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When Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, pictured above, announced her music for the Olympic season, she made a statement: The three-time ISU World Champion picked “Time to Say Goodbye” for her Short Program. Sakamoto is one of the stars who will dance on competitive ice for the last time at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Last dance, new plans

The Olympic Games are the culmination of an athlete’s career and after each Olympic cycle, famous and popular athletes leave the competitive arena to skate in shows, to focus on studying or to transition into coaching and choreographing. 

Sakamoto made it clear from the beginning of the season that this will be her last one. She can look back at a great career. In addition to her three world titles, she had won Olympic bronze in 2022 in the individual event and World silver in 2025. At the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, she is aiming again at the top of the podium.

 Wenjing Sui & Cong Han are featuring in their final Olympic Winter Games © ISU

Chinese Pair Skaters Wenjing Sui & Cong Han started a spectacular comeback this season. The 2022 Olympic Champions and 2018 Olympic silver medalists specifically came back to compete in Milan and are not planning to continue their career after that.

Madison Chock & Evan Bates (USA) have an illustrious career that includes three ISU World titles. However, the husband-and-wife team is still missing an individual Olympic medal. This is the ultimate goal of the American Ice Dancers that compete in their fourth Olympic Games together. Bates even enters his fifth Games. While Chock & Bates have not officially announced their future plans, they are expected to retire after this season. Both want to stay involved in the sport that has shaped their lives. Chock has already started a career as a costume designer.

Evan Bates and Madison Chock are expected to retire after the Olympic Winter Games © ISU

Ice Dancers Charlene Guignard & Marco Fabbri of Italy have enjoyed a very long career as well. After taking their second ISU World medal in 2024, they were thinking about retirement but the Olympic Games on home ice were too tempting. The three-time ISU European Champions stayed in. “But this is our last season, definitely,” Fabbri said. They will compete in their fourth Olympic Winter Games after 2014, 2018 and 2022 and will challenge for a medal.

One more top Ice Dance team that might end their long competitive career this season are four-time ISU World medalists Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier of Canada, even though they have not announced anything yet. Competing in their third Olympic Games as a couple and as the reigning ISU World silver medalists, the Canadians aim for the podium in Milan. 

Italy’s Matteo Rizzo qualified in a tight race for the second spot for the Italian men. He has indicated that he will retired following his third Olympic Winter Games.

Some well-known skaters have left it open whether they want to continue competing or not, among them Canada’s 2024 ISU World Champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps, Amber Glenn (USA) and Deniss Vasiljevs of Latvia.