The Winter Olympics: Looking Forward to 2026

[PeterRS]

I never used to take much interest in the Winter Olympics until those held in Nagano in 1998. Even then, what sparked my interest was less the various events but the Japanese cross country skiers. I thought they looked quite wonderful! In 2026 the Games take place in Milan and Cortina in the amazing Dolomite mountains throughout February which will have me in front of the television most days.

My favourite is now the men's ice skating. What sparked that interest was another Japanese, the amazing 19-year old Yuzuru Hanyu who took the Gold Medal in the Men's Figure Skating Competition in Sochi in 2014, the first Asian to win Gold. Like many, I began to follow his career. Like quite a few other Asian skaters - and those of Asian descent who skate for other countries - he was not merely a superb skater, he is extremely good looking! And then he did what no other men's skater had done for decades, he took the Gold Medal again in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games. His short programme (men's skating has a short and a long programme) in 2018 was stunning, skated to the music of Chopin, broke the world record for points. These programmes are now increasingly packed with triple and quadruple jumps - feats that not so many decades ago were considered impossible.

A day or so after the winners have been announced, the skaters perform an Exhibition programme. Rather than include that 2018 short programme video, this is from that Exhibition. Apart from one single and one triple jump, the rest is pure artistry, an extraordinary tribute not only to that artistry and how he interprets the music, but on this occasion it was dedicated specifically to those hundreds of thousands who had been so badly affected by the horrendous 2011 tsunami off Japan's East Coast.  

Hanyu comes from Sendai which was very seriously affected by the tsunami. During his amateur career he went on to skate in many events to raise funds for those who had lost almost everything. Since turning professional in 2022, he has personally donated US$3 million and continues raising money through guest appearances. He is massively popular in Japan. Each year he produces his own ice show, again specifically to raise funds.

It has often been suggested that he is gay. All we know is that he announced on social media in early August 2023 that he had got married. And then the shock. In mid-November he announced he had got divorced! He never gave any information about his partner. The "maybe gay" label will inevitably stick with him, partly because in 2014 he had moved to train in Toronto with coach Brian Orser. A former Olympic skater, Orser was openly gay with a partner. Rumours also flew around that he had formed a relationship with the Mexican skater also in Orser's training camp, Javier Fernandez. Whatever the gossip, his artistry has been universally praised worldwde. In 2022, the New York Times said, "we may never see another skater like Yuzuru Hanyu." In 2024 ESPN listed the 25 greatest Olympic sportmen of the 21st century. Hanyu placed #10. He has now reached the status of legend.

Even though we will no longer see him skate at the Olympics, there are many others close to his skill and artistry, many of them Asian. Will another Asian win Gold this time?

[PeterRS]

Although I have watched great skaters for years, I have never been able to marry the names of jumps with what actually happens on the ice. Nor with the speed at which they skate can I tell if I have just watched a triple or a quadruple jump! I had no idea how commentators tell a Lutz from an Axel from a Salchow or a Toe Loop and so on. All I knew was the Axel jump is the only one where the skaters take off facing forward. In all the others they start the rotation going backwards.

Going through various videos last night I finally found the answer. Even with the detailed descriptions, it's still not easy but slowly I am finding out. For those interested, this is the vdo clip -

[PeterRS]

Just one more vdo. Last night in Thailand True Visions showed the Finals of the World Skating Grand Prix in Nagoya earlier this month. The 21-year old American Ilya Malinin skated what is by far the best Free Skate in history with a programme including no less than seven quad jumps, one of which was the first time in international performance of the most fiendishly difficult of them all - the quadruple Axel. It was truly a jaw-droppong performance which massively outscored all the other competitors. If he skates like that in the Olympics, the Gold is definitely his.

Sorry the commentary is in German. You can see the description of each jump after it takes place by looking in the middle of the box at the top left. The quad Axel is the second jump. As the German commentator says "unglaublich" - "unbelievable!" 

[jimmie50]

Thanks for sharing the videos with detailed information about the various jumps.  My mother would always enjoy watching the figure skating competitions on television, both female and male, and I would always join her for some of it...mostly the males.  Brings back fond memories of special times together.  Never have been able to even stand up on ice skates, and certainly never understood the difference between the various jumps.  Fascinating to learn more about it.  

[PeterRS]

I find most of the Asian men's skaters fascinating to watch. Amazing bodies, many with sweet faces, cute little butts 😀  and amazing athleticism. 

[Riobard]

On 12/29/2025 at 1:58 AM, PeterRS said:

Just one more vdo. Last night in Thailand True Visions showed the Finals of the World Skating Grand Prix in Nagoya earlier this month. The 21-year old American Ilya Malinin skated what is by far the best Free Skate in history with a programme including no less than seven quad jumps, one of which was the first time in international performance of the most fiendishly difficult of them all - the quadruple Axel. It was truly a jaw-droppong performance which massively outscored all the other competitors. If he skates like that in the Olympics, the Gold is definitely his.

