Could the Olympic ice be behind a surge of falls, crashes and upsets in the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Some athletes think that could be the case.
Falls aren’t uncommon in icy sports at the Winter Olympics. In fact, they are a natural part of any competition on ice.
But a series of concerning falls and uncharacteristic Olympic performances have many questioning.
Arguably one of the most prominent was a skate by U.S. figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin, whose unexpected performance stunned the world on Friday.
The 21-year-old skating sensation, who is often flawless in his performance, fell not once but twice.
“I was not expecting that,” Malinin, struggling to find the right words, said just moments after he left the ice. “Going into this competition, I was so ready. I just felt ready going on that ice…”
And he wasn’t the only major performance to see unusual falls.
One by one, the skaters before him Friday night had problems of their own, falling on ice shared by speedskating that some lamented was not the best of surfaces. Italy’s Daniel Grassl crashed out of podium contention, as did Adam Siao Him Fa of France.
While Malinin acknowledged the mental toll of Olympic competition, he also suggested the ice might have played a role in his devastating performance.
“Of course, in the moment, it definitely felt like not only nerves,” Malinin said, the New York Times reported. “But maybe the ice was also not the best condition for what I would like to have. And that’s something I cannot complain about because we’re all put in that situation where we have to skate no matter what happens. So that’s not really an excuse I can give.”
Malinin, in the end, placed blame on the pressure and said maybe he was too confident it would go well.
Hear from Ilia Malinin after he finished 8th in the men’s figure skating competition.
But the issues weren’t isolated to figure skating.
On Tuesday, a crash in the mixed team relay knocked Team USA skaters out of medal contention, and it occurred amid what skaters called “soft and slushy” ice conditions.
“Yeah, this ice isn’t the best for short track right now umm, I think it’s … like figure skating ice,” speed skater Corinne Stoddard said.
“Everyone’s on the same ice, so it’s something we’ll have to adapt to, but it’s a challenge for sure,” speed skater Julia Letai added.
CTV reported Canadian speed skater Steven Dubois, who helped Canada win silver in the mixed team relay, called it “probably the worst ice of the year we’ve had.”
Short track speed skating and figure skating typically take place at the same venue during the Olympics, but changes are required on the facility’s part because ice temperatures are different for each discipline.
Temperatures for ice skating are typically the warmest, allowing blades to grip the ice during routines. Hockey ice is colder, and speed skating requires the chilliest surface.
Just a few degrees difference can affect an athlete’s performance.
But organizers, who addressed concerns earlier this week, insisted issues aren’t common.
“From our point of view, you can see by going directly into the competition venue, that the ice masters measure the ice temperature, and the ice condition is constantly monitored throughout matches,” said Luca Casassa, Games operation communications director, CTV News reported.
The internet has certainly placed blame on the ice for troubling performances, specifically regarding figure skating.
“There’s something genuinely wrong with that ice and figure skating isn’t the only sport that’s been impacted by it,” @josephineskaty said on X. “Speed skaters (who use the same venue) have also commented about the ice.”
“Two of the worlds best not being anywhere a medal bc the OLYMPICS ice is terrible, they knew about the issues and yet did nothing about it is at the very least shameful,” user @rmvlaren said.
Others pushed for a reskate.
“I wonder if they can have a reskate of those last group or 2 of the men’s skaters, most of who fell because of seemingly poor ice quality, to redo their performance,” user @AbbyWithAnIE said. “That was SO sad and unlike so many of them. #olympics”
It wouldn’t be the only winter course to face scrutiny.
Many questioned the conditions of the downhill ski course following legendary skier Lindsey Vonn’s tragic crash just seconds into her event earlier in the Games. A particular spot in the course sent Vonn flying before her crash.
While it’s always bumpy in that section, this year the final bump is “more of a kicker,” skiers noted, which is why Vonn got popped up suddenly into the air. Gold medalist in the event and Vonn’s U.S. teammate Breezy Johnson called the area “really bumpy.”
The same spot also led to trouble for another skier on the same course.
Women’s race director Peter Gerdol said the section where Vonn lost control was “not really more different than other years.”
“This is the Cortina downhill and this year we’re talking about the Olympics,” he told AP. “It’s awarding Olympic medals so has to be somehow challenging.”
Had attention been paid to controlling the size of that bump?
“Not severely,” Gerdol said. “Because actually today, all the athletes went through quite easily. Lindsey made a mistake and it happens. It can happen in any section of the course. It happened there but it could have been in another.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
