Ways to view the first day of the 2026 Olympics Figure Skating Team Event

February 5, 2026

The Winter Olympic figure skating events kick off earlier than expected, with competitions starting on February 6 at 3:55 AM. Team USA is among the ten teams included, entering the games as the title holder.

The day’s lineup includes the ice dance rhythm dance as the opening event, followed by the pairs short program and the women’s singles short program.

2026 Olympic Figure Skating Team Event

What: Rhythm dance, pairs short program, women’s short program
When: February 6th, 3:55 AM
Where: Milan Ice Skating Arena, Milan, Italy
Channel: United States Network
Streaming: DIRECTV (free trial available)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the reigning world champions in ice dance, will compete in the rhythm dance. In the pairs short program, national champions Ellie Kamm and Danny O’Shea will represent Team USA.

Also, Alisa Liu will be making her return in the women’s short program. Liu, the current world champion, has announced her retirement from professional skating after the 2022 Olympics, but she’ll be back in 2024.

The first round of the team event will wrap up with the men’s singles short program, and it will be followed by a free dance in the second round.

TV Schedule for the First Day of the Figure Skating Team Event

Team event: Ice dance/rhythm dance – February 6th, 3:55 AM
Team event: Pairs short program – February 6th, 5:35 AM
Team competition: Women’s short program – February 6th, 7:35 AM

How to Watch the Olympic Figure Skating Team Competition for Free

If cable isn’t an option, you can explore a live TV streaming service to catch the Olympics at no cost.

DIRECTV offers a free 5-day trial, making it a great choice for watching live TV, starting at $69.99 monthly, which includes the USA Network, among others.

With a subscription, it’s also possible to watch every Olympic moment on platforms like Peacock, starting at $10.99 per month.

Figure Skating Team Event Participants

Ice Dance Rhythm Dance

Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu (China)
Sofia Doval and Viktor Kuleza (Poland)
Kana Yoshida, Masaya Morita (Japan)
Laurence Fournier Baudry and Guillaume Cizeron (France)
Hannah Lim and Ye Kuan (Korea)
Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin (Georgia)
Piper Gillies and Paul Poirier (Canada)
Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (Italy)
Madison Chock and Evan Bates (USA)
Lyra Fear and Lewis Gibson (UK)

Pairs Short Program

Sui Wenjing and Kong Han (China)
Camille Kovalev and Pavel Kovalev (France)
Iulia Chechetnina and Michal Wozniak (Poland)
Lea Pereira and Trent Michaud (Canada)
Anastasia Vaipan-Raw and Luke Digby (UK)
Ellie Kamm and Danny O’Shea (USA)
Sarah Conti and Niccolo Matthii (Italy)
Anastasia Metelkina and Luka Berlava (Georgia)
Riku Miura, Ryuichi Kihara (Japan)

Women’s Short Program

Zhang Ruiyang (China)
Kristen Spurs (Canada)
Ekaterina Krakowa (Poland)
Jia Shin (Korea)
Lorine Surid (France)
Madeline Scissas (Canada)
Lara Naki Guttmann (Italy)
Anastasia Gubanova (Georgia)
Alisa Liu (USA)
Kaori Sakamoto (Japan)

Format of the Figure Skating Team Competition

Launched in 2014, this team event represents the latest addition to Olympic figure skating. It parallels the gymnastics team format at the Summer Olympics, bringing together all four disciplines—men’s and women’s singles, pairs, and ice dance—into a single medal event consisting of eight segments.

This year, ten countries are competing, including the United States and Japan, who took home gold and silver medals at the 2022 Games.

Judging in this competition is based on placement, not point accumulation from performances. The top skater or pair earns 10 points for their country, while the second gets 9 points. After the first round, teams with the lowest scores are eliminated.

The second round features free dance and free skating for the leading five teams. Judging for this round follows the same process as the first. Medals will be awarded according to the final standings at the end of the second round.