MILAN — Figure skating came to an end at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a spectacular show of glitz, flips, twirls and talent at the figuring skating exhibition gala. The sport’s medal winners and top stars came together to have fun on the ice and put on a show for a packed crowd at Milano Ice Skating Arena.
That included all of Team USA skating together as gold medal winners. Individually, Amber Glenn broke out her Madonna program, Ilia Malinin did four back flips, Madison Chock and Evan Bates skated gracefully with a white sheet, and Alysa Liu’s joy spilled over once again. Oh, and one gold medal winner turned into a Kung Fu panda. What?!
The skaters’ performances combined with ‘modern and interactive content, through the use of projections, LED screens and lighting design,’ according to the Milano Cortina Games show summary.
A replay of the exhibition gala can be viewed on NBC and Peacock. See below for live updates from USA TODAY Sports.
Meet Team USA 2026: Get to know the athletes behind the games
Figure skating exhibition gala pictures
Alysa Liu brings joy once more to Olympic Games
Alysa Liu could barely keep her eyes open the day after she won the Olympic gold medal in figure skating singles.
Well, she was wide awake at the gala. And no one dared nap as she took the ice in a blue dress.
There was only one triple, but she exhibited grace and some showmanship as she skated to Stateside (with Zara Larsson) by PinkPantheress.
She had talked with excitement about performing at the gala. Her performance wasn’t as electric as Ilia Malinin’s, but she gave the crowd something to think about before the 2030.
Will Liu be back on the Olympic stage?
Will she defend her gold?
It’s probably too soon to know as she took her final spins on Milan ice.
Gold medal winner turned Kung Fu panda
Ilia Malinin sends message with gala performance
Ilia Malinin took to the ice to the sound of phone notifications ringing and cameras snapping.
Then, silence.
Malinin, in his first solo skating appearance since his fall from first to eighth in the men’s free skate, delivered an eclectic and haunting performance at the gala that invited his demons directly onto the ice but, this time, had no “Fear.”
Skating to the NF song, Malinin in a gray sweatshirt and black jeans, acted as if he were being pulled as the lines “like a puppet with strings, I just don’t have a choice” rang out in the arena.
“Is this what you wanted?” the song ended.
The crowd stood in support as Malinin waved on.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate with grace, sheet
Husband-and-wife team Madison Chock and Evan Bates brought intimacy to the ice as they skated to “Once I Was Loved’ by Melody Gardot.
They made creative use of a white sheet that kept them bound, with Chock getting wrapped and unwrapped as Bates held the other end of the prop.
Was this their Olympic swan song? Hard to know considering Chock is 33 and Bates is 36. But the The American duo, silver medalists at the 2026 Winter Olympics, performed with a delicate artistry as they head out of Milan.
Team USA brings energy to performance
Ilia Malinin, with his gold medal winning team skating alongside him, cycled through his signature moves: A quad, then a backflip, before ending with a raspberry twist.
Queue ‘Free Bird.” And, while we’re at it, let’s ‘Feel This Moment” with ‘We Will Rock You.”
The seven Team USA skaters took to the ice in celebratory synchrony, with their hair down and to a high energy musical montage.
‘American Woman,” or women, Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu also danced together to Beyoncé’s ‘Diva.”
Malinin stuck around into the next performance so that Estonian figure skater Niina Petrõkina, skating to the musical Chicago’s ‘Cell Block Tango,” could take him out with a finger gun.
Jackie Chan with pandas at gala
Legendary actor and martial artist Jackie Chan, holding two panda stuffed animals, congratulated the athletes performing at the exhibition gala.
“I’m so honored to be here,” he said before wishing the crowd “health,” happiness and wishing the world “love and peace’ for the Chinese New Year.
Amber Glenn exhibition gala performance
Glenn came out in a sparkly black costume to skate to ‘That’s Life by Lady Gala. She skated with freedom and joy, hair down, and jumps landed to the applause of the crowd. This could be Glenn’s final performance on an Olympic stage. At 26, she was the oldest U.S. women’s skater to qualify for the Olympic team since 1928.
What is the exhibition gala?
It’s a grand finale show for fans to see figure skating’s biggest stars once more on ice. This year, the Milano Cortina organizers say it’s a ‘tribute to athletes and their stories — stories of passion, sacrifice, and above all, courage. The courage to embrace their own talent, to never give up, to turn that challenge into their life’s purpose.’
‘But it’s also an encouragement — for the fans who will follow the Games — to never stop fighting for their dreams, whatever they may be,’ the Games’ show summary reads.
