2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics - Figure Skating Qualification

kwanfan1818 said:
(For one Olympics in memory, it was held in Austria before going back to Nebelhorn.)
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I don't think that there had ever been an Olympic qualifying competition until the one held in Vienna in 1997. The entry of several new federations into the ISU after the breakup of the Soviet Union was the main reason for limiting the number of spots at the Olympics.
 
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Vagabond said:
I don't think that there had ever been an Olympic qualifying competition until the one held in Vienna in 1997. The entry of several new federations into the ISU after the breakup of the Soviet Union was the main reason for limiting the number of spots at the Olympics.
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That increase in the number of federations started in 1993, the first year with qualifying rounds, and affected qualification for the 1994 Olympics. I'm sure that no more than 30 entries per discipline were allowed at 1994 Olympics (although the women's event was the largest at 27 for the short program), but I don't think there was a qualifying competition, so I don't know how they came up with the cutoff.

Getting a skater past the qual round at the previous Worlds must have been at least part of the consideration:
E.g., Maria Butyrskaya had skated at 1993 Worlds and didn't make it past the qualifying round, and as a result Russia had no women's spot at 1994 Olympics despite having two skaters in the top 4 at 1994 Europeans.
 
1997: Karl Schaeffer
2001: ??? (Karl Schaffer wasn’t held, I though this was Nebelhorn)
2005: back to Karl Schaeffer
2009: Nebelhorn
2013: Nebelhorn
2017: Nebelhorn
2021: Nebelhorn

I’ve being trying to search for where the 2001 qualifying competition was held, but to no avail. I did see that Stanislav Morisov won Karl Schaefer with two different partners in 1997 and 2005.
 
2001 was Golden Spin of Zagreb: https://web.archive.org/web/20110719053427/http://ww2.isu.org/news/1132.html

D. Senior International Competition designated by the ISU: Golden Spin of Zagreb
...
3. Entries for the Golden Spin of Zagreb, 2001

The maximum number of entries is in principle limited to twenty-four (24) in each discipline (Ladies, Men, Pairs and Ice Dance).
Member Federations, which need to qualify and have not previously earned an entry into the 2002 OWG for the respective discipline, will be allowed to enter only one skater/couple into their respective discipline.
All Member Federations which need to qualify and wish to enter their one skater/couple for the respective discipline will be accepted, even if the total number of entries for each discipline exceeds twenty-four (24).
 
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I went back and checked, and that first Olympic qualifying competition was indeed in 1997 in Vienna. What I particularly remember about the event is that Chen Lu had to compete there to earn a spot for China, as she had failed to qualify for the Free Skate at Worlds the previous season, thereby missing out on an automatic spot hor her federation.
 
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ajingmarg said:
You are wrong about the Russian government. If they want passports be made. It will be done instantly
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Ultimately it doesn’t matter even if that’s true! Russia is not going to prescreen and go by ISU rules and any Russian is going to be rejected for participation in quasi pro war events
 
Vagabond said:
I went back and checked, and that first Olympic qualifying competition was indeed in 1997 in Vienna. What I particularly remember about the event is that Chen Lu had to compete there to earn a spot for China, as she had failed to qualify for the Free Skate at World the previous season, thereby missing out on an automatic spot hor her federation.
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Oh wow, the women's field! :love: Mojca Kopac and Idora Hegel, and in a when-they-were-young special, Zoe Jones and (sadly withdrawn) I assume the same Bit-na Park who coaches lots of current Korean girls?
 
Bumping this up now that we know who has qualified for the Olympic spots available in Boston. I know there are questions that abound regarding citizenship as well as the team event.

