Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Qualification explained

See main article: Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics. The following is about the qualification rules and allocation of spots for the figure skating events at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Qualification system

A total of 144 quota spots are available to athletes to compete at the games. A maximum of 18 athletes can be entered by a National Olympic Committee, with a maximum of 9 men or 9 women. There is also an "Additional Athletes Quota" which allows up to a maximum of 5 more total skaters, bringing the potential total to 149. The host (China) is the priority for these additional places so that if they have met minimum standards they may have an entry in each event, other than the team event. If unused, these five quotas can be used to qualify nations for the team event if they only need an entry in one more discipline.

Skater qualification

There is no individual athlete qualification to the Olympics; the choice of which athlete(s) to send to the Games is at the discretion of each country's National Olympic Committee. Each country is allowed a maximum of three entries per discipline, resulting in a maximum of 18 athletes (nine men and nine women) possible per country.

According to ISU rules, countries must select their entries from among skaters who have achieved a minimum technical elements score (TES) at an ISU-recognized international competition on or before 24 January 2022.

On the issue of the disqualification of participating athletes at the Winter Olympics, the ISU has issued a statement regarding its policy regarding doping violations which may be alleged for the duration of the events of the Games stating that the, “...International Skating Union cannot disclose any information about a possible anti-doping rule violation. This is regulated by the ISU anti-doping rules and the IOC anti-doping rules for the Beijing 2022 Olympics.”[1]

Country qualification

The number of entries for the figure skating events at the Olympic Games is limited by a quota set by the International Olympic Committee. A total of 144 quota spots are available to athletes to compete at the games. There will be 30 skaters in the disciplines of men's and women's singles, 19 pair skating teams, and 23 ice dance teams. Additionally, ten nations qualify for the team event.

Countries will be able to qualify entries to the 2022 Winter Olympics in two ways. Most spots are allocated based on the results of the 2021 World Championships. At the event, countries were able to qualify up to three entries in each discipline according to the usual system in place; countries which earned multiple spots to the Olympics also earned multiple spots to the 2022 World Championships, although the World Championships were not subject to the requirement that for 2/3 entries, countries must additionally qualify 2/3 skaters into the free segment. Every discipline qualifies independently.

At the World Championships, the system was as follows:

Number of skaters/teams
entered at Worlds
To earn 3 entries
to the Olympics
To earn 2 entries
to the Olympics
To earn 1 entry
to the Olympics
1Place in the top 2Place in the top 10Next best ranked athlete from
the NFs not qualified with two
or three places, until the
quotas of qualification through
the ISU World Figure Skating
Championships 2021 are reached.
2Total placements is equal to or less than 13Total placements is equal to or less than 28
3Top two placements is equal to or less than 13Top two placements is equal to or less than 28

Qualification spots available per tournament

The results of the 2021 World Championships determined 83 total spots: 24 entries in each singles discipline, 16 in pairs, and 19 in ice dance. The available spots were awarded going down the results list, with multiple spots being awarded first.

The remainder of the spots will be filled at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany in late September 2021. Countries that had already earned an entry to the Olympics were not allowed to qualify additional entries at this final qualifying competition. However, if a country earned two or three spots at the World Championships, but did not have two or three skaters, respectively, qualify for the free skate, then they were allowed to send a skater who did not reach the free segment at World Championships to Nebelhorn to qualify the remaining spot(s). Unlike at the World Championships, where countries could qualify more than one spot depending on the placement of their skater(s), at the Nebelhorn Trophy, countries could earn only one spot per discipline, regardless of ranking.

Initially, a total of six spots per singles event, three spots in pairs, and four in ice dance were available at Nebelhorn Trophy. One additional quota spot became available in men's singles following the 2021 World Championships. If a country declines to use one or more of its qualified spots, the vacated spot is awarded using the results of Nebelhorn Trophy in descending order of placement.

For the team trophy, scores from the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships and the 2021–22 Grand Prix season, will be tabulated to establish the ten top nations. Each nation compiles a score from their top performers in each of the four disciplines. The Grand Prix Final, to be held in early December 2021, was to be the final event to affect the Team Trophy score, before it was cancelled.[2]

Qualification timeline

Event Date Venue
22–28 March 2021 Stockholm, Sweden
22–25 September 2021 Oberstdorf, Germany

Qualified countries

[3] [4]

Nations Men's singles Women's singles PairsIce dance AdditionalTeam event Athlete(s)
1 2
1 1 2
1 1 3
1 1 2
1 1 2
1 1
1 1
2 1 2 3 13
1 1 2 1 8
1 1 1 1 6
1 1 2
1 1 3
2 1 4
1 1 1 1 6
1 1 1 1 6
1 1 3
1 2
1 1 3
2 2 1 1 9
3 3 1 1 10
1 1
1 2
1 1
1 1
1 1 3
3 3 3 3 18
2 2 4
1 1 4
1 1 2
1 1 2
1 1 1 2 6
3 3 2 3 16
Total: 32 NOCs 30 30 19 23 4 (10) 148

Qualification summary

Men's singles

Event LocationAthletes
per NOC
Qualified Total
3 23
2

1












1





7
Total 30

Women's singles

Event LocationAthletes
per NOC
Qualified Total
3

24
2

1












1




6
Total 30

Pairs

Event LocationPairs
per NOC
Qualified Total
3 16
2


1



1

3
Total 19

Ice dance

Event LocationPairs
per NOC
Qualified Total
3

19
1








1


4
Total 23

Team event

[4]

    Qualified to Olympics    Reserve     Not eligible for Olympics
RankTeam2020–212021–22Total
1 align=left 4387 1560 5947
2 align=left 3793 1416 5209
3 align=left 2729 1220 3949
4 align=left 2434 1396 3830
5 align=left 1904 905 2809
6 align=left 1701 1073 2774
7 align=left 926 952 1878
8 align=left 930 851 1781
9 align=left 739 741 1480
10 align=left 756 718 1474
11 align=left 714 758 1472
12 align=left 992 191 1183
13 align=left 552 610 1162
14 align=left 586 551 1137
15 align=left 787 324 1111
16 align=left 422 474 896
17 align=left 308 585 893
18 align=left 377 457 834
19 align=left 418 324 742
20 align=left 275 410 685

Next eligible NOC per event

If a country rejects a quota spot then additional quotas become available. A country can be eligible for one quota spot per event in the reallocation process. Countries in bold indicate the country later received a quota spot. The following list is compiled after the remaining spots were allocated at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy.[5] There were no alternates for the team event because no additional NOCs beyond the qualified ten met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in the event.[4]

Notes and References

  1. "ISU made a statement about the situation with Kamila Valieva". By Lee Michaelis. GamingDeputy journal. Feb. 10, 2022. https://www.gamingdeputy.com/isu-made-a-statement-about-the-situation-with-kamila-valieva/
  2. Web site: Cancellation of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2021, Osaka/Japan. International Skating Union. 17 December 2021.
  3. Web site: Communication No. 2388: Entries/Participation 2022 Olympic Winter Games (OWG) – Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance. International Skating Union. 1 April 2021.
  4. Web site: Communication No. 2443: Olympic Winter Games 2022 – Entries/Participation Figure Skating Team Event. International Skating Union. 13 December 2021. 13 December 2021. 20 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211220035549/https://isu.org/figure-skating/rules/fsk-communications/26711-isu-communication-2443/file. dead.
  5. Web site: Communication No. 2428: Olympic Winter Games 2022 – Entries/Participation Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance. International Skating Union. 28 September 2021.