Let the Games begin! Friday marks the official start of the Winter Olympics with the Opening Ceremony.
WASHINGTON — Team USA will attempt to win back-to-back gold medals in the team event that opens the figure skating competition Friday at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The team event starts Friday and ends Sunday, with two programs each for the men, women, pairs and ice dancers.
At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Team USA won gold after the Russian team was docked points following the disqualification of Kamila Valieva for a doping violation. The Russian team was moved from first place to third, winning the bronze. Japan took the silver medal.
On Thursday, U.S. Figure Skating announced Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea and Alysa Liu, as the first U.S. members for the team competition. The rest of the team will be announced later.
Friday’s competition will include Rhythm Dance, Pairs Short and Women’s Short. The competition continues on Saturday with Men’s Short and Free Dance, and concludes on Sunday with Pairs Free, Women’s Free and Men’s Free.
How does the figure skating team event work?
Points are awarded based on ranking — first place gets 10 points, second place gets nine points, and so on. Points from each segment are added up for each nation, resulting in a final score.
Ten countries will participate in the short program and rhythm dance portion of the competition, and five will advance to compete in free skate and free dance.
This year, the competing nations are the United States, Japan, Italy, Canada, Georgia, France, Great Britain, South Korea, China and Poland.
Milan Cortina is the fourth Olympics where the event has been included.
Other big events Friday at the Winter Olympics
Friday marks the official start of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with the Opening Ceremony.
The Opening Ceremony takes place at the San Siro Olympic Stadium. Live coverage begins at 2 p.m. Eastern on NBC. The theme of this year’s Opening Ceremony is “Harmony,” creating a symbolic space where “communities come together and transcend boundaries,” according to the Olympics.
Performers who have been announced include pop star Mariah Carey, tenor Andrea Bocelli, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, Italian singer Laura Pausini and concert pianist Lang Lang.