Synchronised Skating at the Olympics

[starrynight]

What is the status of synchronised skating becoming an Olympic sport?

What changes to the discipline would be required to convince the IOC to include it as an Olympic sport?

 

[Sylvia]

July 2018 thread in Other Sports:

New events approved for 2022 Winter Olympics (synchro. skating not included)

IOC press release today: https://www.olympic.org/news/future-games-sports-programmes-full-of-passion-and-excitement "The programme features the addition of signature new events with monobob and freestyle ski big air, as well as dynamic mixed team formats including short track mixed relay, a ski...

www.fsuniverse.net

 

[misskarne]

No.

It's not going to happen. Nor should it. Even with the 10-teams-of-12 proposal, that is an additional 120 athletes - nearly as many as the other four disciplines combined!!!!! - at a time when the IOC wants to keep the Olympics the same size or smaller than previously.

As always, I ask the question: which sport are you advocating kicking out of the Olympics to make room for synchro?

 

[starrynight]

Even with the 10-teams-of-12 proposal, that is an additional 120 athletes

Based on the successful synchro nations, I'd say the 10 countries would be: Russia, Canada, Finland, Sweden, USA, Italy, Germany, Japan, France ?

If there were Olympic medals at stake, I think China might start flexing more at synchro.

I imagine an issue might be that the vast majority of those athletes will all be female and I think the IOC is trying to include sports that are competed by both men and women.

 

[MacMadame]

As always, I ask the question: which sport are you advocating kicking out of the Olympics to make room for synchro?

Biathlon?

 

[starrynight]

I've gone back and watched some synchro and I think the issue with cutting team sizes is that the best part of synchro is those long lines of skaters doing wheels and intersecting etc.

I'm not too fussed on the pairs elements in synchro. Those dance and pairs lifts are just done way better in dance and pairs. It's a bit distracting watching them when in the back of your head you are thinking 'oh I've seen Hawyek/Baker do that lift but a lot better'. Now that's no issue for synchro, but I think it would stand out if all the disciplines were to be skated at the Olympics.

But I think that the ISU will probably have to include synchro as part of the actual full skating World Champs before the IOC will be convinced.

 

[misskarne]

Based on the successful synchro nations, I'd say the 10 countries would be: Russia, Canada, Finland, Sweden, USA, Italy, Germany, Japan, France ?

If there were Olympic medals at stake, I think China might start flexing more at synchro.

I imagine an issue might be that the vast majority of those athletes will all be female and I think the IOC is trying to include sports that are competed by both men and women.

I feel like you just completely, spectacularly, utterly missed the main point of my post.

 

[Deleted member 40371]

Biathlon?

Biathlon is hugely popular in Germany, Norway and other Scandinavian countries. Each World Cup is really well attended, better than most skating Grand Prix events. I don’t see synchro picking up a spot vacated by Biathlon. Also remember that Biathlon has a better gender balance compared to Synchro. IOC will have to explain a lot in putting Synchro in the place of Biathlon.

 

[starrynight]

I feel like you just completely, spectacularly, utterly missed the main point of my post.

Why are you being mean? I didn't say anything rude to you.

 

[caseyedwards]

The ioc is very wrong and disgusting for excluding sports that mean hundreds more people if they are in a team event. Because they add hundreds of snowboarders? Why can’t they add hundreds of synchro skaters?

 

[misskarne]

Why are you being mean? I didn't say anything rude to you.

The point of my post was the size issue, and you just side-stepped it faster than the speed of light and didn't address it at all.

 

[starrynight]

The point of my post was the size issue, and you just side-stepped it faster than the speed of light and didn't address it at all.

You mentioned 10 teams and I thought it might be fun to speculate which teams would qualify for the Olympics.

This is a discussion forum for fun, not a structured debate. I'm not interested in being aggressive over synchro. Just thought it could be fun to discuss that's all.

 

[misskarne]

You mentioned 10 teams and I thought it might be fun to speculate which teams would qualify for the Olympics.

This is a discussion forum for fun, not a structured debate. I'm not interested in being aggressive over synchro. Just thought it could be fun to discuss that's all.

You literally asked:

What is the status of synchronised skating becoming an Olympic sport?

What changes to the discipline would be required to convince the IOC to include it as an Olympic sport?

I gave an answer to this question with reasons why it won't ever be included.

You literally ignored that answer and took the thread on a different track because you didn't like the answer.

 

[starrynight]

Are there many Winter Olympic team sports? Hockey comes to mind and curling. There are relays, but I feel most Winter Olympic sports are individual sports. So I would say there might be some merits in introducing another team sport.

 

[Immortelle]

It’s hard to decide which sports should be included because these days it involves axing another sport which will upset people in those countries where it is popular and the athletes do well in it.
I think synchro is great to watch, inclusive of a variety of body shapes and open to anyone regardless of gender. The international exposure would probably do it good.
But logistically it requires more infrastructure and access to already limited ice for the events, practice time, etc. I think that’s the real reason it’s not going to be approved for inclusion any time soon.

 

[Bellanca]

I feel like someone is having a bad day.

Anyhow, the concern has always been the additional cost, housing for the synchro teams, etc., but I would love to see them realize their dream of participating at the Olympics someday. That would be sweet!

 

[synchrogirl17]

I am 100% a synchro skater through and through, but I would rather never see synchro in the Olympics than have the sport I love cut down to tiny teams of 12 with programs built for TV (because that is pretty much what they ask). The sport is gorgeous the way it is.

