Synchro9 Earns Its Place at the Alpes 2030

[gsk8]

ISU Press Release dtd. Jul 7, 2026:

The wait is finally over: a long-held dream has become reality. The International Skating Union (ISU) proudly celebrates today's historic decision by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include Synchro9, the ISU's innovative new competition format of Synchronized Skating, on the Alpes 2030 Olympic Winter Games event programme.

The decision marks a defining moment in the history of Synchronized Skating, which has come a long way since its official recognition as an ISU discipline in 1994. For the first time ever, synchronized skaters will have the opportunity to compete for Olympic glory, fulfilling a long-held dream shared by generations of athletes, coaches, officials and fans around the world.

Coming just months after Synchro9 was confirmed for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Dolomiti Valtellina 2028, this announcement represents a very important step in the discipline's evolution and reinforces the ISU's commitment to expanding the reach and appeal of skating worldwide – in alignment with the ISU Vision 2030.

 

[4everchan]

I am ecstatic about these news. It's bittersweet however that they had to make it Synchro 9. I have a hard time imagining what this will be with much less skaters than the sport I have learned to love recently with 16 skaters. It's hard to imagine an intersection with only 9 skaters or even division into two groups when there is an odd number of skaters. At the same time, let's hope that having the Synchro 9 is the first step and that it is possible, later on, to bring back a few skaters... Even 12 would make more sense to me.

I am not a synchro expert. I wonder if there are some synchro skaters or coaches around who would like to share their opinion on synchro 9 ?

Will teams that are very successful split into more teams ? It will be very hard to qualify for the games. Will boys be tossed out or, will that actually favour their inclusion in this new format ?

So many questions that I guess will start to find answers as competitions happen throughout the next year or so.

So, yes, thrilled but with a bit of a heavy heart too.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Would the addition of Synchro9 possibly impact the amount of quota places available for singles, pairs, and ice dance at the Olympics? I am happy for the synchro fans and skaters, but I also have questions.

 

[ladyjane]

When I watched the demonstration of Synchro9 programmes at the Synchro WC, I was not convinced even though it was nice to watch. Just not synchro, nor any other Discipline of figure skating. I prefer the 16, with the interesting intersections. However, if this is the only way to get a discipline in with a relatively big number of skaters per team, I'm all for it. Danger: is this the reason the number of singles, pairs and ID athletes was reduced in the last two OG or as @skatingfan4ever suggests, or does this mean the number of athletes from other disciplines will have to go down further?

 

[FlossieH]

Would the addition of Synchro9 possibly impact the amount of quota places available for singles, pairs, and ice dance at the Olympics? I am happy for the synchro fans and skaters, but I also have questions.

I suspect it might reduce the quotas available in the other disciplines, unless another sport is being removed. There is a limit to the total number of athletes allowed at the Olympics, and if a new event is added then there needs to be a cut somewhere else to create space.

 

[bckabck]

I suspect it might reduce the quotas available in the other disciplines, unless another sport is being removed. There is a limit to the total number of athletes allowed at the Olympics, and if a new event is added then there needs to be a cut somewhere else to create space.

I have never heard that the Olympics have a set amount of athletes that can attend?

Each host can decide the amount of sports that will be participating or not, which brings the number of athletes down or up. So, its what the country is able to support financially, infrastructure, etc. As Salt Lake City, USA has the 2034 Olympics there is a good chance synchro 9 will remain for that if it does well in France.

Due to synchro 9 inclusion, will this reduce the amount of skaters in the other figure skating disciplines? That I have no clue.

 

[bckabck]

So former synchro skater here in the US. I last competed synchro back in 2017. I have mentioned my thoughts about synchro 9 in the Synchro 9 Introduction thread, but I will say synchro 12 is better than 9 in terms of synchro. I do prefer the 16 but understand that was probably not going to work for the Olympics.

From what I have heard as of now synchro 9 will not allow the inclusion of male skaters, which sucks.

