WINTER OLYMPICS FIGURE SKATING

OLYMPIC SPORT SINCE 1908

Like many winter sports, FIGURE SKATING's roots grew from necessity. As a mode of transportation for warfare and hunting in Northern Europe, skating was a swift way to cross frozen lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. Warriors and hunters crafted makeshift skates of reindeer antlers or elk bones, and later iron and steel. By the 16th century, skaters were transporting goods across frozen waterways.

In 1892, the International Skating Union (ISU) was founded. Six years later, the first ISU-sanctioned event was held, and organisers hoped it might soon become an official Olympic sport. Because competitions could be held indoors, figure skating was the first winter sport included in the Olympic Games when it was added to the Olympic program for the 1908 Summer Olympic Games in London. The singles and pairs competitions also appeared in the 1920 Antwerp Summer Games. Figure skating became an official Olympic Winter Games sport at the 1924 Winter Games in Chamonix

There are four Olympic Figure Skating events: ladies singles, men's singles, pairs, and ice dancing. The singles event consists of two sections: the short program, and free skating. The short program combines eight prescribed elements such as jump combinations and spins. In the free skating program, skaters, perform an original arrangement of techniques to music of their choice. As judges deduct points for a program that consists of too many or too few jumps, a balanced program is important.

The pairs event also consists of a short program and free skating. The couple works as one unit, demonstrating overhead lifts, throw-jumps with the man launching his partner, and other maneuvers. The performance requires harmony, strength and grace.

Ice dancing is similar to ballroom dancing. The focus is on the complex steps in time with the music. The skaters maintain contact with each other, limiting lifts and jumps. The ice dancing event consists of three sections: compulsory, original, and free dances. In compulsory dancing, the couple performs two pre-determined dances. Original dances must follow selected rhythms, though the pair can choose their own music and interpretative steps. In free dancing the pair freely express their interpretation of the music they have chosen.

The singles and pairs events have been part of every Olympic winter program. Ice dancing debuted at the 1976 Games in Innsbruck and has been a part of the Olympic program ever since.

The United States has won the most Olympic Medals with a total of 40 (12 gold, 13 silver and 15 bronze). The United States has been exceptionally strong in ladies' singles, winning more than a third of the event's medals in history.

The past two Olympic figure skating competitions have been dominated by the Russians, who won six of the possible eight gold medals and 10 in total. Ladies' singles is the one title that has eluded the Russians in the past two Olympics.

