Synchronized skating, with roots in Michigan, joins Winter Olympics

Synchronized skating, with roots in Michigan, joins Winter Olympics follows the announcement that synchronized skating will be added to the 2030 Winter Olympics, with the U.S. Figure Skating organization and the International Olympic Committee confirming the change on Tuesday, July 7. The decision establishes a new Olympic pathway and is expected to resonate in Michigan, where the sport traces back to Ann Arbor. The Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club cites Dr. Richard Porter as the founder in 1956 and notes that the first team, the “Hockettes,” performed during intermissions at University of Michigan hockey games. The sport involves eight to 20 skaters executing joint programs emphasizing speed, formations, and step sequences, combining elements of freestyle, ice dance, and pairs skating. Competitors will debut in the 2025–26 season with exhibitions at ISU events, and the sport will make its competitive Winter Youth Olympic Games debut in 2028. The next Olympics run Feb. 1–17, 2030, across the French Alps.