As of right now, I have not heard of clubs splitting their larger teams. What I have seen are clubs adding synchro 9 to their current offerings. I also haven't heard of clubs scrapping their full 16 member teams in support of the 9 (really just adding it). In the US this season there will be some clubs with synchro 9 in junior and senior levels, but I really think the following season will boom with more especially with the Olympics news.

I have questions still too and I imagine that more answers will come this season. The 2028 ISU Worlds I think will show what to expect for the 2030 Olympics.

 

[4everchan]

I suspect it might reduce the quotas available in the other disciplines, unless another sport is being removed. There is a limit to the total number of athletes allowed at the Olympics, and if a new event is added then there needs to be a cut somewhere else to create space.

they added other sports too in ski and snowboard...

It's not a given that they will penalize any sport to include a new one. What they are trying to do is constantly raise the number of sports and especially the number of medals given, but without raising too much the number of athletes. So I don't think the ISU would have accepted to remove from their own quotas of athletes from other disciplines, including speed skating and short track, to allow for synchro teams.

I have no idea how many teams will be invited to the games but I suspect that this is where the IOC/ISU will cut.
I bet it will be ONE synchro team per ISU member (not a maximum of two like right now at Worlds) and I wouldn't be surprised if they took only the top 8 or 10 teams. So 72-90 athletes not including subs. So it's a huge difference with the 22 teams of 16 skaters (over 350 athletes) that we got at worlds.

 

[skatingfan4ever]

Also, if the Figure Skating Olympic Team Event is still happening, where will Synchro9 go on the schedule? The Team Event and Individual already share the rink with short track. I suppose they could put Synchro9 at the hockey rink, maybe?

I like the Team Event, but I wouldn't mind if it's scrapped for Synchro9. I doubt the Team Event is going away, but who knows. I do know I'm glad I'm not in charge of such logistics.

 

[bckabck]

I tried looking up the ISU rules and guidance for synchro9, but I haven't seen anything yet. I saw it for the usual synchro. If anyone knows where the synchro 9 is if you could point me to it, please?

 

[bckabck]

I would love if figure skating and short track stopped sharing the same ice as each have different ice needs (softer for figure skating and harder for short track).

 

[TontoK]

I suspect it might reduce the quotas available in the other disciplines, unless another sport is being removed. There is a limit to the total number of athletes allowed at the Olympics, and if a new event is added then there needs to be a cut somewhere else to create space.

If this is true, then I'm a big NO on this move.

If it's not true, then I'm ambivalent. It's not my thing, but fine. Whatever.

 

[ramurphy2005]

I suspect it might reduce the quotas available in the other disciplines, unless another sport is being removed.

In an ESPN article I just read, it mentions that Nordic combined is gone, so there's that.

 

[FlossieH]

they added other sports too in ski and snowboard...

It's not a given that they will penalize any sport to include a new one. What they are trying to do is constantly raise the number of sports and especially the number of medals given, but without raising too much the number of athletes. So I don't think the ISU would have accepted to remove from their own quotas of athletes from other disciplines, including speed skating and short track, to allow for synchro teams.

I have no idea how many teams will be invited to the games but I suspect that this is where the IOC/ISU will cut.
I bet it will be ONE synchro team per ISU member (not a maximum of two like right now at Worlds) and I wouldn't be surprised if they took only the top 8 or 10 teams. So 72-90 athletes not including subs. So it's a huge difference with the 22 teams of 16 skaters (over 350 athletes) that we got at worlds.

Ladies doubles was introduced for luge for this past Olympics and was limited to eight sleds, with no more than one per country. The quotas were cut for both mens and ladies singles. They also introduced a team relay event, but that only included athletes who were already competing in one of the main singles or doubles events. @ramurphy2005 has just mentioned that Nordic combined has been cut, so that might have created the space needed for Syncro9.

 

[Mathman]

I am very hopeful that this will turn into something that everyone can get behind. I am not worried in the slightest that a team of 9 can't do all the same tricks that a team of 12 can. A synchronized swimming team has eight members, rhythmic gymnastics five -- these sport do fine. Skaters, and especially skating choreographers, will, too.

