The U.S. Olympic figure skating team event kicks off at 4 a.m. ET on Friday with the rhythm dance, pairs and women's short programs, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea and Alysa Liu, have been named as the first members of the U.S. team. 

The event features competitors from each of the four figure skating disciplines representing their nations and competing as a single team, skating to earn points for a final aggregate result. Ten national teams qualified for the event, with Team USA looking to defend their 2022 Beijing gold medal. Following the first segment of each discipline, the top five nations will qualify for the free skates and free dance, which will define the final results of the event. 

“The team event is extremely important to us,” Bates said ahead of the announcement. “Having the opportunity to compete as a team is so special, and this team in particular is so deep, so talented and has great opportunity for a gold medal.”

Team USA has earned medals at each Olympic Games since the event debuted in 2014 and boasts one of the strongest U.S. contingents in Olympic history at the Milan Cortina Games.

They will be looking to fend off a challenge from Japan, featuring three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, 2022 Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama, and two-time world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara.

Also in the mix are Canada and Georgia. After 2024 world champion pair team Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps were forced to withdraw due to injury earlier this week, Canada will enter the event with a slightly more outside chance at a medal and Georgia, with four solid entries could skate to a surprise outcome. 

Each national team is allowed to "split" or "sub" two disciplines if they make it to the final. That is to say, Team USA could make two replacements to the team members after the short programs and rhythm dance are complete, but they cannot replace their representatives in all four disciplines. Announcements regarding any updates to the U.S. team event roster will be included here as they become available.