Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Qualification

The overall quota for the figure skating competition is 148 total skaters, consisting of 74 men and 74 ladies. There will be 30 skaters in each of the single skating disciplines (men's and ladies'), 20 pair skating teams, and 24 ice dance teams. The maximum number of entries that can be qualified by a National Olympic Committee is 3 per event, making 18 (9 men, 9 ladies) the maximum number of entries that a country can qualify.

Qualification system

Skater eligibility

Skaters must be older than fifteen as of July 1, 2009 and must be a citizen of the country they represent to be eligible for the Olympic Games. Unlike qualification rules for International Skating Union events, in the case of a pair or ice dance team, both skaters must be citizens of the country they represent in competition. In addition, International Olympic Committee rules require that at least three years have passed since the competitor last represented another country in competition.^[1]

Skater qualification

There is no individual athlete qualification to the Olympics; the choice of which athlete(s) to send to the Games is at the discretion of each country's National Olympic Committee.

Country qualification

The number of entries for the figure skating events at the Olympic Games is limited by a quota set by the International Olympic Committee. There will be 30 skaters in the disciplines of men's and ladies' singles, 20 pair skating teams, and 24 ice dance teams.

Countries may qualify entries to the 2010 Winter Olympics in two ways. The host country was entitled to one entry per discipline if it failed to qualify.^[2]

The majority of the country qualification occurred at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships. At the World Championships, countries qualified up to three entries in each discipline. The number of multiple entries is the same as usual for the World Championships and countries who earn multiple spots to the Olympics also earned multiple spots to the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships.

Every discipline qualifies separately.

The multiple spots qualification to the Olympics from the World Championships is as follows:

Number of skaters/teams entered at Worlds	To earn 3 entries to the Olympics	To earn 2 entries to the Olympics
1	Place in the top 2	Place in the top 10
2	Total placements is equal to or less than 13	Total placements is equal to or less than 28
3	Total placements is equal to or less than 13	Total placements is equal to or less than 28

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.^[3] The available spots were awarded going down the results list, with the multiple spots being awarded first.

The remainder of the spots were filled at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy, held between September 23 and September 26, 2009.^[4] Countries which had already earned an entry to the Olympics were not allowed to qualify more entries at this final qualifying competition. Unlike at the World Championships, where countries could qualify more than one spot depending on the placement of the skater, at the Nebelhorn Trophy, countries who qualified were allotted only one spot to the Olympics, regardless of placement.

If a country declined to use one or more of its qualified spots, the vacated spot was awarded using the results of the Nebelhorn Trophy in descending order of placement.

Qualified countries

Nations	Men's singles	Ladies' singles	Pair skating	Ice dance	Athletes
Australia	0	1	0	0	1
Austria	1	1	0	0	2
Belgium	1	1	0	0	2
Canada	2	2	2	2	12
China	0	1	3	1	9
Czech Republic	2	0	0	1	4
Estonia	0	1	1	1	5
Finland	1	2	0	0	3
France	2	0	1	2	8
Georgia	0	1	0	1	3
Germany	1	1	2	1	8
Great Britain	0	1	1	2	7
Hungary	0	1	0	1	3
Israel	0	0	0	1	2
Italy	2	1	1	2	9
Japan	3	3	0	1	8
Kazakhstan	2	0	0	0	2
North Korea	1	0	0	0	1
Poland	1	1	1	0	4
South Korea	0	2	0	0	2
Romania	1	0	0	0	1
Russia	2	2	3	3	16
Slovenia	1	1	0	0	2
Slovakia	0	1	0	0	1
Spain	1	1	0	0	2
Sweden	1	0	0	0	1
Switzerland	1	1	1	0	4
Turkey	0	1	0	0	1
Ukraine	1	0	2	1	7
United States	3	2	2	3	15
Uzbekistan	0	1	0	0	1
Total: 31 NOCs	30	30	20	23	146