Synchro is, in fact, a choreographers' playground. I look forward to some real innovation, even more than ice dance.

 

[4everchan]

I am very hopeful that this will turn into something that everyone can get behind. I am not worried in the slightest that a team of 9 can't do all the same tricks that a team of 12 can. A synchronized swimming team has eight members, rhythmic gymnastics five -- these sport do fine. Skaters, and especially skating choreographers, will, too.

Synchro is, in fact, a choreographers' playground. I look forward to some real innovation, even more than ice dance.

I am sure the choreographers will adapt. That's fine. There are very specific elements to synchro, defining elements, that will no longer be part of the deal or that will definitely not bring the same level of excitement. The intersection is one of them. Before I started following synchro, that was the element that I already knew about, because it's emblematic to synchro. With only 9 skaters, it won't be as spectacular, almost irrelevant. It's like if suddenly pairs were no longer allowed to perform the twist, an element that only exists in pairs.

 

[brens78]

Wahoo more figure skating events.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Honestly, I can't see 9 person Synchronised Skating teams working. Yes, it is a square number, so you can still have a nice square formation of 3x3. BUT, it is also an odd number, which means you can't break them up into pairings.

There is a lot more flexibility in what you can do with 16 person teams.

I understand why it is being done with smaller teams. We all know that the IOC wants to keep down the total number of people they have to provide accommodation, food, etc. for. But, having smaller teams also makes it possible for more countries who do not have as many as 16 skaters trained in Synchro to enter.

Personally, I am of the opinion that if they are not going to go the full hog and do it properly, they shouldn't do it at all.

Especially if it is at the expense of other sports.

In an ESPN article I just read, it mentions that Nordic combined is gone, so there's that.

Yep, here is the BBC story about it:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/cvgq8vy77qyo

Really angry about this.

There have been rumours for quite a few Olympic cycles that the IOC wanted to drop Nordic Combined because it was a male only sport and they wanted equal opportunities in sports.

But the thing is, there has been a Women's Nordic Combined Continental Cup since the 2017-18 Season; a Women's Nordic Combined World Cup since the 2020-21 Season; and Women's Nordic Combined has been included in the Nordic Ski World Championships since 2021. For goodness sake, there were female Nordic Combiners who were having to compete in the specialist Ski Jumping competitions at this year's Olympics because there were no Women's Nordic Combined competitions on the roster.

The FIS have been trying to get Women's Nordic Combined added to the Olympics for years.

Frankly, the only reason Nordic Combined was still Men's only at the Olympics was because the IOC wanted it to remain Men's only so that they would have an excuse to get rid of it completely.

I worry now about the specialist Ski Jumping. Because the thing that puts off new locations from bidding for the Olympics is the cost, and building the Ski Jumping hills is the most expensive part of starting from scratch. Were it not for the fact that Ski Jumping is so popular in Europe, I bet the IOC would drop it in a heartbeat if they thought it would get more places bidding to be host.

The IOC are going about things the wrong way. They are making cutbacks to the sports that are the pillars of the Olympics, preventing them from running all the competitions that they do during the normal season, and instead adding in more and more extreme sports that are already catered for in the X-Games, such as Freestyle Snowboarding and Freestyle Skiing.

I've said this for donkey's years, but instead of competing with the X-Games, the IOC should buy the X-Games from ESPN, and market them as two distinct events. One for traditional sports, and one for the more extreme sports. Without extreme sports clogging up the Olympics, there would be more room to add things like Women's Nordic Combined; a full roster of Alpine Snowboarding (not just Parallel GS); proper Synchronised Skating with full sized teams; and Solo Dance.

They could also do with making the Olympics a 24 day event, still having the Opening Ceremony on a Friday and the Closing Ceremony on a Sunday. Because it is silly the way it currently is where, to hold everything, competitions actually start two days before the Opening Ceremony. Bringing those two days into the event proper, and adding five more days, could make the world of difference to what all can be fitted in.

But, I can't see any of this happening.

CaroLiza_fan