Men - 29 spots total
3 spots - USA & JPN
2 spots + 1 OQE entry - FRA
2 spots - ITA & LAT
1 spot + 1 OQE entry - KAZ, KOR & GEO
1 spot - AZE, CAN, CHN, ESP, EST, POL, SUI, SVK & SWE

5 spots to be awarded at the OQE

Women - 29 spots total
3 spots - USA & JPN
2 spots - KOR & SUI
1 spot + 1 OQE entry - BEL & EST
1 spot - AUT, BUL, CAN, FIN, FRA, GBR, ISR, ITA, KAZ, LTU, POL & ROU

5 spots to be awarded at the OQE

Pairs - 19 spots total
2 spots + 1 OQE entry - USA
2 spots - GER, ITA & CAN
1 spot + 1 OQE entry - JPN, GEO, HUN, AUS, UZB
1 spot - GBR, POL & NED

3 spots to be awarded at the OQE

Dance - 23 spots total
3 spots - USA & CAN
2 spots - GBR, FRA, FIN, & CZE
1 spot + 1 OQE entry - ITA, ESP & GEO
1 spot - GER & KOR

4 spots to be awarded at the OQE

Team Event - 10 spots total - a country must be qualified in either 3 or 4 Disciplines
Canada - 4
Italy - 4
United States - 4

Georgia - 3 - should qualify in Women at the OQE
Great Britain - 3 - may qualify in Men at the OQE
Japan - 3 - strong chance of qualifying in Dance at the OQE

France - 3 - unlikely to qualify in Pairs at the OQE
Korea - 3 - does not have a Pairs team eligible to compete internationally at this time, unlikely to qualify in Pairs at the OQE
Poland - 3 - unlikely to qualify in Dance at the OQE

Germany - 2 - may qualify in Men at the OQE, unlikely to qualify in Women at the OQE

China - 1 - may qualify in Women & Pairs at the OQE, unlikely to qualify in Dance at the OQE

If more than 10 teams have at entries in at least 3 Disciplines, then it will come down to points. Of the 8 teams who have a reasonable chance of qualifying in at least 3 disciplines, here are the points standings so far:

Japan - 3654
Georgia - 2613
France - 1870
Great Britain - 1642
Germany - 1593
Korea - 1355
China - 1090
Poland - 659

Countries can still earn points in the fall on the GP or JGP (if no points are earned from the GP). Once the final 10 teams are confirmed, the teams without entrants in the 4 individual disciplines will be allowed to add an entry in their missing discipline - the additional athlete quota is 5, so it is very likely that at least 2 countries will be forced to field at team with entrants in only three disciplines. They really are going to be there just for the vibes & the chance to skate on Olympic ice before their own events, lol.
 
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The OQE for pairs is gonna be murderous.
Someone mentioned that NagMor will have a good chance of qualifying because all teams will be able to do their short and long programs. So if NagMor bomb their short, which they sometimes do, they can make up for it in the long. And I can think of a few other pairs that would benefit from that.
 
Karen-W said:
Bumping this up now that we know who has qualified for the Olympic spots available in Boston. I know there are questions that abound regarding citizenship as well as the team event.

Men - 29 spots total
3 spots - USA & JPN
2 spots + 1 OQE entry - FRA
2 spots - ITA & LAT
1 spot + 1 OQE entry - KAZ, KOR & GEO
1 spot - AZE, CAN, CHN, ESP, EST, POL, SUI, SVK & SWE

5 spots to be awarded at the OQE

Women - 29 spots total
3 spots - USA & JPN
2 spots - KOR & SUI
1 spot + 1 OQE entry - BEL & EST
1 spot - AUT, BUL, CAN, FIN, FRA, GBR, ISR, ITA, KAZ, LTU, POL & ROU

5 spots to be awarded at the OQE

Pairs - 19 spots total
2 spots + 1 OQE entry - USA
2 spots - GER, ITA & CAN
1 spot + 1 OQE entry - JPN, GEO, HUN, AUS, UZB
1 spot - GBR, POL & NED

3 spots to be awarded at the OQE

Dance - 23 spots total
3 spots - USA & CAN
2 spots - GBR, FRA, FIN, & CZE
1 spot + 1 OQE entry - ITA, ESP & GEO
1 spot - GER & KOR

4 spots to be awarded at the OQE
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This output have partly determined the panel of judges for Olympic Games.

Men
13 countries will be drawn among the following 17 countries:
USA, JPN, FRA, ITA, LAT, KAZ, KOR, GEO, AZE, CAN, CHN, ESP, EST, POL, SUI, SVK, SWE

Women
13 countries will be drawn among the following 18 countries:
USA, JPN, KOR, SUI, BEL, EST, AUT, BUL, CAN, FIN, FRA, GBR, ISR, ITA, KAZ, LTU, POL, ROU

Pairs
The following 12 countries are entitled to send of a judge:
USA, GER, ITA, CAN, JPN, GEO, HUN, AUS, UZB, GBR, POL, NED
There will be a draw for 1 judging slot among the ISU members getting the spots at OQE (if not already represented in the panel).
If needed, a further draw will be done among the ISU members with a pair at Boston World Championships without an Olympic spot (UKR, FIN, SUI, FRA, AUT).

