The figure skating competition at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics begins on Friday with the team event, marking South Korea's return after missing it four years ago. Lacking a pairs team, South Korea starts at a disadvantage but will use the event to familiarize skaters with the ice and arena before individual competitions next week.
The figure skating events at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics open on Friday at the Milano Ice Skating Arena with the team competition, featuring 10 nations. South Korea, absent from the event in 2022 after debuting as host in 2018, qualifies this time with entrants in men's and women's singles plus ice dance, but skips pairs.
Introduced at the 2014 Sochi Games, the team event requires participants in at least three disciplines. Without pairs, South Korea forfeits points there from the outset, yet the competition offers valuable early exposure to the venue and ice conditions ahead of next week's individual events.
South Korea's involvement begins with ice dancers Hannah Lim and Quan Ye performing their rhythm dance at 9:55 a.m. Friday, followed by Shin Ji-a, January Olympic trials winner, in women's singles at 1:35 p.m. that day. Cha Jun-hwan, the 2023 world silver medalist, takes the ice for the men's short program at 7:45 p.m. Saturday.
Points are awarded by placement in each segment: 10 for first, nine for second, and decreasing thereafter. Only the top five in short programs and rhythm dances advance to the free segments, shaping the overall team standings.
