Milan: The figure skating competition of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will begin Friday with the team event, marking South Korea's return after a missed qualification four years ago. South Korea will join nine other teams at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, competing across men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. A country must have qualified skaters in at least three disciplines to participate in the team competition.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the team event, which debuted in the Olympics in 2014, saw South Korea first compete in 2018 as the host nation but failing to qualify for the 2014 and 2022 editions. This year, South Korea enters the competition without a pairs team, placing them at an initial disadvantage since they will earn no points in that category. However, the event serves as a valuable opportunity for South Korean skaters to familiarize themselves with the ice and arena ahead of next week's individual events.

The competition will commence with the ice dance team of Hannah Lim and Quan Ye performing their rhythm dance at 9:55 a.m. on Friday. Following them, Shin Ji-a, who triumphed at the Olympic trials in January, will compete in the women's singles at 1:35 p.m. Cha Jun-hwan, the 2023 world silver medalist, will represent South Korea in the men's singles, with his short program set for 7:45 p.m. on Saturday.

Points are awarded based on ranking positions in each discipline, with the top-ranked skater or team earning 10 points, the runners-up nine, and so forth. To advance to the free program segments, skaters and teams must finish in the top five in their short programs and rhythm dance.