Figure Skating

Figure skating began in the mid- to late-19th century almost concurrently in Europe and North America, but two Americans are responsible for major developments in its history. In 1850, Edward Bushnell, of Philadelphia, revolutionized skating technology when he refined the use of steel-bladed skates. This allowed the creation of fancy twists and turns on the ice. Another American, Jackson Haines, a ballet master, visited Wien (Vienna) in the 1860s, and added the elements of music and dance to figure skating. Originally, free skating was subordinate to school figures, or the tracing of pretty patterns on the ice.

International figure skating competitions were held in Europe in the 1880s, and the International Skating Union (ISU) was formed in 1892, the first true international governing body of any winter sport. As of 2024, the ISU had 102 member federations, with 2 club members: the Internationaler Schlittschuh-Club Davos (SUI) and the Stockholms Allmänna Skridskoklubb (SWE). However, because several nations have both a figure skating and a speed skating member, only 81 nations are represented in the ISU.

Originally, men and women competed together, with the first world championship being held in what is now St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), Russia, in 1896. The first women’s championship was held in 1906.

Figure skating is the oldest sport on the Olympic Winter Games Programme. It was contested first in the Summer Games, at the London Olympics of 1908 and again in 1920 at Antwerp. At the Winter Olympics, events for men, women, and pairs were contested thru 1972. In 1976, ice dancing, long a popular event, was added to the programme as a fourth event, although it had been held as a demonstration event in 1968. A fifth event was added to the programme in 2014, a mixed team event.

Scoring has evolved during the century also, as the former predominance of compulsory figures in the scoring gave way in the early 1970s. A short programme of free skating was added, primarily to equalize results among skaters who were excellent at compulsories but lesser free skaters, to those who were poor compulsory skaters but top-notch free skaters. This was exemplified in that era by Beatrix “Trixi” Schuba (AUT), who was an excellent skater in compulsories but was a relatively lesser free skater, and Janet Lynn (USA), who was a superb free skater but was usually beaten by Schuba because of her lesser skill in the compulsories. This gave impetus to the movement to decrease the importance of compulsory figures. At the end of the 1980s, the ISU ruled that compulsory figures would no longer be held at international competitions. They were last contested at the 1990 World Championships, and they have not been a part of the Olympic figure skating programme since 1988.

After a controversial judging decision in the pairs at Salt Lake City 2002, the ISU overhauled the scoring system again, replacing the time-honored system of 6.0 maximum and positions decided by majority placements with a system that awards points to successful execution of various elements, with no theoretic limit on the number of points that may be scored.

The United States and Russia lead the medal lists in figure skating. As of 2022, the USA has won 54 medals and 17 gold medals, with Russia winning 27 medals and 15 golds. Combining Russia with the former Soviet Union, they have won a total of 51 medals and 25 golds.

As of 2022, five skaters have won three Olympic gold medals – Scott Moir (CAN), Tessa Virtue (CAN), Gillis Grafström (SWE), Sonja Henie (NOR), and Irina Rodnina (URS) –, with Moir and Virtue leading the tally with five figure skating medals.