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Olympic figure skating has always been more than just a sport — it may well be the most culturally charged event of the Winter Games. Across disciplines, the through line is experience over novelty. Skaters who can repeat under Olympic pressure, not just peak once, are the ones shaping Milan’s medal math.
Figure skating opens with the first round of the team event on Friday, Feb. 6, and closes on Thursday, Feb. 19 with women’s free skate. The early sessions land as U.S. mornings, and the medal nights in Italy turn into U.S. afternoons.
How to watch figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- Venue: Milano Ice Skating Arena — Assago, Italy
- Date: Feb. 6-19
- TV: NBC, USA Network
- Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
The recent controversies
Figure skating began as a genteel display of coded aristocracy before evolving into a glittering proxy battlefield during the Cold War. Then came the 2002 Salt Lake City judging scandal, a moment that didn’t merely embarrass the sport but transformed it, prompting the adoption of the International Judging System.
Yet even a more transparent scoring framework couldn’t prevent controversy. At Beijing 2022, the narrative veered sharply from the meteoric rise of 15‑year‑old Russian prodigy Kamila Valieva to the doping case that upended podiums and delayed medals. Valieva’s eventual four‑year ban and the retroactive nullification of her results back to late 2021 reshuffled the Olympic team standings and reignited ethical debates. That aftermath helped push the International Skating Union to raise the senior age limit to 17 in time for Milan.
Russia, notably, is not simply back for business as usual. The ISU has created a narrow pathway for a limited number of Russian and Belarusian athletes to attempt Olympic qualification under neutral status. The pathway is conditional, so some disciplines could look different simply because fewer neutral entries clear the process.
What to know about Team USA
But he isn’t alone. Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov are the other two U.S. men nominated to the Olympic roster, giving Team USA a real three-skater pipeline instead of a single point of failure.
The United States enters women’s singles with something it hasn’t reliably had in recent Olympic cycles: multiple skaters who look like credible medal contenders, not just qualifiers. Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito were nominated to the 2026 Olympic team out of nationals, giving Team USA three paths to the podium.
Glenn brings consistency and momentum, Liu returns after stepping away in 2022 with real top-end difficulty, and Levito adds a high-upside third option with scoring potential. In a discipline where one short program mistake can end everything, having three women who can stay in range is the advantage.
Pairs is where “options” comes with an asterisk. The national champions, Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, won on the ice but were ruled ineligible because Efimova’s U.S. citizenship process didn’t clear in time. That forced the U.S. to pivot to the next viable teams — Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, plus Emily Chan and Spencer Howe — for Milan. It’s depth, yes, but it’s also a reminder that in figure skating, the paperwork can be as decisive as the throw triple.
In ice dance, the U.S. has three genuine contenders. Madison Chock and Evan Bates headline the team, with Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko also nominated.
The rest of the field
Internationally, the field is defined by a few clear pressure points. Japan anchors the men’s event with Yuma Kagiyama, whose clean, high-base-value skating makes him the most reliable counterweight to Malinin’s risk profile. In women’s singles, Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto remains the sport’s gold standard for power and consistency.
Pairs isn’t a one-team sport right now. Canada’s Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps had to pull out of the team portion due to an injury to Stellato-Dudek, but there’s a chance the 2024 world champions could still compete in the individual pairs event.
The discipline’s current reference point is Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the reigning world champions, with several other teams close enough that one clean program can reshuffle the podium.
Figure skating schedule
All times below are ET. Listings are subject to change.
Friday, Feb. 6: Team events
- Rhythm dance: 3:55 a.m. (USA, Peacock); noon re-air (NBC)
- Pairs short program: 5:35 a.m. (USA, Peacock); 12:30 p.m. re-air (NBC)
- Women’s short program: 7:35 a.m. (USA, Peacock); 1 p.m. re-air (NBC)
Saturday, Feb. 7: Team events
- Men’s short program: 1:45 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
- Free dance: 4 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight Saturday’s events, at 8 and 9:30 p.m. The free dance portion will also re-air on USA at 2 a.m. Sunday.
Sunday, Feb. 8: Team event
- Pairs free skate: 1:30 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
- Women’s free skate: 2:45 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
- Men’s free skate (medal event): 3:55 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
Following the Super Bowl, NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight the men’s free skate portion at 11:10 p.m. The three above events will also re-air on USA at 1:30 a.m. Monday.
Monday, Feb. 9: Ice dance
- Rhythm dance, Part 1: 1:20 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
- Rhythm dance, Part 2: 2:40 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight the rhythm dance segments at 8:30 and 9:45 p.m. USA will re-air the event at 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Tuesday, Feb. 10: Men’s single skating
- Men’s short program, Part 1: 12:30 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
- Men’s short program, Part 2: 1:45 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight the men’s short program at 8:30 and 9:45 p.m. USA will re-air the event at 2 a.m. Wednesday.
Wednesday, Feb. 11: Ice dance
- Free dance, Part 1: 1:30 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
- Free dance, Part 2 (medal event): 2:15 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight the free dance parts at 8:30 and 9:45 p.m. USA will re-air the event at 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
Friday, Feb. 13: Men’s single skating
- Men’s free skate, Part 1: 1 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
- Men’s free skate, Part 2 (medal event): 3 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight men’s free skate at 8:30 p.m. USA will re-air the event at 2 a.m. Saturday.
