Figure skating made its Olympic debut not at the Winter Games, but at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, making it the first winter sport ever included in the Olympic program. The sport returned to the 1920 Summer Games in Antwerp before becoming a permanent fixture when the first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Since then, it has been one of the most watched and celebrated disciplines at the Winter Games, known for its blend of athleticism, precision, and artistry.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada are the most decorated Olympic figure skaters in history. The ice dance duo earned a total of five Olympic medals across three Games: three golds (team and dance events in 2018, and dance in 2010) and two silvers (team and dance events in 2014). Their combination of chemistry, technical excellence, and storytelling on ice captivated global audiences and redefined what ice dancing could be. Their long career also helped solidify Canada’s position as a powerhouse in the discipline.

The United States and Russia (and previously the Soviet Union) historically have been the two most dominant nations in Olympic figure skating. The U.S. boasts a rich legacy in singles skating, producing champions like Dick Button, Peggy Fleming, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Nathan Chen. Meanwhile, Russia and the former Soviet Union long have set the standard in pairs and ice dance, with dynasties spanning from Irina Rodnina in the 1970s to modern-day champions like Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov.

Canada has been especially strong in ice dance and men’s singles in recent decades, while Japan, China, and South Korea also have emerged as major contenders, particularly in the singles disciplines.

Tara Lipinski of the United States holds the distinction of being the youngest Olympic figure skating champion in history. At just 15 years and 255 days old, she stunned the world by winning gold in the women’s singles event at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. Her victory came in a dramatic head-to-head showdown with fellow American Michelle Kwan and marked a turning point in the sport, ushering in an era where younger skaters began dominating elite competition with increasingly technical programs.

One of the most iconic records in Olympic figure skating was set by Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean of Great Britain at the 1984 Sarajevo Games. Their mesmerizing ice dance routine to Boléro received perfect 6.0 marks for artistic impression from all nine judges, along with six 5.9s for technical merit — an unprecedented achievement under the old scoring system and a performance still regarded as one of the greatest in Olympic history.

Under the current International Judging System (IJS), which replaced the 6.0 format in 2004, Nathan Chen of the United States holds the record for the highest total score in Olympic competition, earning 335.30 points to win the men’s singles gold at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. His technically flawless program, featuring multiple quadruple jumps, symbolized the evolution of figure skating into a more athletic and technically demanding sport.

Olympic figure skating originally used the 6.0 scoring system, where each judge awarded two marks: one for technical merit and another for artistic presentation, with 6.0 being a perfect score. This system widely was understood by audiences but was often criticized for its lack of transparency and susceptibility to bias.

Following a judging scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, where controversy marred the pairs competition, the International Skating Union (ISU) overhauled the scoring process. In 2004, the International Judging System (IJS) was introduced. This new system assigns specific base values to each technical element, with judges awarding Grade of Execution (GOE) and Program Component Scores (PCS) for fundamentals like choreography, transitions, and skating skills. The IJS allows for more detailed scoring, better differentiation between performances, and greater objectivity, though it has also made the sport more difficult for casual viewers to follow.

Figure skating is one of the most ancient and captivating activities in the world. Its roots stretch back at least five thousand years, when northern Europeans strapped animal bones to their feet to glide across frozen surfaces. But it wasn’t until the 19th century that the sport began to resemble the blend of athleticism and artistry we know today.

The transformation of skating into an artistic sport began in the mid-1800s, thanks to Jackson Haines, a ballet dancer from New York. Haines combined ballet with skating, introducing a flowing, expressive style in contrast to the stiff, mechanical moves that dominated European skating. While "figures" (the execution of circular patterns and intricate turns to showcase skill and control, giving the name to the sport still used today) were competed until 1990, Haines' innovations caught on worldwide and laid the foundation for figure skating as a competitive art form.

While the first Olympic Winter Games were not officially competed until 1924, figure skating entered Olympic history in 1908, at the London Summer Games. Events included men’s, women’s, and pairs competitions. Sweden dominated the men’s side, with Ulrich Salchow, inventor of the Salchow jump, winning the first Olympic gold. Madge Syers of Great Britain made history by winning the inaugural ladies’ gold medal.

The sport returned at the 1920 Antwerp Games, still under the Summer Olympics. Swedish skater Gillis Grafstrom won gold, a feat he would repeat in 1924 and 1928, making him one of only a few skaters to win Olympic gold medals in three separate Games. He later added a silver in 1932 and is tied with Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko as the most decorated Olympic singles figure skater.

With the birth of the Winter Olympics in 1924 in Chamonix, France, figure skating became one of six sports that have appeared in every Winter Games. The others are hockey, speed skating, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and ski jumping. Grafstrom defended his title, while Herma Planck-Szabo won gold in the women’s event. At the following year’s world championships, Planck-Szabo won both the ladies singles gold medal and the pairs gold medal, a feat that has never been matched since.

The 1928 St. Moritz Games saw Sonja Henie, an eighth-place finisher in 1924, claim her first of three consecutive Olympic golds. Henie revolutionized the sport, blending fashion, flair, and athletic prowess. After her Olympic career, she became a Hollywood star, further popularizing figure skating.

In Lake Placid 1932, the pairs team Andree and Pierre Brunet became the first to successfully defend their Olympic title, and Henie repeated her gold-medal performance. Karl Schafer of Austria won his first of two men’s golds, eventually matching Henie and Grafstrom’s record of three Olympic golds in a discipline.

Figure skating returned in 1948 after a hiatus during the World War II. American teenager Dick Button won the men’s event, introducing the double Axel, and later in 1952, he became the first skater to land a triple jump (the triple loop) in competition. His dominance helped elevate the technical standards of men’s skating.