VERIFIED on Feb 18, 2002

	MEN		WOMEN
	GOLD	SILVER	GOLD	SILVER
		BRONZE		BRONZE
1908*	Ulrich Salchow, SWE	Richard Johansson, SWE	Florence Syers, GBR	Elsa Rendschmidt, GER
		Per Thoren, SWE		Dorothy Greenhough-Smith, GBR
1920*	Gillis Grafström, SWE	Andreas Krogh, NOR	Magda Julin-Mauroy, SWE	Svea Noren, SWE
		Martin Stixrud, NOR		Theresa Weld, USA
1924	Gillis Grafström, SWE	Willy Bockl, AUT	Herma Szabo-Plank, AUT	Beatrix Loughran, USA
		Georges Gautschi, SUI		Ethel Muckelt, GBR
1928	Gillis Grafström, SWE	Willy Bockl, AUT	Sonja Henie, NOR	Fritzi Burger, AUT
		Robert von Zeebroeck, BEL		Beatrix Loughran, USA
1932	Karl SCHÄFER, AUT	Gillis Grafström, SWE	Sonja Henie, NOR	Fritzi Burger, AUT
		Montgomery Wilson, CAN		Maribel Vinson, USA
1936	Karl SCHÄFER, AUT	Ernst Baier, GER	Sonja Henie, NOR	Cecilia Colledge, GBR
		Felix Kaspar, AUT		Vivi-Anne Hulten, SWE
1948	Richard Button, USA	Hans Gerschwiler, SUI	Barbara Ann Scott, CAN	Eva Pawlik, AUT
		Edi Rada, AUT		Jeanette Altwegg, GBR
1952	Richard Button, USA	Helmut Seibt, AUT	Jeanette Altwegg, GBR	Tenley Albright, USA
		James Grogan, USA		Jacqueline du Bief, FRA
1956	Hayes Alan Jenkins, USA	Ronald Robertson, USA	Tenley Albright, USA	Carol Heiss, USA
		David Jenkins, USA		Ingrid Wendl, AUT
1960	David Jenkins, USA	Karol Divin, TCH	Carol Heiss, USA	Sjoukje Dijkstra, NED
		Donald Jackson, CAN		Barbara Roles, USA
1964	Manfred Schnelldorfer, FRG	Alain Calmat, FRA	Sjoukje Dijkstra, NED	Regine Heitzer, AUT
		Scott Allen, USA		Petra Burka, CAN
1968	Wolfgang Schwarz, AUT	Timothy Wood, USA	Peggy Fleming, USA	Gabriele Seyfert, GDR
		Patrick Pera, FRA		Hana Maskova, TCH
1972	Ondrej Nepela, TCH	Sergei Chetveroukhin, URS	Beatrix Schuba, AUT	Karen Magnussen, CAN
		Patrick Pera, FRA		Janet Lynn, USA
1976	John Curry, GBR	Vladimir Kovalev, URS	Dorothy Hamill, USA	Dianne de Leeuw, NED
		Toller Cranston, CAN		Christine Errath, GDR
1980	Robin Cousins, GBR	Jan Hoffman, GDR	Anett Pötzsch, GDR	Linda Fratianne, USA
		Charles Tickner, USA		Dagmar Lurz, FRG
1984	Scott Hamilton, USA	Brian Orser, CAN	Katarina Witt, GDR	Rosalyn Sumners, USA
		Josef Sabovcik, TCH		Kira Ivanova, URS
1988	Brian Boitano, USA	Brian Orser, CAN	Katarina Witt, GDR	Elizabeth Manley, CAN
		Viktor Petrenko, URS		Debra Thomas, USA
1992	Viktor Petrenko, EUN	Paul Wylie, USA	Kristi Yamaguchi, USA	Midori Ito, JPN
		Petr Barna, TCH		Nancy Kerrigan, USA
1994	Aleksei Urmanov, RUS	Elvis Stojko, CAN	Oksana Baiul, UKR	Nancy Kerrigan, USA
		Philippe Candeloro, FRA		Lu Chen, CHN
1998	Ilia Kulik, RUS	Elvis Stojko, CAN	Tara Lipinski, USA	Michelle Kwan, USA
		Philippe Candeloro, FRA		Lu Chen, CHN
2002	Alexei Yagudin, RUS	Evgeni Plushenko, RUS	Sarah Hughes, USA	Irina Slutskaya, RUS
		Timothy Goebel, USA		Michelle Kwan, USA

	PAIRS	ICE-DANCING
1908*	Anna HÜBLER & Heinrich Burger, GER
1920*	Ludovika Jakobsson & Walter Jakobsson, FIN
1924	Helene Engelman & Alfred Berger, AUT
1928	Andrée Joly/Brunet & Pierre Brunet, FRA
1932	Andrée Brunet & Pierre Brunet, FRA
1936	Maxi Herber & Ernst Baier, GER
1948	Micheline Lannoy & Pierre Baugniet, BEL
1952	Ria Falk & Paul Falk, FRG
1956	Elisabeth Schwarz & Kurt Oppelt, AUT
1960	Barbara Wagner & Robert Paul, CAN
1964	Lyudmila Belousova & Oleg Protopopov, URS
1968	Lyudmila Belousova & Oleg Protopopov, URS
1972	Irina Rodnina & Aleksey Ulanov, URS
1976	Irina Rodnina & Aleksandr Zaytsev, URS	Lyudmila Pakhomova & Aleksandr Gorshkov, URS
1980	Irina Rodnina & Aleksandr Zaytsev, URS	Natalya Linichuk & Gennady Karponosov, URS
1984	Yelena Valova & Oleg Vasilyev, URS	Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean, GBR
1988	Yekaterina Gordeyeva & Sergey Grinkov, URS	Natalya Bestemyanova & Andrey Bukin, URS
1992	Natalya Mishkutyonok & Artur Dmitriyev, EUN	Marina Klimova & Sergey Ponomarenko, EUN
1994	Yekaterina Gordeyeva & Sergey Grinkov, RUS	Oksana Grischuk & Evgeny Platov, RUS
1998	Oksana Kazakova & Artur Dmitriyev, RUS	Pasha Grishuk & Evgeny Platov, RUS
2002	(tie) Elena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze, RUS (tie) Jamie Sale & David Pelletier, CAN	Maria Anissina & Gwendal Peirezat, FRA

* Figure Skating was included in the Olympic program at the 1908 London Games and the 1920 Antwerp Games - the only times the sport was contested in a Summer Olympics.