Ice Dance
The following 11 countries are entitled to send of a judge:
USA, CAN, GBR, FRA, FIN, CZE, ITA, ESP, GEO, GER, KOR
There will be a draw for 2 judging slots among the ISU members getting the spots at OQE (if not already represented in the panel).
If needed, a further draw will be done among the ISU members with a pair at Boston World Championships without an Olympic spot.

Unlike at ISU Championships, there is no limit in the number of disciplines a judge can judge in the same Championship. Therefore, countries such as Kazakhstan or Georgia who have only 1 ISU judge are not constrained in the draw.
 
farahfan said:
The OQE for pairs is gonna be murderous.
Someone mentioned that NagMor will have a good chance of qualifying because all teams will be able to do their short and long programs. So if NagMor bomb their short, which they sometimes do, they can make up for it in the long. And I can think of a few other pairs that would benefit from that.
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And I firmly disagree with that analysis. There is no way that NagaMori will beat whomever the Russian team is - they still lack a second, reliable triple throw & the less said about their triple twist attempt the better. Additionally, while on paper their planned SBS jump elements rack up the base value, they're inconsistent as heck with those elements.

Their SB is still 4 points below a not-fully-healthy ChanHowe, less than 1 pt ahead of the similarly inconsistent McBPark and 3.5 pts ahead of ShiNagy who are even newer, but with a stronger pairs foundation in Balasz.

And that's not taking into consideration what the new Chinese team of Sui/Li will be capable of doing by September - and the home ice advantage they will have in attaining the 3rd spot.

In other words - NagaMori are going to need some things to go awfully right for them in Beijing while relying on things going very wrong for those other three teams.
 
Andrea82 said:
This output have partly determined the panel of judges for Olympic Games.

Pairs
The following 12 countries are entitled to send of a judge:
USA, GER, ITA, CAN, JPN, GEO, HUN, AUS, UZB, GBR, POL, NED
There will be a draw for 1 judging slot among the ISU members getting the spots at OQE (if not already represented in the panel).
If needed, a further draw will be done among the ISU members with a pair at Boston World Championships without an Olympic spot (UKR, FIN, SUI, FRA, AUT).

Ice Dance
The following 11 countries are entitled to send of a judge:
USA, CAN, GBR, FRA, FIN, CZE, ITA, ESP, GEO, GER, KOR
There will be a draw for 2 judging slots among the ISU members getting the spots at OQE (if not already represented in the panel).
If needed, a further draw will be done among the ISU members with a pair at Boston World Championships without an Olympic spot.
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Just one additional note - neither RUS nor BLR will be allowed to have a judge on the panel should they have athletes qualify as AINs in Pairs or Dance. There is a chance that there may not need to be a draw for either as there may only be 1 additional country earning a spot in Pairs and only 2 additional countries earning spots in Dance.
 
Karen-W said:
In other words - NagaMori are going to need some things to go awfully right for them in Beijing while relying on things going very wrong for those other three teams.
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Isn't this event in Nov? That's 8 months away and a lot can happen between now and then.
 
MacMadame said:
Isn't this event in Nov? That's 8 months away and a lot can happen between now and then.
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It's in mid-September, so less than 6 months.

Yes, a lot can happen, but I'm rather dubious at this point. They've been a team for 2 years this summer and their throws are still really tiny - I'm talking new-to-junior-level tiny. Their double twist also is not that high, which is part of why I question how long it will take to develop (if ever) a credible triple twist. Their lifts are quite good, but the rest of their pairs elements are not. They get good scores when/if they land their SBS triples. I don't see that changing in the next 5 months.
 
Sui/Li are also likely to get stronger and stronger. Their challenge will be adjusting to each other in competitions, but their upside is so much more up than couples on the cusp.

