2026 Olympics Team Event - Strategy, Predictions & Discussion

[Private Citizen]

That still doesn't address the issue with the scheduling and how it impacts the disciplines competing during the 1st week of the Olympics.

TBH I think the skaters are being snowflakes over the schedule. If there's a way to improve it around the edges, great. If not, it's the Olympics. Suck it up FFS. Four programs in a week is not that big of an ask. Some skaters who aren't in the team event would probably love the opportunity to test out their programs in competition before the individual event. I don't see it as a disadvantage or unfairness. Different strokes for different folks and all of that.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I agree to some extent, but I still think it would be better if it wasn't something they only had the chance to do during the olympics.

 

[Karen-W]

TBH I think the skaters are being snowflakes over the schedule. If there's a way to improve it around the edges, great. If not, it's the Olympics. Suck it up FFS. Four programs in a week is not that big of an ask. Some skaters who aren't in the team event would probably love the opportunity to test out their programs in competition before the individual event. I don't see it as a disadvantage or unfairness. Different strokes for different folks and all of that.

I definitely agree that the skaters who are complaining about the schedule are being a bit prima donna-ish about it. It's the Olympics and you get a chance to compete not once but twice for a medal. What about the speedskaters who compete in the distance races and are competing every day or every other day? Or the ones that have multiple races they're competing in? Somehow, they all manage to handle it, so figure skaters should be able to handle it too.

I agree to some extent, but I still think it would be better if it wasn't something they only had the chance to do during the olympics.

Yes, the biggest issue right now is that this format is competed only at the Olympics. Either change the WTT format to more closely match the Olympic Team Event or add a World Team Competition during the even-numbered non-Olympic years in the same time window as WTT is held during the odd-numbered years.

 

[Allskate]

I definitely agree that the skaters who are complaining about the schedule are being a bit prima donna-ish about it.

Oh, please. You're the one who predicted that Ilia and C&B would wisely not do the second part of the TE because it was too close to their individual events and could affect their performance in the individual events.

A bunch of people sitting at their computers are criticizing and whining that athletes aren't performing enough for them when they want them to? Because they know better than these elite athletes do what it's like to compete at the Olympics and are certain that the athletes shouldn't be affected and that it wouldn't create an unfair advantage for some of the skaters to skate more than the others and are under much more intense pressure. I shouldn't be surprised who is saying this.

 

[Karen-W]

Oh, please. You're the one who predicted that Ilia and C&B would wisely not do the second part of the TE because it was too close to their individual events and could affect their performance in the individual events.

You're right, because that's been the conventional wisdom since the introduction of the TE. Am I not allowed to revise my opinion?

 

[Allskate]

You're right, because that's been the conventional wisdom since the introduction of the TE. Am I not allowed to revise my opinion?

You're allowed to do whatever you want. But, it's a pretty wild swing from being concerned about the impact of the schedule on Ilia to calling him a prima donna. And, I stand by my opinion that you don't understand the situation as well as he and the other athletes do. You just want them to entertain you more.

 

[Karen-W]

You're allowed to do whatever you want. But, it's a pretty wild swing from being concerned about the impact of the schedule on Ilia to calling him a prima donna. And, I stand by my opinion that you don't understand the situation as well as he and the other athletes do. You just want them to entertain you more.

I suppose you feel that @Private Citizen, who was the first one to espouse the view that the skaters were acting like snowflakes, knows the situation better?

Listen, I'm not a massive fan of the schedule, but I understand why the Team Event is held before the individual events and I've always liked the Team Event, unlike a lot of old-fashioned folks who would love nothing more than for it to go away.

If I had my druthers, there would be a bit more time between the TE and the first individual event but I get that it's the Olympics and the IOC wants skating on at least 4 nights every week both weeks. And, the more I study the schedule, the more similar it seems to me to a situation of having back-to-back GPs but without the travel. That's not the worst thing in the world and the skaters who have complained or pointed to the schedule as an issue are sort of being drama queens when one considers that this is an Olympic medal on the line.