Figure skating at the Winter Olympics
| Figure skating at the Olympic Games | |
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| Governing body | ISU |
| Events | 5 (men: 1; women: 1; mixed: 3) |
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Figure skating was first contested in the Olympic Games at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Since 1924, the sport has been a part of the Winter Olympic Games. Men's singles, ladies' singles, and pair skating have been held most often. Ice dancing joined as a medal sport in 1976, after appearing as a demonstration event in 1968. A team event, with teams composed of one men's single skater, one ladies' single skater, one pair, and one ice dance duo, debuted at the 2014 Olympics.
Special figures were contested at only one Olympics, in 1908. Synchronized skating has never appeared at the Olympics but aims to be included.
The number of entries for the figure skating events at the Olympic Games is limited by a quota set by the International Olympic Committee. There are 30 participants in each singles events (ladies and men), 20 pairs, and 24 ice dance duos.
Skaters must represent a member nation of the International Skating Union and reach the age of fifteen before July 1 of the previous year. They are also required to be citizens of the country they are representing. Competitors have until just before the Olympics to receive citizenship. Since nationality rules are less strict for the ISU Championships, sometimes skaters who have competed at World or European championships are not eligible for the Olympics.
80% of the Olympic spots (24 men/ladies, 19 dance couples, 16 pairs) are allotted to countries according to the results of the previous year's World Figure Skating Championships. A country may have a maximum of three entries per discipline. Countries earn two or three entries by earning points through their skaters' placements. The points are equal to the sum of the placements of the country's skaters (top two if they have three). If a country only has one skater/team, that skater/team must place in the top ten to earn two entries and in the top two to earn three entries. If a country has two skaters/teams, the combined placement of those teams must be 13 or less to qualify 3 entries, and 28 or less to qualify two entries. The remaining places are awarded to one skater/team each from countries that failed to get multiple places, in order of their skaters' placement in the world championships.
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