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Page last updated at 17:35 GMT, Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Skating: Figure skating (singles)

Sasha Cohen

Winter Olympics guide - Ladies' figure skating

Ice skating is the sport that brings glitz and glamour to the Winter Olympics.

The high-speed steps, spins and jumps make for some spectacular action.

And the wait for the marks to be announced after a routine only heightens the drama.

The singles events often produce the most compelling viewing, as the skater glides around the ice knowing the slightest mistake or fall could be the difference between a gold medal and nothing at all.


Competitors skate two programmes:

The short programme consists of eight elements which must be completed - three jumps, three spins and two fast step sequences.

Performing to music, the skater can execute the elements in any order, with a time limit of two minutes and 50 seconds.

There are penalties for failing to complete an element correctly, and the 24 skaters with the best marks advance to the free skate.

The free skate forms the finale to the competition, and carries two thirds of the total marks.

There are no required elements, but the skater aims to impress the judges in a choreographed programme containing as many jumps, spins and step sequences as possible.

The women are limited to four minutes and the men to four minutes 30 seconds.

The marks from the two programmes are added together to reach a final total.


Turin in 2006 saw the Olympic debut of a new system designed to eliminate the risk of biased judging.

A row blew up when Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were awarded silver behind Russian pair Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze
The Canadians had skated a seemingly flawless programme, while their rivals had appeared to make some technical errors
A French judge claimed she had been pressured into favouring the Russians
It was eventually decided that the two pairs should share the gold medal

This was prompted by events in the pairs competition at the last Winter Games in Salt Lake City, when the gold medals had to be shared after a judging scandal marred the event.


Under the new, more complicated system, each programme is now given a technical score and a score for 'programme components'.

Technical score



The first ice skating blades were made from wood, bone or antlers



This average is then added to the 'base value' to obtain a mark for each element which goes towards the final score.

Programme components


Skating skills - reflects the general quality of the skating.



Choreography - how well the movements, steps and music work together as a whole.

Interpretation/timing - how well the skater works in time with the music.

Skating guide

Apart from the skates, all that is required in figure skating is a costume - but choosing the right outfit is a tricky business.

Costumes must complement the music and moves for maximum dramatic effect, and they are custom-made at great expense.

The more eye-catching, the better.





Details can be found on the NISA website.




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