Viewers commonly refer to the Eurovision Song Contest as the Olympics of music. Naturally, it makes sense for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing to feature some popular Eurovision songs.
The International Skating Union (ISU) has revealed the final roster of skaters who will be competing during the next two weeks, and three of them will skate to recent hits at the contest.
🇮🇹 Matteo Rizzo – “Zitti e buoni” by Maneskin
Matteo Rizzo is heading to second Olympics; he previously finished 21st in the men’s event in 2018. He is known more for his artistic and entertaining programs, and does have at least one quadruple jump in his arsenal. Rizzo has proven to be a bit of a Eurovision fan too. He previously skated to a bronze medal at the 2019 European Championships to an instrumental version of Domenico Modugno’s 1958 classic “Nel blu de pinto de blu (Volare)”.
His short program (which you can see on 8th February) is a mashup of Maneskin’s 2019 single “Le Parole lontane” and, of course, their Eurovision-winning “Zitti e buoni”.
🇮🇹 Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini – “Grande Amore” by Il Volo
Ghilardi and Ambrosini teamed up to compete in pairs skating in 2016, and they are the four-time reigning Italian silver-medallists. This will be their first Olympic games, and they just finished in 5th place at the recent 2022 European Championships. They are known to bring quite a bit of fun to their programs, including their current short program set to “Mambo Italiano”.
For the free skate, Ghilardi and Ambrosini retained their program from last season, set to Il Volo’s enduring Eurovision 2015 entry “Grande Amore”. You can see them in action starting on 18th February.
🇬🇪 Morisi Kvitelashvili – “Tout l’univers” by Gjon’s Tears
Georgian skater Morisi Kvitelashvili previously competed for Russia until 2016. 2022 marks his second Olympic appearance after finishing in 24th place in 2018. He previously won the bronze medal at the 2020 European Championships. He recently won the 2021 Rostelecom cup and became the first Georgian skater to win a Grand Prix event. Kvitelashvili is known for combining his high technical ability with lyrical programs.
Kvitelashvili chose “Tout l’univers” by Gjon’s Tears for his short program this season. “Tout l’univers” placed third at Eurovision 2021 and won the jury vote. Along with Matteo Rizzo, Kvitelashivili will compete in the men’s short program starting on 8th February.
How to Catch Eurovision Songs at the Olympics
Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics starts on 4th February GMT with the Team Event. After that, the individual events will commence. Firstly, the men will compete on starting 8th February, followed by the ice dance and then the women. Finally, the competition concludes on the 19th of February with the pairs event; an exhibition gala will take place on the 20th.
In addition, the website “So You Want to Watch Figure Skating” compiled a helpful guide with broadcast links for most countries. For example, most European viewers can catch the action on streaming via Eurosport. Some countries may air select events on television.
Are you excited for the Olympics? What Eurovision song do you want to see someone skate to? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow THAT Eurovision Site on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
News Source: International Skating Union (ISU)
Photo Source: Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio (FISdG)
One thought on “🥇Three Eurovision Songs to Feature in Figure Skating at the Olympics”