Ilia Malinin is scheduled to skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano- Cortina starting with the team event on Saturday, February 7, 2026 , and then in the men’s singles events on February 10 and 13, 2026.

Key Olympic Dates for Ilia Malinin

  • Team event – men’s short program: Saturday, February 7, 2026.
  • Possible team event – men’s free skate: Sunday, February 8, 2026 (USA coaches may decide based on medal strategy and his workload).
  • Men’s singles short program: Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
  • Men’s singles free skate: Friday, February 13, 2026.

These appearances mark his Olympic debut and he is widely seen as the favorite for men’s gold thanks to his historic quadruple jumps.

Latest News & Buzz

Sports outlets note that Malinin skipped the 2026 Olympic opening ceremony to rest and manage fatigue, since skating both team and individual events could mean four programs in six days. There’s active debate in U.S. figure skating circles about whether he should skate both team programs or be saved a bit for the men’s individual event where he’s the heavy favorite.

On the broader Olympic stage, coverage frames him as a potential history-maker at Milano-Cortina, with commentators watching to see if he can land multiple ultra-difficult quads under Olympic pressure the way he has at Worlds and Grand Prix events.

Mini Forum-Style Take

“If he skates both team programs and both individual programs, that’s brutal on the body. But how do you not use your best guy when team gold is on the line?”

“Honestly, I just want to see the Quad God go clean in the Olympic free skate. Medals aside, that would be one of those ‘where were you when…’ sports moments.”

What Happens After the Olympics?

Malinin already has a packed post-Olympic tour and competition schedule , including Worlds in Prague in late March 2026 and multiple “Stars on Ice” dates in Japan and across the U.S., showing he’s planning a full season beyond just the Games. He has also publicly talked about aiming to compete in three Olympic cycles: 2026, 2030, and 2034 , assuming his body holds up.

TL;DR: Ilia Malinin will skate at the 2026 Olympics starting with the team event on Feb 7–8 and then in the men’s singles on Feb 10 and 13 , with huge expectations that he could deliver one of the standout performances of the Games.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.