2026 Olympics: Gala Exhibition

[Jammers]

I mean really they picked R/A over Z/K for Ice dance? How does that make sense with how Z/K were received and finishing in the top 5.

 

[cocteautwin]

No Lara? C'mon, Italy!
Also, inviting AIN athlete over higher ranked one and host skater seems very off to me.

 

[freedomlover]

Mone Chiba not invited to the gala... A surprise to me.

 

[TallyT]

Mone Chiba not invited to the gala... A surprise to me.

What? She was fourth!

 

[Andrea82]

Olympic Figure Skating Exhibition Gala line-up

Find all information about the Olympic Figure Skating exhibition gala on Saturday, 21st February.

isu-skating.com

The following additional athletes have accepted their invitations to the Olympic Gala:

WOMEN
Alysa Liu (USA)
Kaori Sakamoto (JPN)
Ami Nakai (JPN)
Amber Glenn (USA)
Adeliia Petrosian (AIN)
Niina Petrokina (EST)
Haein Lee (KOR)

MEN
Mikhail Shaidorov (KAZ)
Yuma Kagiyama (JPN)
Shun Sato (JPN)
Junhwan Cha (KOR)
Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA)
Ilia Malinin (USA)
Daniel Grassl (ITA)

PAIRS
Riku Miura / Ryuichi Kihara (JPN)
Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava (GEO)
Minerva Fabienne Hase / Nikita Volodin (GER)
Maria Pavlova / Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN)
Sara Conti / Niccolò Macii (ITA)

ICE DANCE
Guillaume Cizeron / Laurence Fournier Beaudry (FRA)
Madison Chock / Evan Bates (USA)
Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier (CAN)
Charlène Guignard / Marco Fabbri (ITA)
Allison Reed / Saulius Ambrulevičius (LTU)
Olivia Smart / Tim Dieck (ESP)

 

[ladyjane]

I am surprised Lara wasn't invited...home town (if not literally, then at least from the same country) girl with bronze team medal. Other hometownies were invited, like Daniel and Sara/Niccolo. The ID couple was fourth, so even without a Team medal would probably have been invited. Not all Italian team medallists were invited either (Matteo is also missing), but Lara was the only woman participating in the Team Event. I like the line up though, just surprised.

 

[Remilia]

No Mone despite every other 1st-8th finisher in women getting invited and every 4th place finisher in ever other discipline also no Lara for some reason? Never let Italy host a figure skating event ever again

 

[lariko]

No Lara is just ridiculous. I can only hope that it's because she declined, but why would she? Inviting Petrosian is a very strange move, since she accomplished nothing of note in the competition and unlike other competitors didn't demonstrate Olympic spirit. I assume Chiba is out because they already have 2 Japanese skaters.

 

[frompolandwithlove]

Is this confirmed info? Because it seems very strange to both not invite 4th place AND italian skater but invite AIN instead.

 

[lariko]

Well, we'll know for sure tomorrow. I certainly want Lara there. I doubt I am the only one.

 

[Jelle307]

Adeliia was at the Gala practice. So pretty sure, she will be there..

 

[16Olympics]

I can't find a source that doesn't say after Ilia skated, the US had 69 and Japan had 68.

The pairs team earned an unexpected point in the US's favor then Amber lost a point by coming in 3rd instead of the expected 2nd in the FS. Ilia's skate broke the tie.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Well, we all know what happened to Ilia.

I agree that it's odd for NBC to be talking about the exhibition lineup before the end of the competition. Even as an American, I get very impatient with some of their USA hype. NBC and Peacock still have Ilia splashed all over their sites, too. It seems a bit sad and rather pathetic after Friday's debacle.

It also sort of bothers me that they're making a huge deal out of Amber and Alyssa while almost completely ignoring Isabeau. Maybe that's a good thing, though -- with less media attention, she can stay focused on what she needs to do for her events.

And I'm nervous for Ilia but glad he's going to Worlds. IMO it's good that he's getting right back on the horse, as it were.

The Shibs are also being promoted on commercials. Today on NBC they had all 3 "Blade Angels" on at once. The hype gets to me. But welcome to commercialism. This aint PBS. Right off the bat, on NBC this morning, they said to stay tuned for the blade angels and that A. L. would have a big announcement. Fortunately, I just record the news and fast forward through stuff and saw the 3 minute interview and no announcement.
Worlds will be fun.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Correct, but had it been 1JPN and 2USA then the point would have been tied and JPN would have won the tiebreaker

Thanks. I was wondering who would have won the tie breaker.

 

[skatedreamer]

The Shibs are also being promoted on commercials. Today on NBC they had all 3 "Blade Angels" on at once. The hype gets to me. But welcome to commercialism. This aint PBS. Right off the bat, on NBC this morning, they said to stay tuned for the blade angels and that A. L. would have a big announcement. Fortunately, I just record the news and fast forward through stuff and saw the 3 minute interview and no announcement.
Worlds will be fun.

Purely rhetorical question...

what do the Shibs have to do with anything? They weren't competing in these Olympics.

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

I was thinking a similar thing, only about the French ice dancers. For the first time, the gala will include a trio... the noxious twosome and the French judge performing together to the Jane's Addiction classic "Been Caught Stealing."

They've been stolen at the Team Event but Gala invitation are mostly based on the Individual Event?

 

[CoyoteChris]

Is this confirmed info? Because it seems very strange to both not invite 4th place AND italian skater but invite AIN instead.

It only makes sense if you read Olympic skating judge Jon Jackson's book, "Skating on thin Ice"

 

[CoyoteChris]

Purely rhetorical question...

what do the Shibs have to do with anything? They weren't competing in these Olympics.

Commercials are made a long way out. But whether they made the team or not, Like Jason, they can be used to promote United Airlines or Amber can be used to promote Starbucks. It is the way of the world. Kim Yuna is worth tens of millions of dollars and yet she still does promotions....maybe it all goes to charity or the KSU...unknown. Been that way since Bob Dole, retired majority leader of the senate, promoted Viagra. And before. If you see Abraham Lincoln promoting something, its probably AI.

 

[FlyingFeather]

I mean really they picked R/A over Z/K for Ice dance? How does that make sense with how Z/K were received and finishing in the top 5.

I was about to say so that they did not double up on Americans, but then they are inviting Glenn over Chiba and Gutmann. Strange.

 

[FlyingFeather]

Happy about Petrokina! Wonder who she's gonna kill this time