I'm not too fussed on the pairs elements in synchro. Those dance and pairs lifts are just done way better in dance and pairs. It's a bit distracting watching them when in the back of your head you are thinking 'oh I've seen Hawyek/Baker do that lift but a lot better'. Now that's no issue for synchro, but I think it would stand out if all the disciplines were to be skated at the Olympics.

Sorry if I’m a little defensive about this, but those pair/dance lifts are not actually elements in synchro, they are transitions. Plus you frequently have female skaters of equal size and a lot less time to spend on lifts. So I dont think it’s fair to expect these lifts to be of equal quality as top pair/dance teams

 

[synchrogirl17]

Why are you being mean? I didn't say anything rude to you.

Don’t worry, misskarne just really hates synchro

 

[Japanfan]

Are there many Winter Olympic team sports? Hockey comes to mind and curling. There are relays, but I feel most Winter Olympic sports are individual sports. So I would say there might be some merits in introducing another team sport.

There's also skeleton, bobsled, FS of course, speed skating, cross-country skiing (different distances), the sport where you ski and shoot (don't remember the name - and there must be a few more I can't think of right now.

Speed skating has a team event, the relay. Does cross-country skiing also have a team event? And FS now has a team event.

I don't expect Syncho to be added to the Olympics, particularly because of the logistical challenges. And also because people don't really see synchro as a sport - many don't even see figure skating as a sport.

The one time I saw synchro live, I loved it. I would love to have an opportunity to see synchro live again. But I've not enjoyed it on TV. It's hard to appreciate them movements and challenges on TV.

Also, it's easy for a general audience to understand that when a skater falls or stumbles, it is a mistake and costs points. Even if people don't understand the nuances/details of the sport and the judging system. I would think it would be more difficult to understand how synchro is judged.

 

[Orm Irian]

I would love to see synchro at the Olympics as a one-off demonstration sport, but realistically I think the large team sizes make it unlikely that it could ever be anything else given the IOC's commitment to cutting athlete numbers. If they revived and updated the old fours discipline, though, maybe that could be a midway point bringing elements of synchro to an Olympic discipline alongside elements of singles/pairs skating.

 

[SmallFairy]

Curling is also a team sport.

 

[Jeschke]

the sport where you ski and shoot

Biathlon

Does cross-country skiing also have a team event?

Yes. There is a relay (4x10km/men; 4x5km/women) and a teamsprint for m/w each.

Most of olympic winter sports had team events at last Olympics:
Alpine skiing (1)
Biathlon (3)
Cross Country (4)
Figure Skating (3)
Luge (1)
Nordic Combined (1)
Short Track (2)
Ski Jumping (1)
Speed Skating (2)

'Traditional' team sports at olympics:
Bobsleigh
Curling
Ice Hockey

As mentioned by others before, the large team sizes for synchro are making it very unlikely to be included imho.
They can't include Synchro with 4 teams only, what event would that be?
More likely IOC is going for more team events, where the individual athletes are already there (mixed team ski jumping, biathlon team sprint; speed skating team sprint,...)

 

[Japanfan]

Curling is also a team sport.

@starrynight recognized that.

 

[MacMadame]

Here are all the winter sports. The only one I can see them getting rid of is biathlon.

Winter Olympics 2026 - Latest news, updates & highlights - BBC Sport

The home of Winter Olympics on BBC Sport online. Includes the latest news stories, results, fixtures, video and audio.

www.bbc.com

 

[skatingguy]

Here are all the winter sports. The only one I can see them getting rid of is biathlon.

Winter Olympics 2026 - Latest news, updates & highlights - BBC Sport

The home of Winter Olympics on BBC Sport online. Includes the latest news stories, results, fixtures, video and audio.

www.bbc.com

As @Jeschke Biathlon is one of the most popular winter sports in many parts of Europe. Events are held at night so they can be aired in prime time, and the top athletes are earning a nice living.

 

[Sylvia]

Here's an IOC chart that shows the 7 events added for 2022 and the number of athletes added/removed by sport compared to 2018 (Biathlon will be reduced by 20 athletes, for example): https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/...6.1128596010.1531947675-1748679467.1531947675

 

[Lemonade20]

Ice time is already at a premium and more so during the Olympics. Currently skaters can practice on the same ice but a synchro team would need more than just a patch on the ice. The only way it’ll work is if the host city partners up with another city close by who can provide the ice and housing. It would be difficult to pull off but not completely impossible. The bigger question: will people tune in to watch?

 

[MacMadame]

As @Jeschke Biathlon is one of the most popular winter sports in many parts of Europe.

But not much interest outside of Europe. That's a criterion that the IOC uses -- they want sports with wide-spread popularity.

Baseball/softball is another sport that the IOC axed after 2008 because it was mostly played in the Americas. (It's going to be a demonstration sport 2021 but no guarantee it will be back in 2024.) It's wildly popular here but not enough in Asia (Japan being an exception), Europe, and Africa.

 

[caseyedwards]

I think if synchro is in olympics put it in another city! Things are being messed up very badly because of the one city for everything tradition! Well not so much for skiing. Many times that’s in another city anyway. So if skiiers can travel to the next door city or further why not just have all synchro in another city altogether!

 

[Barbara Manatee]

Why not, when the surfing venue for Paris 2024 will be in Tahiti!