The whole world watched how athletes compete at the Olympics in a new sport - team figure skating competitions.
These Olympic Games will be remembered by the whole world not only for their scale, but also for the introduction of new types of competitions. Russia has already received its gold medal in this new form - the team figure skating competition. But many critics are wondering if it was worth introducing this new sport? After all, many claims are now being made against him.
So, what is the figure skating team competition?
The right to fight for Olympic medals is given to figure skaters of ten national teams. The competition consists of two stages: the semi-final, where the skaters skate the short program; and the final, in which the skaters show their free program. Single skaters, both women and men, can take part in the competition; as well as sports and dance couples. For each victory, the winning team receives 10 points, and the loser - 1 point. After four types of competition in the short program, the best participating countries are selected. In total, 5 teams reach the final, which continue to compete for the title of the best team already in free programs.
Summing up, we can conclude that for some countries, team competitions are very beneficial in terms of winning medals. And the first winning countries have already proved this (we are talking about Russia, Canada and the United States). Some countries will have to think about how to pull up some specific species. So, Japan lacks good dance couples, and Italy does not currently have competitive sports couples. But, do not forget that a very strong load is imposed on some athletes, because instead of the required two kickbacks, they will have to go out on the ice already 4 times, which can adversely affect their individual performance.
But, as the saying goes, "the first pancake is always lumpy," and it was necessary to think about team competitions not at the Olympic Games, but at least at the World Championships. After all, practice is needed so that both the participants and the audience could delve into the rating system and understand the principles of this competition. It is hoped that in the future the team competition will delight their fans at the next championships and not only at the Olympics.
