2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics - Figure Skating Qualification

So actually the club has removed the story and apparently didn´t clear it with them first...

Swedish Media is now reporting that they might not get to go because of citizenship issues and SOC requirements. Yikes. But maybe media attention can speed up the process of citizenship and bring some attention to the stupid requirements.
 
Okay, I just read about it in Swedish media - for anyone else interested and can read Swedish or wants to try a translator, here is the article.

It seems like Milla already started the application process in March, but the issue here is the application process time, which seems to be longer then usual. They said she has lived in Sweden long enough and has done everything right in the process, which is actually great because I was unsure if they would make the cut. She must have lived there for 2 years and I had the impression they moved there around January 2024. They might formally already have changed the address when they teamed up, which would make sense if she applied already in March. If she started the process 9 months ago, I´m actually more optimistic about the citizenship situation, all though there is not much time left. Maybe reaching out to media might speed up the process now.

However - they say they also must reach the requirements from SOC, which is said to be equal to a top 12 placement at the Olympics, like heck - that is not realistic. I´m not sure what that would mean either..
 
Kelvster said:
pleeeeeease evoke the talented athletes exception…….

One doesn’t get that many chances in life to skate in the Olympics …….
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Yeah this is the option they have.

I have two thoughts about this.

If you look at them isolated as a team, I think they should very well be within the requirements here. They are really talented, already won a Challenger medal and has been improving every season, behind what anyone actually could expect. If that doesn´t fit the criteria, what does? I would go as far as say if you compare them with other new teams across the world, they are among the most talented new teams we have seen in a while. If you add on that Sweden never had a ice dance team at the Olympics, they were the first to be represented at Worlds for many years etc., they tick of several boxes here. Milla is only 20 and is fairly young. I hope they can argue with this and not care about if they will make the free at Olympics or not, because that would be very unfair with how much world ranking and politics influences the scores, but they even have a chance here but it will depend on other teams are clean or not.

The big if here is that Nikolaj already got this exception in 2022 as a single skater, and if they are willing to look through it since it´s a new discipline. I obviously think they should because of the arguments ahead, but that could possible raise questions about others who don´t get it a 2nd time. That is what happend with Alexander Majorov. For example there is a chance that Andreas won´t get it in 2030 if he sticks around, if he doesn´t reach the high standard requirements. And then I assume there are the other sports as well that it sets precedents for. This is about Olympics, not just figure sakting.

My cents is that they might look through it because it´s a huge deal for ice dance in Sweden. The media coverage they are doing now would certainly make it difficult for SOC to deny it - the press release from yesterday reached several media outlets.

But if Milla doesn´t get her citizenship in time, i´m not sure we will know or if they even make a formal assessment. By 2030 they might not be a looked as a "future prospect", since they probably might retire after that, and Nikolaj will be 29.
 
Let’s hope all the stars align and these two can go.

Just wish to add that like many, I am rather sick of Romeo and Juliet … but when I watched their performance at the qualifiers I was blown away. The youthful passion and freedom! It takes me back to my young days lol
 
Danilova/Tsiba fell well short of the minimum score required by the Dutch Olympic Committee to confirm the Olympic spot they earned in Boston. It remains to be seen whether or not the Dutch OC will relent and send them to Milano-Cortina, but it isn't looking too hopeful.

Also, Golubeva/Giotopoulos Moore withdrew from the FS at Golden Spin after an awful SP.

So, the question of whether or not those two spots will be used by NED & AUS remains very much up in the air.
 
Even if the Australians might not be in best shape, it's two more months to go to the Olympics and if they aren't seriously injured why shouldn't they get the Olympic experience?
Different case with the Dutch, but maybe they get an exception. I don't know how strict the Dutch OC is.
 
Sabine-Yuna said:
Even if the Australians might not be in best shape, it's two more months to go to the Olympics and if they aren't seriously injured why shouldn't they get the Olympic experience?
Different case with the Dutch, but maybe they get an exception. I don't know how strict the Dutch OC is.
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The Australians have been dealing with injuries. Yes, they needed to be in Australia to complete her residency requirements but she has also stated, in her most recent IG post, that they've been dealing with her recovery from a concussion. That can be a long, tough road to come back from and their withdrawal today is concerning.

www.instagram.com

ANASTASIA/ on Instagram: "It’s been a long time since I posted anything… But I think it’s time to share what we’ve been going through. We’ve faced many barriers along the way, and we had to overcome every single one of them. This season has been in

A figure skater's journey through adversity, featuring challenges with citizenship and injuries, is a testament to the strength of their team and their commitment to pursuing their dreams on the ice.
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
not sure where to post this, but Christina Carreira received her US citizenship on 11/20 -

www.nbcolympics.com

Christina Carreira earns U.S. citizenship, takes one step closer to her Olympic dream

Two-time national silver medalists, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko spent years navigating the citizenship process so the pair could represent the United States at the Olympics. This week, their immigration struggles concluded.
www.nbcolympics.com www.nbcolympics.com

So, Carreira/ Ponomarenko have a shot at the Olympics, though the road is a little tougher than it was at the beginning of the season.
 