The 1950s also marked the rise of the Jenkins brothers - Hayes Alan Jenkins won gold in 1956, followed by his brother David Jenkins in 1960, making them the first brothers to both win Olympic gold.

In ladies’ skating, the U.S. began its history of excellence, with Tenley Albright becoming the first American woman to win gold in 1956, and Carol Heiss following suit in 1960.

In 1961, a plane carrying the entire U.S figure skating team from New York to the World Championships in Prague, crashed near Brussels, leaving no survivors on board. The devastating accident deprived the U.S. of its very best skaters and left an indelible mark on the history of the sport. In the aftermath, The Memorial Fund was formed, which to this day has provided talented young skaters with over $20 million for training expenses.

From the 1960s onward, the Soviet Union began its decades-long dominance in pairs and ice dance. Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov won pairs gold in 1964 and 1968, ushering in a golden era for Soviet figure skating.

In 1972, the world saw the rise of Irina Rodnina, who would go on to win three consecutive Olympic golds with two different partners, Alexei Ulanov and Alexander Zaitsev, defining Soviet athletic supremacy in the sport.

Ice dance made its Olympic debut in 1976, and the Soviet team of Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov claimed the first gold. The event quickly became a staple, known for its musicality and intricate choreography.

Meanwhile, skaters like Great Britain's John Curry, gold medalist in 1976, and Robin Cousins, who took gold in 1980, brought artistry back into men’s skating, emphasizing elegance and dance-like movements over brute athleticism.

The 1980s and 1990s brought drama, rivalries, and global celebrity. Shows like Stars on Ice - founded by four-time world champion and 1984 Olympic champion, Scott Hamilton - performed to sold-out arenas around the world. 

Katarina Witt of East Germany won gold in 1984 and 1988, becoming the first woman since Henie to defend her Olympic title. Her grace and charisma made her a media sensation.

In 1988, the “Battle of the Brians” between Brian Boitano (USA) and Brian Orser (Canada) captivated audiences, with Boitano narrowly taking gold by just one-tenth of a point.

On the ladies’ side, the infamous 1994 Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan scandal brought figure skating into the public spotlight, when Kerrigan became the victim of a vicious kneecapping attack. Despite being injured just weeks before the Games, Kerrigan returned to win silver in Lillehammer, while Oksana Baiul of Ukraine claimed the gold.

Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, two-time Olympic champions and four-time world champions who competed for the Soviet Union and Russia before emigrating to the U.S., became one of only a few pairs to ever complete a quadruple split twist in competition, while Japan's Midori Ito became the first woman to land a triple axel in competition.

At the start of the new millennium, Russian skaters like Evgeni Plushenko, Alexei Yagudin, and Ilia Kulik defined the men’s field with technical prowess and emotional performances.

In ladies’ skating, the U.S. made a strong showing with Tara Lipinski (1998) and Sarah Hughes (2002) winning gold. At just 15, Lipinski became the youngest individual Olympic champion in figure skating history.

The 2002 Salt Lake City Games were marred by controversy when the pairs result led to a judging scandal. Canadian duo Jamie Sale and David Pelletier originally were denied gold but later awarded it alongside Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, leading to the introduction of a new point-based judging system - the IJS (International Judging system) - to replace the traditional 6.0 scoring.

As the sport progressed in the 21st century, technical content increased dramatically. Shizuka Arakawa of Japan won gold in 2006, while the U.S.’ Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto finished with the silver medal, the highest ever finish for the U.S. at that time. Evan Lysacek claimed victory for the U.S. in 2010, and Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko earned the silver medal.

Yuna Kim of South Korea delivered a near-perfect performance in 2010, becoming a national icon. In 2014, she fell to second place in a hotly contested judging decision favoring Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova.

Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu emerged as one of the greatest men’s skaters of all time, winning gold in 2014 and 2018, becoming the first man since 1952 to repeat as Olympic champion. In 2018, his compatriot Shoma Uno took silver, while American Nathan Chen delivered a historic free skate that included multiple quadruple jumps - and the first ever quadruple flip on Olympic ice - landing him in fourth place after a disappointing 17th place finish in the short program.

At the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, scandal again rocked the sport, with Russian teenager Kamila Valieva testing positive for doping, and ultimately being disqualified. As a result, the U.S. was instated as gold medalists and the Japanese team were awarded silver in the team event. Both teams were presented with medals in a special ceremony at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. 

Quad King Chen redeemed his 2018 PyeongChang showing in Beijing, winning gold in the individual men's event, while France's Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron delivered two stunning performances in the ice dance event, taking gold and fully exemplifying just how much their discipline has progressed.

Figure skating’s newest Olympic event, the team competition, debuted in 2014, allowing figure skaters across all four disciplines to compete for their nation as a team. Russia won the inaugural event, with Canada taking second and the United States coming in third. 

Canada moved to the top of the podium in 2018, led by three-time world champion Patrick Chan and legendary ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who also reclaimed their individual ice dance gold, becoming the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history.

The U.S. team won bronze in both 2014 and 2018, thanks to stars like Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who had won the 2014 ice dance gold - a first for the U.S.

Figure skating continues to evolve. The sport’s trajectory from bone skates to quadruple jumps, from romantic ice ballets to high-performance athletic showcases, mirrors broader cultural shifts in sport and entertainment.

Today, figure skating remains one of the most-watched and beloved events in the Winter Olympics, blending grace, precision, and raw power on a sheet of ice. The legacies of pioneers like Haines, Henie, Grafstrom and Button live on in every spin, jump, and twizzle performed by today’s stars.