Retired Olympic skaters Gabriella Papadakis and Madison Hubbell perform in bid for same-sex pairs
Gabriella Papadakis and Madison Hubbell’s performance is a campaign for same-sex pairs to be included in major competitions. (ARND WIEGMANN/AFP via Getty Images)
Retired Olympic skaters Gabriella Papadakis and Madison Hubbell are campaigning for same-sex figure skating pairs to be included in major competitions.
The renowned figure skaters returned to the ice for the premiere of the Art on Ice Gala in Switzerland on Saturday (8 February). Their performance became a campaign for same-sex figure skating pairs to be allowed in major competitions for the sport.
Despite competing as rivals during their competitive career, the pair opted to pair up after dancing “for fun” together during training at Montreal’s Ice Academy.
“We realised that it was quite cool and that it was quite enjoyable and we said to ourselves, ‘When we’re finished with our competitive career, we’ll try it for real,’” Papadakis said to AFP.
Hubbell retired after the 2022 World Championships, but she and former partner Zachary Donohue were awarded a belated gold medal for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Papadakis, who also went home with a gold medal in the same Olympics, retired from skating in December 2024. From then, their new venture began.
They also appear to recognise that the campaign could open more doors for the LGBTQ+ community in the sport.
“It wasn’t our basic intention but we realise what it can represent, what it can show, for us, it’s something that is close to our hearts too,” Papadakis said to AFP. “I also realised while skating with Madison, is that there were codes that I had never really questioned all my life.”
Hubbell added: “With this project, we dream of a future where everyone can find their place on the ice, regardless of their vision or identity.”
The rule change, which they are campaigning for, would also give more opportunities to women and girls to pursue the sport competitively.
“I see a lot of young women who want to pursue ice dance in a certain way and there’s not that many young boys or men who are competing,” Hubbell told Reuters in an interview. “So, there’s a limit to how many people right now are participating.”
Currently, Skate Canada is the sole governing body which allows for same-sex pairs to compete nationally. It enforced the rule in 2022.
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