In a close race for Olympic gold in the figure skating team event, Japan fell just one point short, walking away with silver after three days of fierce competition.
Japanese figure skaters are favored to make the podium in three of the four individual figure skating disciplines:
- Pairs: Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara enter competition as the gold-medal favorites and reigning world champions
- Men's: Yuma Kagiyama, the silver medalist in 2022, is Ilia Malinin's biggest rival, especially after besting him in the team event men's short program
- Women's: Kaori Sakamoto won bronze in 2022 and had the highest score in both women's segments of the team event
Keep reading to find out how to watch the Japanese figure skaters in their individual Olympic events.
Figure skating at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will air on NBC and USA Network, and stream live on Peacock and NBC Olympics platforms starting on Friday, February 6.
- Dates of remaining competition: February 10 - 19
- Medal events: Pairs and men's and women's singles
- Venue: Milano Ice Skating Arena
- TV channels: NBC, USA Network
- Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Sports app
Visit NBCOlympics.com/FAQ for more information on watching the Winter Olympics, including links to download the NBC, NBC Sports and Peacock apps.
When does figure skating start and end at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Individual figure skating competition will take place from Monday, February 9 to Thursday, February 19:
- Ice dance: Monday, February 9 and Wednesday, February 11
- Men's singles: Tuesday, February 10 and Friday, February 13
- Pairs: Sunday, February 15 and Monday, February 16
- Women's singles: Tuesday, February 17 and Thursday, February 19
When will the Japanese figure skaters compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Individual figure skating competition started on Monday, February 9 and concludes on Thursday, February 19. Japanese figure skaters will be competing in three of the four disciplines:
- Men's singles: Tuesday, February 10 and Friday, February 13
- Pairs: Sunday, February 15 and Monday, February 16
- Women's singles: Tuesday, February 17 and Thursday, February 19
How do I watch live streams of Japanese figure skaters at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The complete figure skating schedule, including TV listings, is also available on the NBC Olympics schedule page. Note that the streams linked below for the ice dance, pairs, women's and men's singles competitions may show other sports before returning to the figure skating rink.
All live streams are also available to watch on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices via the Peacock, NBC and NBC Sports apps.
| Date/Time | Event | Stream |
|---|---|---|
| Tues, 2/10 12:30-2:10p |
Men's Short Program (USA Network): Groups 1 & 2 |
Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tues, 2/10 1:45-5p |
Men's Short Program (NBC): Groups 3, 4 & 5 |
Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Fri, 2/13 1-2:50p |
Men's Free Skate (USA Network): Groups 1 & 2 |
Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Fri, 2/13 3-5p |
Men's Free Skate (NBC): Groups 3 & 4 🏅 |
Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sun, 2/15 1:45-3:10p |
Pairs Short (USA Network): Groups 1 &2 |
Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sun, 2/15 3-5p |
Pairs Short (NBC): Groups 3, 4 & 5 |
Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Mon, 2/16 2-4:15p |
Pairs Free (USA Network): Groups 1 & 2 |
Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Mon, 2/16 3:55-5p |
Pairs Free (NBC): Groups 3 & 4 🏅 |
Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tues, 2/17 12:45-3:10p |
Women's Short (USA Network): Groups 1 & 2 |
Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tues, 2/17 2:40-5p |
Women's Short (NBC): Groups 3, 4 & 5 |
Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Thurs, 2/19 1-5:10p |
Women's Free Skate (NBC): 🏅 | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sat, 2/21 2-4:30p |
Exhibition Gala | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
You can watch every event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics LIVE by subscribing to Peacock. After subscribing and logging in, either go to PeacockTV.com/Olympics in your web browser or download the Peacock app to your phone, tablet, or connected TV device and navigate to the Olympics section.
Users also can authenticate with their cable subscription, which allows access to watch live streams of every Olympic event on NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, the NBC app or the NBC Sports app. All streams can be viewed in web browsers or on your phones, tablets or connected TV devices.
How do I watch the Japanese figure skaters on TV at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Live and tape-delayed coverage of figure skating will be shown on the following TV channels: NBC and USA Network
The full TV listings for figure skating can be found on the NBCOlympics.com schedule page by clicking the toggle at the top to “TV Only.”
How can I watch replays of the Japanese figure skaters at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
If you missed any of the live action in figure skating, you can catch up by watching the full event replays on the NBCOlympics.com Replays hub for the entire following day after the stream concludes. The stream links above also will take you directly to the full replay of each live stream.
What to know about the Japanese figure skaters at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara enter their second Olympic Winter Games as the favorites in the pairs event. The pair made their Olympic debut in 2022 and were part of the Japanese team that claimed Olympic silver in the team event in Beijing. They made history when they won Japan's first-ever world pairs title in 2023, then won a second world title two years later in Boston. With a Grand Prix Final victory under their belts, they could make history once more by winning the first Olympic pairs medal for Japan.
On the men's side, Yuma Kagiyama leads the three-man contingent as the reigning national champion heading into Tuesday's short program. In Beijing, the then 18-year-old Kagiyama won two silver medals (men's singles and team) to become the youngest-ever figure skating Olympic medalist from Japan.
He is one of Ilia Malinin's top competitors, having bested him in the short program in both the Grand Prix Final and Olympic team event. Kagiyama is known for his artistry and musical interpretation, something he's developed under his father, Masakazu Kagiyama, a two-time Olympian for Japan in men's singles, and Carolina Kostner, the 2014 Olympic bronze medalist for Italy in women's singles.
Shun Sato, who skated a flawless free program in the team event, is building off of one of his strongest seasons yet. With his bronze medal at the Grand Prix Final and silver medal at Japanese nationals, he's a top contender to finish on the podium. He's beaten Kagiyama in the free skate at three events this season, though it hasn't been enough to overtake him overall. Kao Miura nabbed the third Olympic spot after his third-place finish at nationals, his best result at nationals yet. The 20-year-old redeemed himself with a Four Continents victory after a less than stellar free skate at Grand Prix de France.
On the women's side, Kaori Sakamoto, Mone Chiba, and Ami Nakai make up Japan's three-woman team. All three woman are looking to become the first Japanese woman since Shizuka Arakawa to claim Olympic gold.
Sakamoto is perhaps one of the most well-known names in the figure skating world. As a three-time world champion and 2022 Olympic bronze medalist in women's singles, she is one of the top contenders to win gold in the individual event. This season will be her last, and as such, she is fittingly skating to Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's "Time To Say Goodbye." After winning both women's programs in the team event, Sakamoto is in prime position to challenge for gold.
Competing in her first senior season, Nakai is another podium favorite in the women's singles event. She defeated Sakamoto twice this season: once on her way to victory in her senior Grand Prix debut in France and once at the Grand Prix Final while claiming silver over Sakamoto's bronze. The 17-year-old is the youngest of the three Japanese women skating in Milan.
Chiba comes into her first Olympic Games off of a strong start to the season with two 2nd-place finishes at Grand Prix events. Despite a disappointing free skate at the Grand Prix Final, the 2025 world bronze medalist finished third at nationals. Chiba grew up in Sendai, Japan, the hometown of two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu, someone Chiba considered to be "like a big brother."