Sunday, Feb. 15: Pair skating
- Pairs short program, Part 1: 1:45 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
- Pairs short program, Part 2: 3 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight the pairs short program at 9:20 and 10:20 p.m. USA will re-air the event at 2 a.m. Monday.
Monday, Feb. 16: Pair skating
- Pairs free skate, Part 1: 2 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
- Pairs free skate, Part 2 (medal event): 3:55 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight pairs free skate at 8:30 and 9:45 p.m. USA will re-air the event at 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Tuesday, Feb. 17: Women’s single skating
- Women’s short program, Part 1: 12:45 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
- Women’s short program, Part 2: 2:40 p.m (NBC, Peacock)
NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight the women’s short program at 8:30 and 9:45 p.m. USA will re-air the event at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Thursday, Feb. 19: Women’s single skating
- Women’s free skate (medal event): 1 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight women’s free skate at 8 and 9:30 p.m. USA will re-air the event at 1:30 a.m. Friday.
Saturday, Feb. 21
- Exhibition gala: 2 p.m. (Peacock); 2:55 p.m. and 3:50 p.m. (NBC)
NBC’s “Primetime in Milan” will highlight the figure skating exhibition gala at 10:30 p.m. USA will re-air the event at 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
The runway lights are off, and the stadium feels unusually quiet.
Canadian Olympic pole vaulter Alysha Newman has been provisionally suspended for an anti-doping rule violation tied to whereabouts failures, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit.
The suspension was acknowledged Wednesday by Athletics Canada, nearly two years after Newman's defining moment at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she won bronze. At 31 years old, Newman is barred from competition until a formal hearing takes place and the Integrity Unit issues a final ruling.
"While Athletics Canada provides on-going guidance and reminders to athletes on the requirements for declaring whereabouts, the athlete is ultimately responsible for providing the information in a timely matter as required...
What the violation involves
The case is listed as "whereabouts failures (Article 2.4)", a classification under the World Anti-Doping Code enforced by the World Anti-Doping Agency. This rule addresses missed tests or failures to properly file required location information for out-of-competition testing. No positive drug test is required for this violation.
In its statement, Athletics Canada emphasized that while athletes receive ongoing guidance, responsibility ultimately lies with the competitor. The federation described the situation as unfortunate and added that it hopes to see Newman return to the national program once she is eligible again.
According to the Toronto Sun, Newman cannot compete until the Integrity Unit completes its review.
Newman addresses the suspension
Newman responded Thursday in an Instagram video, making clear that the suspension is administrative rather than substance-related. "I've never taken any enhanced drugs, I've never taken steroids," she said, explaining that the issue stems from a missed whereabouts filing.
She added that she has not accumulated three missed whereabouts failures in a calendar year since she was 16 and stressed her commitment to clean sport and representing Canada at the highest level.
"This is an unfortunate situation and Athletics Canada hopes to see Alysha Newman back as part of our National Team Program when she is eligible...
Why does this development carry weight
Whereabouts violations have increasingly sidelined high-profile athletes across elite sports, even in cases where no doping is alleged. In recent seasons, the Athletics Integrity Unit has tightened enforcement, reflecting a broader push for accountability and transparency in track and field.
For Newman, the timing is notable. Since Paris 2024, she has been one of Canada's most visible track athletes, both for her historic bronze medal and her off-field presence. She joined OnlyFans in 2021, presenting it as a way to give supporters a behind-the-scenes Olympic experience, a decision that expanded her audience and scrutiny.
The process from here
The Integrity Unit will now proceed toward a hearing, after which a final decision and any applicable period of ineligibility will be announced. Until that ruling is delivered, Newman remains provisionally suspended.
Athletics Canada has already signaled openness to her return once she is cleared, suggesting the door remains open as the process plays out.
It's been, for the most part, a very quiet Super Bowl week. Whether that's the nature of the events now or the host city/area of San Francisco being a less-than-ideal place to host them, it's been slow.
Not even the hard work of Kay Adams has been enough to hype up the week leading up to the Super Bowl. She's only one person and can’t be expected to carry the entire week.
The Ferry Building along The Embarcadero during Super Bowl Week in San Francisco. (Photo by Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
While not at the site of the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and the models can be counted on to drop some sort of content this week.
Last year, Christen Goff was in on the action for some SI Swimsuit Super Bowl week content. She's back again this year as one of the NFL WAGs who landed a cover on the February 2026 digital issue.
SI Swimsuit Stepped In When Super Bowl Week Needed a Boost
After teasing that their own Super Bowl was on the way, SI Swimsuit rolled out "The New Era of NFL WAGs" on Thursday morning. They selected six WAGs from around the league for the digital issue, some who have posed for the magazine before and some new faces.
Mrs. Goff was joined by DK Metcalf's fiancée, singer Normani, Patrick Mahomes' wife Brittany Mahomes, Jake Ferguson's fiancée Haley Cavinder, Jordan Love's wife Ronika Love, and George Kittle's wife Claire Kittle.
The photo shoot for this "new era" took place on Captiva Island in Florida. And if the point was to showcase that NFL WAGs are hot and look great in bikinis, then mission accomplished.
I think that's something most of us have known for a while now, but nobody's going to complain about a Super Bowl week reminder of that fact.
Especially not during a slow week like this one. Content like this is exactly the kind to get people talking about football and help get those wheels turning with entertainment towards kickoff.
It's no Super Bowl party like the ones they used to throw, but it's content when content is needed.
We're still a few days away from the Super Bowl, but the WAGs are here, hard at work while their men are already enjoying their offseason.