Sorry the commentary is in German. You can see the description of each jump after it takes place by looking in the middle of the box at the top left. The quad Axel is the second jump. As the German commentator says "unglaublich" - "unbelievable!" 

I follow skating enthusiastically and have met a few notable Canadian competitors socially. My peers and I don’t objectify skaters based on physical attractiveness factors. That level of commentary is just dumb, contextually.

The spoken word poetry in Malinin’s music has been criticized in some camps but I don’t mind it. It might be deemed too ‘precious’ for a less stellar athlete. He and Hanyu have in common excellent Canadian choreographer Bourne and there was a brief slow sequence some years ago in Hanyu’s program that mesmerized me. 

Looking forward to the Milan event. I watched Ilya thru the recent circuit with NBC commentary due to my location. Johnny and Tara try to bring a little bit of fashion fun and flare and play well off of each other. It is nonessential but otherwise broadcasters tend to simply list off jumps and rotations. Weir would be brattier if he were to be given more rope.

I will prolly tape both American and Canadian broadcasting to amputate the approximate 40% of time riddled with repetitive commercial breaks.  Right now I’m in 35 Celsius weather but will be back soon in a state of freeze and the Olympics will be a welcome treat by my fireplace, bridging the span to a subsequent ‘snowbird’ trip. 

[Riobard]

On 12/29/2025 at 10:42 PM, jimmie50 said:

Thanks for sharing the videos with detailed information about the various jumps.  My mother would always enjoy watching the figure skating competitions on television, both female and male, and I would always join her for some of it...mostly the males.  Brings back fond memories of special times together.  Never have been able to even stand up on ice skates, and certainly never understood the difference between the various jumps.  Fascinating to learn more about it.  

I can skate a rink circuit but the best musical accompaniment to a program, if I ever attempted one, would be ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’ for the short and ‘Husha Husha They All Fall Down’ for the long. 

[Keithambrose]

11 hours ago, Riobard said:

I follow skating enthusiastically and have met a few notable Canadian competitors socially. My peers and I don’t objectify skaters based on physical attractiveness factors. That level of commentary is just dumb, contextually.

The spoken word poetry in Malinin’s music has been criticized in some camps but I don’t mind it. It might be deemed too ‘precious’ for a less stellar athlete. He and Hanyu have in common excellent Canadian choreographer Bourne and there was a brief slow sequence some years ago in Hanyu’s program that mesmerized me. 

Looking forward to the Milan event. I watched Ilya thru the recent circuit with NBC commentary due to my location. Johnny and Tara try to bring a little bit of fashion fun and flare and play well off of each other. It is nonessential but otherwise broadcasters tend to simply list off jumps and rotations. Weir would be brattier if he were to be given more rope.

I will prolly tape both American and Canadian broadcasting to amputate the approximate 40% of time riddled with repetitive commercial breaks.  Right now I’m in 35 Celsius weather but will be back soon in a state of freeze and the Olympics will be a welcome treat by my fireplace, bridging the span to a subsequent ‘snowbird’ trip. 

Odd, that post mostly made sense!

[PeterRS]

12 hours ago, Riobard said:

I follow skating enthusiastically and have met a few notable Canadian competitors socially. My peers and I don’t objectify skaters based on physical attractiveness factors. That level of commentary is just dumb, contextually.

The spoken word poetry in Malinin’s music has been criticized in some camps but I don’t mind it. It might be deemed too ‘precious’ for a less stellar athlete. He and Hanyu have in common excellent Canadian choreographer Bourne and there was a brief slow sequence some years ago in Hanyu’s program that mesmerized me. 

I agree Shae-Lynn Bourne is an excellent choreographer but we should recall that Jeffrey Buttle created most of Hanyu's short programmes. Hanyu's work with them and Brian Orser bordered on the spectacular, but then he is just such an amazing skater that oozes artistry. His short programme skated to one of Chopin's Ballades at Pyeongyang is the one of the greatest i have seen. Malinin's programme with poetry was also amazingI But I have little concern about the television commentary. I actually enjoy much of it, and to suggest it does not remark on elements of the choreography other than jumps is just not true. The artistry of a programme is frequently commented upon. Commentators do not comment generally on physical attractiveness. I happily do, though!

Malinin surely has to win the gold this year. Hanyu might have won it for a third time in 2022 barring a slight hole in the ice which nixed one of his quad jumps during the short programme. It's a pity Nathan Chen is concentrating on his medical studies and will not be taking part this year.

[Pete1111]

I enjoy curling!