Men's singles

Event	Date	Location	Athletes per NOC	Qualified
2009 World Figure Skating Championships	23–29 March 2009	Los Angeles	3	Japan United States
			2	Canada Czech Republic France Italy Kazakhstan Russia
			1	Belgium Poland Slovenia Spain Sweden Ukraine
2009 Nebelhorn Trophy	24–27 September 2009	Oberstdorf	1	Switzerland Austria Germany North Korea Romania Finland

Ladies' singles

Event	Date	Location	Athletes per NOC	Qualified
2009 World Figure Skating Championships	23–29 March 2009	Los Angeles	3	Japan
			2	Canada Finland South Korea Russia United States
			1	Switzerland † Georgia † Estonia Germany Great Britain Italy Poland Slovakia Turkey
2009 Nebelhorn Trophy	24–27 September 2009	Oberstdorf	1	China Hungary Slovenia Austria Spain Belgium ~~Czech Republic~~ Australia † Uzbekistan †

† Israel declined their spot, which was allocated to Australia. Georgia declined their second spot before the Nebelhorn Trophy, which was allocated to Uzbekistan.

Pair skating

Event	Date	Location	Teams per NOC	Qualified
2009 World Figure Skating Championships	23–29 March 2009	Los Angeles	3	China Russia
			2	Canada Germany Ukraine United States
			1	France Great Britain
2009 Nebelhorn Trophy	24–27 September 2009	Oberstdorf	1	Switzerland Estonia Poland Italy

Ice dance

Event	Date	Location	Teams per NOC	Qualified
2009 World Figure Skating Championships	23–29 March 2009	Los Angeles	3	Russia United States
			2	Canada France Great Britain Italy
			1	Germany Israel Japan ~~Lithuania~~ Ukraine
2009 Nebelhorn Trophy	24–27 September 2009	Oberstdorf	1	China Czech Republic Hungary Estonia Georgia

Lithuania had qualified an entry in ice dance, but were forced to pull out due to Katherine Copely not being granted Lithuanian citizenship.^[5]

Declined entries

Before the Nebelhorn Trophy, Georgia informed the ISU that it would not be using its second entry.^[1] Therefore, seven countries qualified in the ladies discipline at that competition.
The Olympic Committee of Israel decided on January 24, 2010, not to send a skater in the ladies event.^[6]^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b "Communication No. 1589: Olympic Winter Games 2010 Entries/Participation, Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance" (PDF). International Skating Union. 28 September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
^ "Special Regulations & Technical Rules" (PDF). International Skating Union. June 2008. pp. 36–38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2010.
^ "Communication No. 1568: Entries/Participation 2010 Olympic Winter Games (OWG) Single & Pair Skating/Ice Dance" (PDF). International Skating Union. 25 May 2009.
^ "Olympic Qualifying Competition – Oberstdorf (GER) - Review". International Skating Union. 27 September 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012.
^ Granting Lithuanian citizenship to Katherine Copely would be in violation of the Constitution
^ "2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver / Israel's team: Two skaters, a skier". Haaretz. January 25, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
^ Siegel, Masada (February 1, 2010). "Australian Figure Skater Is Helped by Israel's Rules". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2010.

[isu1589-1] "Communication No. 1589: Olympic Winter Games 2010 Entries/Participation, Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance" (PDF). International Skating Union. 28 September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2014.

[SRTR2008-2] "Special Regulations & Technical Rules" (PDF). International Skating Union. June 2008. pp. 36–38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2010.

[isu1568-3] "Communication No. 1568: Entries/Participation 2010 Olympic Winter Games (OWG) Single & Pair Skating/Ice Dance" (PDF). International Skating Union. 25 May 2009.

[isu090927-4] "Olympic Qualifying Competition – Oberstdorf (GER) - Review". International Skating Union. 27 September 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012.

[5] Granting Lithuanian citizenship to Katherine Copely would be in violation of the Constitution

[haaretz100125-6] "2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver / Israel's team: Two skaters, a skier". Haaretz. January 25, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2010.

[NYT100201-7] Siegel, Masada (February 1, 2010). "Australian Figure Skater Is Helped by Israel's Rules". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2010.

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