If the IOC were so gung-ho on having AIN athletes, they should have raised the fields by one, and if the AIN athlete(s) made the top current number + 1, they'd earn that spot.
 
What are folks guesses on who gets the final Olympics spots?

Pairs (3 spots):
Russia
China (Sui & Li?)
Japan's #2 team (Nagaoka/Moriguchi)
will just miss: USA's #3 team (I wonder if USA could send a team without citizenship like McBeath/Parkman to get the 3rd spot?)

Dance (4 spots):
Russia
Lithuania (Allison Reed!)
Australia
Japan
will just miss: ITA's #2 team (anyone know if Noah Lafornara has citizenship? I suppose Tali/Lafornara could get that 4th and final spot, and then Yoshida/Morita are out)

Women (5 spots):
Russia
Belgium #2 (Loena!)
Georgia (Gubanova!)
China
5th spot is wide open...

Men (5 spots):
Russia
Korea's #2
Israel
4th and 5th spots are wide open....
 
shuilee said:
What are folks guesses on who gets the final Olympics spots?

Pairs (3 spots):
Russia
China (Sui & Li?)
Japan's #2 team (Nagaoka/Moriguchi)
will just miss: USA's #3 team (I wonder if USA could send a team without citizenship like McBeath/Parkman to get the 3rd spot?)
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It's a spot for the country, not a spot for the skater so yes they could go.
shuilee said:
Dance (4 spots):
Russia
Lithuania (Allison Reed!)
Australia
Japan
will just miss: ITA's #2 team (anyone know if Noah Lafornara has citizenship? I suppose Tali/Lafornara could get that 4th and final spot, and then Yoshida/Morita are out)
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See above. Doesn't matter.
 
shuilee said:
(I wonder if USA could send a team without citizenship like McBeath/Parkman to get the 3rd spot?)
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US can send anyone who didn't make the Pairs FS in Boston. The only team that has to use their spot if they earn it is the AIN team. That is team- rather than country-specific.

shuilee said:
(anyone know if Noah Lafornara has citizenship?
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He does not, but as of last Fall, he said it was on track.
 
I would like to begin to understand what happens to the 4 spots allocated to the country where the Olympics are being held. I'm sure Italy will not be using theirs and there is a long criteria of things that can happen to those spots. I think some of it involves the team competition? It's probably somewhere in the thread - sorry, I haven't read the whole thing.
 
A.H.Black said:
I would like to begin to understand what happens to the 4 spots allocated to the country where the Olympics are being held. I'm sure Italy will not be using theirs and there is a long criteria of things that can happen to those spots. I think some of it involves the team competition? It's probably somewhere in the thread - sorry, I haven't read the whole thing.
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From the 2026 Qualification System doc -

There are 5 additional athlete quota. In order of priority, those go to:

1) the Host Country if needed - which they are not as Italy has qualified in every discipline already
2) each NOC qualified for the Team Event with an incomplete team (only qualified in 3 disciplines) may benefit with additional athletes for ONE discipline in the Team Event - preference is given to the best-ranked "incomplete teams"
3) if there are insufficient additional athlete quota available then there may be some teams who are unable to compete as "complete teams"

Additionally, all skaters, regardless of whether they are entered/competing in one of the 4 individual disciplines or the team event MUST have the Olympic CTES min as set by the ISU at the start of the season (in the past the Olympic CTES has been the same as the Euros/4CCs CTES min).
 
Karen-W said:
From the 2026 Qualification System doc -

There are 5 additional athlete quota. In order of priority, those go to:

1) the Host Country if needed - which they are not as Italy has qualified in every discipline already
2) each NOC qualified for the Team Event with an incomplete team (only qualified in 3 disciplines) may benefit with additional athletes for ONE discipline in the Team Event - preference is given to the best-ranked "incomplete teams"
3) if there are insufficient additional athlete quota available then there may be some teams who are unable to compete as "complete teams"

Additionally, all skaters, regardless of whether they are entered/competing in one of the 4 individual disciplines or the team event MUST have the Olympic CTES min as set by the ISU at the start of the season (in the past the Olympic CTES has been the same as the Euros/4CCs CTES min).
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So, does that mean that even if Yoshida/Morita don’t qualify in Beijing, Japan would get the spot for them as one of the best qualified teams?
 
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