Figure Ice Skating

Television also played a role in removing the restrictive amateur status rules that once governed the sport. To retain skaters who might otherwise have given up their eligibility to participate in lucrative professional events, in 1995 the ISU introduced prize money at its major competitions, funded by revenues from selling the TV rights to those events.
• Present day
Figure skating is a very popular part of the Winter Olympic Games. Countries who have produced many successful skaters in recent decades include Russia and the former Soviet Union, the United States, Canada, Germany and Japan. The sport is currently experiencing a surge in popularity in East Asia, particularly in Japan, China and South Korea, as well as in the Nordic countries such as Norway, Finland, and Sweden. Training opportunities in South Asia are limited due to a scarcity of skating rinks. India had only four major indoor ice rinks as of 2011, but there were plans for ten more to be built, mostly in malls, over the following five years.
On April 6, 2011, the International Olympic Committee officially confirmed the approval of a team event, to be introduced at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Each team will be composed of a men's and ladies single skater, a pair, and an ice dancing team. Ten teams may compete, with five eliminated after the short program. In December 2011, the International Skating Union released details of the qualifying system and the competition.