The description is fitting given the athletes’ personal stories, struggles and mental health took center stage, along with their talent. Ilia Malinin spoke about his ‘invisible struggles’ after falling during the men’s free skate to place eighth. Amber Glenn similarly spoke about the criticism she’s faced for sharing her support of the LGBTQ community, and battling through a disappointing short program. And Alysa Liu won an Olympic gold medal after quitting the sport altogether two years ago.
Full list of skaters, start times and music for exhibition gala
Th program is broken into four parts with an intermission after the first two. Here are the start times and music for all of Team USA’s skaters:
- Amber Glenn: 8:32 p.m., ‘That’s Life’ by Lady Gaga
- Team USA: 9:17 p.m., ‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen, ‘Diva’ by Beyoncé, ‘Feel This Moment’ by Pitbull, ‘American Woman’ by Lenny Kravitz, ‘Free Bird’ by Moonlight
- Madison Chock & Evan Bates: 9:48 p.m., ‘Once I Was Loved’ by Melody Gardot
- Ilia Malinin: 10:02 p.m., ‘FEAR’ by NF
- Alysa Liu: 10:23 p.m., ‘Stateside’ (with Zara Larsson) by PinkPantheress
See the full schedule of skaters with start times and music.
Main elements of the show
The show is composed of the following main elements, according to the summary:
- An opening number featuring a protagonist: Carolina Kostner, anItalian legend of figure skating. She will perform a duet with a 3D projection, in a piecethat blends elegance, creativity, and modernity.
- The performances of the single athletes participating in this edition ofthe Winter Olympic Games. The athletes will be divided into four groups, eachpresenting a thematic segment inspired by the opening act.
- A collective performance by the hosting team (Team Italy) and the winning team(Team USA).
- The traditional Grand Finale, where all athletes return to the ice for a groupchoreography and the final greetings.
Who is Carolina Kostner?
Kostner is an Italian figure skating legend. She is responsible for many first for Italy and was the 2014 Olympic bronze medalist. She also was the 2012 world champion and medaled at five other World Championships. She’s a five-time European champion and has won 11 total medals there, the most decorated skater in history for that competition. She’s also a nine-time Italian national champion and a 2003 World Junior bronze medalist.
The four acts of the figure skating exhibition gala
Each skater was assigned to one of four acts in the competition. Gold-medal winners are in the final act to follow tradition. Here are the names of each act:
- ACT 1: A dreamlike journey
- ACT 2: Everything is new. Everything glows.
- Special performance: Hosting Team
- Intermission
- Special performance: Winning Team
- ACT 3: This is the challenge
- ACT 4: Becoming one
Explaining the opening number of the Olympic figure skating gala
According to the show summary, the performance is a story, ‘a metaphor for the relationship between an athlete and his/her talent — the two main characters of the performance’
During the opening number, the athlete is represented by Italian skater Carolina Kostner. The talent is represented through light projections, which ‘creates an abstract character that interacts with the athlete.’
There are then four, one-minute segments. Between each segment, colors change, the projections representing the talent evoles in shape, texture and rhythm, the original music and the lighting changes. Before the final segment, Kostner’s costume will change as well.
Here are descriptions of each segment provided by the Milano Cortina organizers:
- Segment 1 – A dreamlike journey: A girl steps onto the ice for the first time: she explores it like a blank page, through falls and discoveries, until a mysterious line (the visual representation of talent) appears before her. It’s the beginning of a silent game, filled with curiosity, movement, and a growing connection.This phase represents the beginning of the athlete’s journey: the discovery of a world and its elements.
- Segment 2 – Everything is new. Everything glows: The skater and the line chase each other, then begin to play and dance together. From this encounter, a deep harmony emerges: talent takes on a clearer shape, like something that had always existed and is only now being recognized. This phase represents the moment when the athlete starts to feel confident with the discipline, experiments, and has fun.
- Segment 3 – This is the challenge: When that passion turns into a profession, it stops being just a game. It becomes effort, sacrifice, discipline. Talent turns oppressive. But it’s through struggle that strength is born.They’re no longer just dancing together — they’re growing together. This phase represents the moment when things get serious: the athlete has everything it takes to compete at the highest level, and so sacrifices, challenges, and hard work arise—efforts that can sometimes feel overwhelming.
- Segment 4 – Becoming one: When we stop fighting against our talent and instead embrace it, following our destiny, the struggle fades away. Every gesture becomes natural, every movement comes from within. And when talent finds its home, merging with the skater, it ceases to have a life of its own — becoming the luminous trail behind her, as she shines with a new light. The final phase represents the moment when the athlete manages to find balance with their talent: they surrender to it, become one with it, and draw the very best from it.
USA TODAY at the Milano Cortina Games
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The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are off and running with 16 sports taking over 25 different venues. The games are exclusively airing across NBC’s suite of networks with many events airing live on its streaming service, Peacock, which you can sign up for here .
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