Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance; the four individual disciplines are also combined into a team event, first included in the Winter Olympics in 2014. The non-Olympic disciplines include synchronized skating, Theater on Ice, and four skating. From intermediate through senior-level competition, skaters generally perform two programs, which, depending on the discipline, may include spins, jumps, moves in the field, lifts, throw jumps, death spirals, and other elements or moves.
Synchronized skating is an ice skating sport where between 8 and 16 skaters perform together as a team. They move as a flowing unit at high speed over the ice, while performing elements and footwork.
USA Roller Sports (USARS), formerly the United States Amateur Confederation of Roller Skating, is the national governing body of competitive roller sports in the United States. It is recognized by the International Roller Sports Federation (FIRS) and the United States Olympic Committee.
The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands, in July 1892, making it one of the oldest international sport federations. The ISU was formed to establish standardized international rules and regulations for the skating disciplines it governs, and to organize international competitions in these disciplines. It is now based in Switzerland.
Stéphane Lambiel is a Swiss former competitive figure skater who now works as a coach and choreographer. He is a two-time (2005–2006) World champion, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final champion, and a nine-time Swiss national champion. Lambiel is known for his spins and is credited with popularizing some spin positions.
Victor Kraatz, is a Canadian former ice dancer. In 2003, he and his partner, Shae-Lynn Bourne, became the first North American ice dancers to win a World Championship.
Marina Vyacheslavovna Anissina is a Franco-Russian ice dancer. Competing with Gwendal Peizerat for France, she is the 2002 Olympic champion, the 1998 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2000 World champion, and a six-time French national champion.
Gustave François Lussi was a figure skating coach. His students include many champions, such as Dick Button, Tenley Albright, Maria Jelinek / Otto Jelinek, Donald Jackson, Alena Vrzáňová, Ronald Robertson, Ronald Ludington, Barbara Ann Scott, David Jenkins, Hayes Jenkins, Emmerich Danzer, Dorothy Hamill, John Misha Petkevich, and John Curry.
Figure skating was first contested in the Olympic Games at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Since 1924, the sport has been a part of the Winter Olympic Games.
A twizzle is "a multirotational, one-foot turn that moves across the ice" in the sport of figure skating. First performed by David Grant in 1990 the International Skating Union (ISU) defines a twizzle as "a traveling turn on one foot with one or more rotations which is quickly rotated with a continuous (uninterrupted) action". It is most often performed in ice dance, although single skaters and pair skaters also perform the element. Twizzles have been called "the quads of ice dance" because like quadruple jumps in other disciplines, twizzles are risky and technically demanding.
Igor Yuryevich Shpilband is an American ice dancing coach and former competitor for the Soviet Union. He is the 1983 World Junior champion with former partner Tatiana Gladkova.
Nelli Nailevna Zhiganshina is a Russian-born German ice dancer. With Alexander Gazsi, she is a six-time German national champion and has won twelve international medals. They have placed as high as 6th at the European Championships and 10th at the World Championships.
Nora von Bergen is a former Swiss ice dancer and actress. She competed with her first partner from 2001-2006. She teamed up with David DeFazio in 2006. They are the 2007 Swiss national champions. Von Bergen and Defazio ended their partnership after one year.
The 2002 European Figure Skating Championships was a senior international figure skating competition in the 2001–02 season. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The event was held at the Malley Ice Rink in Lausanne, Switzerland from January 14 to 20, 2002.
Edoardo De Bernardis is an Italian figure skating coach and choreographer.
Buse Coskun is a Turkish figure skater. She is a ten-time Turkish medalist.She represented Turkey at the Netherlands 2004 World Junior Figure Skating Championships and placed 46th, at the Germany 2004 Pokal der Blauen Schwerter Chemnitz ISU Junior Grand Prix in Germany and placed 37th place, at the 7th European Youth Olympic Festival were only held in junior single skating categories in Monthey, Switzerland, between January 22 and January 29 Youth Olympic Winter games and placed 22nd place, at the 2006 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Ljubliana and placed 25th place.
A choreographic sequence is a required element for figure skating in all international competitions. It is required in the free skating programs of senior and junior single skaters and in the free skating programs of senior pair skaters. It is also required during ice dancers' rhythm dances and free dances. Judges do not evaluate individual elements in a choreographic sequence; rather, they note that it was accomplished. Skaters must fulfill certain requirements to fulfill the highest points possible during choreographic sequences. There are six types of choreographic elements in ice dance: the Choreographic lift, the Choreographic spinning movement, the Choreographic assisted jump movement, the Choreographic twizzling movement, the Choreographic sliding movement, and the Choreographic character step sequence.
Figure skating at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics took place at the Centre intercommunal de glace de Malley in Lausanne, Switzerland from 10 to 15 January 2020.
The 2022 European Figure Skating Championships were held from 10 to 16 January 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition determined the entry quotas for each federation at the 2023 European Championships. Russia swept the titles for a second consecutive European Championships and for the eighth time in history.