The Dutch are all about speed skating, I doubt if many care if they have a pair team in Milan. :(
 
PRlady said:
The Dutch are all about speed skating, I doubt if many care if they have a pair team in Milan. :(
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I dunno... They were pretty excited when Lindsay van Zundert qualified 4 years ago - and the Dutch OC relaxed their score standards to allow her to go when she didn't achieve their minimum requirement either. DanTsi would be the first pairs team to ever represent the Netherlands at the Olympics, which is pretty historic. I'm crossing my fingers for them.
 
Anybody have any idea if Swedish OC actually has a certain score for the standard requirements? I heard something about the possibility to place top 12 at Olympics, which is not very specific.

If this could translate to the top 12 scores at Worlds in Boston, that would be 244.19 for men and 187.17 for ice dance.
Andreas scored 241.65 at Swedish Nats today, so in that case he would be very close to the standard requirement. Reitan/Majorov improved their RD score to 73.09 today and might end around a mid 180 score tomorrow if they go clean.

I´m not entirely sure if they count in Swedish Nats score, but I do think that was the case before, because I remember that they talked about Alexander Majorov had been so awful close with a score at Swedish Nats.
 
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Regarding the citizenship issue, Milla and Nikolaj has spoken today with media about the citizenship situation. Here is a link to paper: Expressen.

So the facts from the article: Migrationsverket in Sweden received her application only 12 days ago, the 1th of December. Milla couldn´t apply before December because of the residency requirements of living 2 years in Sweden which only applied in December. This aligns with her registration being around mid December 2023 from public records.

They said it´s a race with the clock and they don´t know if she will get the passport in time. They will just wait and see and try not to think and hope too much. They are happy about the possibility but don´t want to celebrate yet. They say that if Olympic won´t happen for them now, they have a long career ahead of them.

There was another article a few days ago where someone interviewed a spokesperson from Migrationsverket about Millas case. He talked about that statistically for 75% of the cases it takes 37 months for adults to get a decision and in light of that it looked rather bleak, but he also said there are individual cases that could go really fast, but that there is no point in speculating, because it really depends from case to case. I think this leaves the door open for a quick process, knowing that there are individual cases that could go faster. I just looked at some statistic for decision time, and the standard time for Nordic citizens seems to be around 2 months, so that is a lot shorter then the average 37 months. Younger people's (18-21) decision time is also shorter, around 6 months, so maybe the combination of Nordic citizen, young age and a sports athlete going to Olympics might help here get a decision really fast?

It seems she should get a decision around the 1th of February given the average standard decision time for Nordic citizens, which will just be a little too late, but this is just average for 75% of the cases.
 
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Meda Variakojyte, 18 (https://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00111930.htm), won Lithuanian Nationals (internal selection comp.) this past weekend and "will be the first representative in the Olympic Games in women's category in the country's history!" https://www.instagram.com/p/DSSAxD1DboR/

LTU federation's announcement:
www.lcf.lt

Lietuvos čempionate – pilni Kauno ledo rūmai, Reed ir Ambrulevičius bei paaiškėjusi šalies atstovė olimpinėse žaidynėse - Lietuvos čiuožimo federacija

Praėjusį savaitgalį (gruodžio 13-14 d.) Kaune įvyko 2025 m. Lietuvos dailiojo čiuožimo čempionatos. Pirmąją varžybų dieną, šeštadienį, 26 sportininkai startavo varžybose atlikę savo trumpąsias programas. Taip pat, pilnai Kauno ledo…
www.lcf.lt www.lcf.lt
"Vice Mayor Mantas Jurgutis arrived to congratulate the stars of the Lithuanian Olympic Winter Team [Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius - photo included] on behalf of Kaunas City Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis."
 
Kyrylo Marsak has been selected for Ukraine's men's Olympic spot.

www.ukrfsf.org.ua

Кирило Марсак представить Україну на ОІ-2026 - Українська федерація фігурного катання на ковзанах

Президія Української федерації фігурного катання на ковзанах (УФФК) ухвалила рішення щодо участі українських фігуристів у важливих стартах сезону 2025/2026.
www.ukrfsf.org.ua www.ukrfsf.org.ua
 
tony said:
Fedir Kulish has an Instagram story up that he's now a Latvian citizen, so the Olympic spot should be his.
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Kulish also shared this post in his Insta story:
www.instagram.com

Sporta Studija on Instagram: "⛸️ Daiļslidotājam Kuļišam piešķirta Latvijas pilsonība 🇱🇻 Saeima lēmusi piešķirt Latvijas pilsonību ukraiņu daiļslidotājam Fjodoram Kuļišam. Šāds lēmums bija svarīgs, lai sportists Latviju varētu pārstāvēt olimpiskajās

