| Figure skating at the IX Winter Olympics | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Olympic Games |
| Champions | |
Men's singles:  Manfred Schnelldorfer (EUA) | |
Ladies' singles:  Sjoukje Dijkstra | |
Pairs:  Liudmila Belousova / Oleg Protopopov | |
| Previous: 1960 Winter Olympics | |
| Next: 1968 Winter Olympics | |
Figure skating at the 1964 Winter Olympics took place at the Olympiahalle in Innsbruck, Austria. There were three events contested: men's singles, ladies' singles, and pair skating.[1]
On February 15, 1961, the entire United States figure skating team and several family members, coaches, and officials were killed when Sabena Flight 548 crashed in Brussels, Belgium, en route to the World Championships in Prague. The accident caused the cancellation of the 1961 World Championships and necessitated the building of a new American skating program. Although American figure skaters were still too young in 1964 (most were aged 15 or lower), they still managed to win two medals.[2][3]
- ^ "Figure Skating at the 1964 Winter Olympics". Olympedia. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Air Crash Fatal to 73 Is Probed – Jet's Plunge Kills Skaters". The Spokesman-Review. 16 February 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
- ^ Ford, Bonnie D. (2011). "Still Crystal Clear". ESPN. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
The plane crash that killed the 1961 U.S. world championship figure skating team decimated families and the sport, but alongside grief came renewal.