Events Included • Pairs • Men • Dance • Womens Venue White Ring , Nagano
Event Basics There are four Olympic events: Pairs, Men, Dance and Women. Singles competition includes a short program, which can run no longer than two minutes and 40 seconds, and a free skate, which is limited to four minutes for the women, and four minutes and 30 seconds for the men. Pairs competition also includes a short program with a two-minute and 40-second limit, and a free skate that is limited to four minutes, 30 seconds. Dance competition requires compulsory dances, an original dance with a two-minute time limit, and a free dance with a four-minute time limit. In singles competition, skaters must incorporate eight basic jumps and spins into a routine. They include flips, lutzs, salchows, loops and the triple axel. The free skate is an original composition to music of the skater's choice, but must also incorporate figure skating's basic techniques. Judges generally frown on too much or too little of any element. Pairs competition tends to be more classical and technical than dance. Partners follow the same rules as singles in short program and free skate competition, but also must incorporate lifts, side-by-side jumps, and demonstrate harmony in all their movemen ts Dance competition is perhaps the most creative of the four figure skating disciplines. In the compulsory segment, couples must perform two pre-determined dances to perfection. In the original segment, couples choose their own music and steps, but perform selected rhythms. In the free dance segment, anything goes.
Who to watch Pairs Oksana Kazakova/Artur Dmitriev, Russia Marina Yeltsova/Andrei Bushkov, Russia Kyoko Ina/Jason Dungjen, U.S. Jennifer Meno/Todd Sand, U.S. Men Aleksei Yagudin, Russia Ilia Kulik, Russia Todd Eldredge, U.S. Michael Weiss, U.S. Elvis Stojko, Canada Dance Pasha Grishuk/Evgeny, Russia Anjelika Krylova/Oleg Ovsiannikov, Russia Shae-Lynn Bourne/Victor Kraatz, Canada Elizabeth Punsalan/Jerod Swallow, U.S. Women Maria Butyrskaya, Russia Michelle Kwan, U.S. Tara Lipinski, U.S. Nicole Bobek, U.S. Lu Chen, China	Schedule Feb. 8 Pairs: Short Program 8 p.m. JT (6 a.m. ET) Feb. 10 Pairs: Free Skating 8 p.m. JT (6 a.m. ET) Feb. 12 Men's Singles: Short Program 7 p. m. JT (5 a.m. ET) Feb. 13 Ice Dancing: Compulsory Dances 7 p.m. JT (5 a.m. ET) Feb. 14 Men's Singles: Free Skating 7 p.m. JT (5 a.m. ET) Feb. 15 Ice Dancing: Original Dances 7 p.m. JT (5 a.m. ET) Feb. 16 Ice Dancing: Free Dances 7 p.m. JT (5 a.m. ET) Feb. 18 Ladies Singles: Short Program 7 p.m. JT (5 a.m. ET) Feb. 20 Ladies Singles: Free Skating 7 p.m. JT (5 a.m. ET) Feb. 21 Exhibition 3 p.m. JT (1 a.m. ET)