Beijing 2022 figure skaters receive team event Olympic medals during ceremony in Champions Park at Paris 2024

7 August 2024 – A glimpse of winter sports was felt in Paris, where the enthusiastic Champions Park crowd cheered for the figure skaters from the United States of America (USA) and Japan when they received their gold and silver Olympic medals from the team event at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

The Olympic medal ceremony for the figure skating team event could not take place in Beijing due to the ongoing legal uncertainty following the disqualification of Kamila Valieva (Russian Olympic Committee/ROC at the time) from the competition.

The athletes received their Olympic medals from Jae Youl Kim, IOC Member and President of the International Skating Federation (ISU), and Martin Fourcade, IOC Member, five-time Olympic gold medallist in biathlon, and Chair of the Paris 2024 Athletes’ Commission.

The Olympic medals were awarded in front of 13,000 fans at the Champions Park, a first-of-its-kind venue designed to give Paris 2024 Olympic medallists the opportunity to informally celebrate their achievements in front of enthusiastic crowds, against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower.

The 16 athletes who received the medals from the Beijing 2022 team figure skating event were:

USA (gold medal):

• Nathan Chen
• Vincent Zhou
• Karen Chen
• Alexa Knierim
• Brandon Frazier
• Madison Chock
• Evan Bates
• Madison Hubbell
• Zachary Donohue

Japan (silver medal):

• Kagiyama Yuma
• Uno Shoma (not present)
• Higuchi Wakaba
• Sakamoto Kaori
• Miura Riku
• Kihara Ryuichi
• Komatsubara Misato
• Tim Koleto

“A super special moment”

Following the ceremony, the skaters shared their experience.

“Being at the foot of the Eiffel Tower was more than I could have asked for; it was incredible,” said the USA’s Vincent Zhou. “I’m really grateful to the IOC, the USOPC [United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee] and the ISU for making all of this possible. It was electric. My family and friends were in the crowd, which made it really special.”

Japan’s Tim Koleto added: “It was such a super special moment to be able to celebrate alongside family, friends and other competitors. It’s really, truly special. When we were upgraded from bronze to silver, people were sending us a lot of messages and very excited for us. It’s been a long wait, but it was absolutely well worth it, doing it in front of the Eiffel Tower. It’s something even in my wildest dreams I didn’t imagine, so it’s very special.”

The USA’s Alexa Knierim and Karen Chen also revealed their excitement at receiving their medals in such a special setting.

“That was everything; it was liberating, it was exciting, it was invigorating, it was loud,” said Knierim. “Receiving these medals in front of our family and friends was very important, because they are part of the support system that got us to our ultimate goal of the Olympics, so it was very special to see my mom and dad waving and crying in the crowd today.”

For Chen, receiving their medals together as a team was one of the highlights of the experience.

“That was such a remarkable experience. When I walked out there, I was speechless,” she said. “We really wanted to have a moment together as a team [to receive our medals]. To be able to get that here makes me really happy and thankful and grateful – all the good things!”

ISU President Kim, who awarded the gold medal to Team USA, also expressed his congratulations to all the athletes: “It is a great honour to be able to present the medals to the skaters here today in the Olympic city of Paris. I am pleased that this case has finally come to an end, and that the medallists now get the recognition and celebration they rightfully deserve.”

Martin Fourcade stressed: “That was really emotional because I have been involved in their journey to get that medal from Beijing, where I was elected to the IOC Athletes’ Commission. Since then, I had weekly talks with the athletes to support them in that difficult journey. I have been really moved today being able to finally give them the medal they deserved. Being an athlete, I know how important this moment is.”

Final ranking confirmed

The ceremony for the gold and silver medals of the Beijing 2022 figure skating team event could be held following a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 25 July 2024, confirming the International Skating Union (ISU)’s decision to disregard the points gained by Valieva and to rank USA first and Japan second.

On 2 August 2024, the CAS confirmed the ISU’s decision to rank the ROC third. There are no athletes or teams representing the ROC at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, as the ROC is currently suspended, and so the bronze medals will be awarded in due course.