatetown, but I am so passionate about getting to coach virtually as well,” she said. Durkee runs a virtual skating club and a YouTube channel, with more than 100,000 subscribers, where she trains people worldwide online. She plans to host clinics and sessions to coach some of them in person while in Europe. “It’s incredible getting to be part of people’s skating journeys,” Durkee said.Both coaches are dedicated to sharing the sport they love. “I want to kind of help provide like other kids the same experiences and feelings that skating has provided for me,” Borromeo said. “You get to help develop their character, you get to help develop their belief in yourself. And it’s just a really beautiful thing to be part of that,” Durkee added.The Olympic figure skating events begin on Friday.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

ROSEVILLE, Calif. —

Athletes and their coaches are already in Milan with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony set for Friday.

Meanwhile, coaches in Northern California, like Julia Durkee and Paolo Borromeo from Skatetown Roseville, are preparing to inspire the next generation of athletes.

Most days, you can find Durkee and Borromeo on the ice, sharing their expertise from years of training and competing.

“Before becoming a coach, I competed until I was like 21,” Durkee said. “And then I became a show skater.”

Borromeo is still competing, having reached the Olympic qualifiers in October, although he fell short of skating for the Philippines in Italy.

“I had a great time, and it was a good experience going for it,” Borromeo said.

Durkee has her own Olympic journey, as she is going to Italy to watch the pair skating and to coach.

“I coach in person here at Skatetown, but I am so passionate about getting to coach virtually as well,” she said.

Durkee runs a virtual skating club and a YouTube channel, with more than 100,000 subscribers, where she trains people worldwide online. She plans to host clinics and sessions to coach some of them in person while in Europe.

“It’s incredible getting to be part of people’s skating journeys,” Durkee said.

Both coaches are dedicated to sharing the sport they love.

“I want to kind of help provide like other kids the same experiences and feelings that skating has provided for me,” Borromeo said.

“You get to help develop their character, you get to help develop their belief in yourself. And it’s just a really beautiful thing to be part of that,” Durkee added.

The Olympic figure skating events begin on Friday.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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February 4, 2026