Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The events took place between 14 and 27 February 2010.
Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo (CHN) won the gold medal in the pairs skating. This was the first time since 1960 that a Russian, Soviet, or Unified Team (CIS) flagged team did not win the gold medal.
Qualification.
Skater eligibility.
To be eligible for the 2010 Winter Games, skaters needed to be older than fifteen as of July 1, 2009 and had to be a citizen of the country they were representing. Unlike qualification rules for International Skating Union events, in the case of a pair or ice dance couple, both skaters were required to be citizens of the country they represented in competition. In addition, International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules required that at least three years had passed since the competitor(s) last represented another country in competition.
Skater qualification.
There was no individual athlete qualification to the Olympics; the choice of which athlete(s) to send to the Games was left to the discretion of each country's National Olympic Committee (NOC).
Country qualification.
The number of entries for the figure skating events at the Olympic Games was limited by a quota set by the IOC. There were 30 skaters in the disciplines of ladies' and men's singles, 20 pairs, and 24 ice dance couples.
Countries could qualify entries to the 2010 Winter Olympics in two different ways. The host country was guaranteed one spot in each event, if it had not already qualified an entry in that event. Every discipline qualified separately.
The majority of the country qualification took place at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, where countries qualified up to three entries in each discipline. The number of multiple entries was the same as usual for the World Championships; countries who earned multiple spots to the Olympics also earned multiple spots to the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships.
The multiple spots qualification to the Olympics from the World Championships was as follows:
The placement score did not directly correlate to the placement rank. In ice dance, if a couple did not qualify for the original dance from the compulsories, they were assigned 20 points. If an ice dance couple did not qualify for the free dance, or if a singles skater or pairs team did not qualify for the free skate, they were assigned 18 points. If a skater or team competed in the free skate or free dance and placed lower than 16, they were assigned 16 points. For those placing above 16th, the placement rank was the same as the placement score.
The results of the 2009 World Championships determined 83 total spots: 24 entries in each singles discipline, 16 in pairs, and 19 in ice dance. The available spots were awarded consecutively on moving down the results list, with the multiple spots being awarded first.
The remainder of the spots were filled at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy, held in the fall of 2009. Countries who had already earned an entry to the Olympics were not allowed to qualify more entries at this final qualifying competition.
If a country declined to use one or more of its spots, the vacated spot was awarded based on the results of the Nebelhorn Trophy.
Competition schedule.
All times are Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8).
Records and firsts.
The following new ISU best scores were set during this competition:
Other records and firsts:
Participating NOCs.
Thirty-one nations contributed figure skaters to the events at Vancouver.
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References.
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