118 likes, 0 comments - sportastudija on December 18, 2025: "⛸️ Daiļslidotājam Kuļišam piešķirta Latvijas pilsonība 🇱🇻 Saeima lēmusi piešķirt Latvijas pilsonību ukraiņu daiļslidotājam Fjodoram Kuļišam. Šāds lēmums bija svarīgs, lai sportists Latviju varētu pārstāvēt olimpiskajās spēlēs. 👏🏻 ❄️...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

Auto-translation:

Figure skater Kulish has been granted Latvian citizenship 🇱🇻

The Saeima [parliament of the Republic of Latvia] has decided to grant Latvian citizenship to Ukrainian figure skater Fyodor Kulish. Such a decision was important for the athlete to represent Latvia in the Olympics. 👏🏻

❄️ Figure skater lives in Latvia from 2022. a year but from 2023 of the year represents Latvia in international competitions. 2025. The figure skater won 14th in the European Championship of the year. 24th place, but in the World Championship. position. This year Kulish also became the Latvian champion. 🥇

Latvian men's figure skaters are guaranteed two places at the Milan Olympics. 🤩
 
Hope is still alive for DanTsi! Their fed has submitted a written request to the Dutch Olympic Committee to name them to the Olympic team. A decision is expected by Jan 5th when the entire Dutch team is introduced/presented to the public.

www.schaatsen.nl

KNSB dient verzoek in voor olympisch startbewijs Danilova/ Tsiba

Voor Daria Danilova en Michel Tsiba gloort nog hoop op olympische deelname. De KNSB heeft bij NOC*NSF een verzoek ingediend om het paar toch te laten debuteren in Milaan, hoewel niet aan alle nationale eisen voldaan is.
www.schaatsen.nl www.schaatsen.nl
 
www.skatingfinland.fi

Suomen Olympiakomitea on nimennyt Turkkilan ja Versluisin talviolympialaisiin 2026 I SkatingFinland

Jäätanssijat Juulia Turkkila ja Matthias Versluis on valittu edustamaan Suomea Milano-Cortinan talviolympialaisissa 2026.
www.skatingfinland.fi www.skatingfinland.fi

Ice dancers Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis have been selected to represent Finland at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The Olympic Committee announced the appointment today [Dec. 19].

The 25th Winter Olympics will be held in Italy from 6 to 22 February 2026. This will be the second Olympics for Turkkila and Versluis. The pair made their Olympic debut in Beijing in 2022, when they finished 15th. [...]

The Finnish team will be finalized on January 23rd, when the final selections will be made. Finland also has a place in the women's single skating.
 
Congratulations to Daria Danilova & Michel Tsiba! :) https://www.instagram.com/p/DSj8qw0DIU2/

Auto-translation:

YES! We are allowed to go to Milan! 🇮🇹

We are extremely honored and happy that NOC*NSF gives us the opportunity to represent the Netherlands as the first artistic pair ever at the Olympic Games in Milan!!!!!! 🤩

This is a dream coming true. We would like to thank NOC*NSF and the KNSB for their understanding in our situation, but especially for their belief in us 🙏🏻

We look forward to the second half of the season with confidence and positivity. In addition, we want everyone, but also everyone, to thank you for your support. After Zagreb, we have seen so many positive messages and actions to support us. This means the world to us. Words can't describe how much this does for us and how much we appreciate your support. THANK YOU 🧡

The hunt continues 🦁

Next stop: EK Sheffield 🇬🇧

ETA link to the NED fed's article:
www.schaatsen.nl

Daria Danilova en Michel Tsiba toch naar Milaan!

NOC*NSF heeft besloten dat Daria Danilova en Michel Tsiba alsnog mogen deelnemen aan de Olympische Spelen. Daarmee zijn ze het eerste kunstschaatspaar dat Nederland vertegenwoordigt op de Spelen.
www.schaatsen.nl www.schaatsen.nl
Nevertheless, André Cats, director of elite sports at NOC*NSF, has decided that they will be allowed to make their debut in Milan: "It's rare for such a request from a sports association to be approved. There have to be truly exceptional reasons. After thoroughly examining the situation, we are convinced that this is the case, and that is why we have made this exceptional decision. This is the first time a Dutch figure skating pair will compete at the Olympic Games, and we wish Michel and Daria the very best of luck."
KNSB Technical Director Remy de Wit is grateful that NOC*NSF has delved so deeply into the matter and has reached a positive conclusion. "The KNSB and the Dutch figure skating community are proud that, for the first time in history, we are participating in the Olympic Games with a pair of athletes. This means we will have a total of 30 athletes represented in Milan, our largest delegation ever! But we are, of course, especially happy for Michel and Daria themselves. They have worked incredibly hard for this, given and sacrificed so much. They deserve this broadcast like no other, and I sincerely hope that with their performance and presentation in Milan, they will inspire many young figure skaters in the Netherlands to pursue their own dreams."
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