The pairs' figure skating competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 14 and 15 February at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, South Korea, and featured 22 teams from 14 different nations. Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany won the gold, while Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China won the silver, and Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada won the bronze. Savchenko and Massot had finished in fourth place after the short program, but rallied back in the free skate to win the gold, setting a new world record score in the process. While North Korea had originally declined to send athletes to the Olympics, after successful negotiations with South Korea, the International Olympic Committee granted an additional quota spot in pair skating for Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik of North Korea. Controversy arose after the competition when an investigation by the International Skating Union determined that the Chinese judge in the pairs' event had given preferential scores to the Chinese skaters, while simultaneously giving low scores to their strongest competitors.

Background In 2016, an independent report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed allegations that the Russian Olympic team had been involved in a state-sponsored doping program from at least late 2011 through February 2014, when Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi. On 5 December 2017, the International Olympic Committee announced that the Russian Olympic Committee had been suspended from the 2018 Winter Olympics. Athletes with no previous drug violations and a consistent history of drug testing were allowed to compete under the Olympic flag as an "Olympic Athlete from Russia" (OAR). Under the terms of the decree, neither the Russian flag nor anthem were to be used at the Olympics; the Olympic flag and Olympic Anthem were used instead.

The pair skating event was one of five figure skating competitions contested at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea. It was held at the Gangneung Ice Arena over two days: the short program took place on 14 February and the free skating on 15 February. The competition featured 22 teams representing 14 nations. Sui Wenjing and Han Cong were seen as likely candidates for Olympic medals. Sui and Han were the reigning world champions, and four-time Four Continents champions. They were well-regarded for their technical skill, emotional performance, and quality transitions between elements. Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford were two-time world champions and were part of the Canadian team that had earlier won the team event. They were also two-time Four Continents champions and seven-time Canadian national champions. Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot were two-time German national champions, but Savchenko had previously competed with different partners. With Robin Szolkowy, they were two-time Olympic bronze medalists, five-time world champions, four-time European champions and eight-time German national champions. The 2018 Winter Olympics were the fifth for Savchenko, having previously competed three times with Szolkowy, as well as in 2002 when she was partnered with Stanislav Morozov and competed for Ukraine.

Qualification

Sixteen quota spots in the pairs' event were awarded based on results at the 2017 World Championships. France had originally qualified two quota spots at the 2017 World Championships; however, they relinquished one of their spots. The extra quota spot was made available at the 2017 Nebelhorn Trophy along with the other four spots originally allocated.

Although South Korea did not qualify a pairs team through the normal process, as the host nation, they were still able to enter a team in the 2018 Winter Olympics. North Korea originally qualified one quota spot in pair skating after Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik finished in sixth place at the 2017 Nebelhorn Trophy. However, after North Korea missed the deadline to submit their entries for the Olympics, their spot was re-allocated to Japan. Following negotiations with South Korea – the first in more than two years – North Korea agreed to "actively cooperate" at the Olympics. and on 20 January, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that, as part of the "Olympic Korean Peninsula Declaration", they had granted accreditation to North Korea for twenty-two athletes to compete at the Olympics and allocated an additional quota spot in pair skating for Ryom and Kim. In addition, the IOC approved the request of the North and South Korean Olympic committees to allow the two delegations to enter the arena together under the name "Korea" during the opening ceremony. Thomas Bach, then-president of the IOC, stated: "The Olympic spirit is about respect, dialogue and understanding. The Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 are hopefully opening the door to a brighter future on the Korean Peninsula, and inviting the world to join in a celebration of hope."

+Qualifying nations in pairs Event Teamsper Qualifying NOCs Totalteams 2017 World Championships 3 15 2 1 2017 Nebelhorn Trophy 1 5 Host nation privilege 1 1 "Olympic Korean Peninsula Declaration" 1 1 Total 22

Required performance elements Couples competing in pair skating performed their short programs on 14 February. Lasting 2 minutes 40 seconds (+/− 10 seconds), the short program had to include the following elements: one hip lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one pair spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.

The sixteen highest-scoring couples after completion of the short program moved on to the free skating, which was performed on 15 February. Lasting 4 minutes 30 seconds (+/− 10 seconds), the free skate had to include the following: three pair lifts, one twist lift, two different throw jumps, one solo jump, one jump combination or sequence, one pair spin combination, one death spiral, and a choreographic sequence.

Judging

Skaters were judged according to the required technical elements of their program (such as jumps and spins), as well as the overall presentation of their program, based on five program components (skating skills, transitions, performance, composition, and musical interpretation/timing). Each technical element in a figure skating performance was assigned a predetermined base point value and scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from −3 to +3 based on the quality of its execution. Each Grade of Execution (GOE) from –3 to +3 was assigned a value as indicated on the Scale of Values. For example, a triple Axel was worth a base value of 8.50 points, and a GOE of +3 was worth 3.00 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of +3 earned 11.50 points. The judging panel's GOE for each element was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a Total Elements Score. At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on the five aforementioned program components and assigned each a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments. The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the chart below; the results were added together to generate a total Program Component Score.

+Program component factoring Discipline Short program Free skate Pairs 0.80 1.60 Deductions were applied for certain violations, such as time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls. The Total Elements Score and Program Component Score were then added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.

Results

Code key

Short program The pairs' short program was held on 14 February. Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China finished in first place, barely edging out Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia with what Dave Skretta of the Associated Press described as a "breathtaking" performance to "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. Their score of 82.39 was a new season-best and less than one point over that of Tarasova and Morozov. The Russian pair skated to a piano concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff and scored 81.68; also a new season-best score. Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada, who performed to April Meservy's cover of "With or Without You", finished in third place, less than one point ahead of Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany. Massot landed a planned triple Salchow as a double, causing the German pair to lose nearly four points from their technical score.

Some of the biggest applause of the night was for Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik of North Korea. Considered North Korea's only elite-level athletes at the Olympics, Ryom and Kim finished in eleventh place. Their goal was to be able to advance to the free skate, which required finishing among the top sixteen teams. The North Korean duo spoke positively about their experience in South Korea, including positive interactions with the other skaters: Ryom received a birthday gift from Kim Kyu-eun, a South Korean pair skater, while Meagan Duhamel took the pair shopping. "Everyone is really supportive of them,” said Alex Kam, Kim Kyu-eun's skating partner. “It’s good to see how sports brings everyone together without boundaries." As Ryom and Kim came from what was considered the world's most isolated country, they were the focus of much attention and curiosity. Many South Koreans in the audience cheered for them and held up signs referencing Korean reunification.

+Pairs' short program results Team Nation 1 82.39 44.49 37.90 9.36 9.32 9.61 9.50 9.570.00 2 81.68 43.97 37.71 9.46 9.25 9.54 9.50 9.390.00 3 76.82 41.26 35.56 8.89 8.64 8.89 9.00 9.040.00 4 76.59 39.16 37.43 9.29 9.18 9.32 9.46 9.540.00 5 75.58 42.10 33.48 8.39 8.29 8.46 8.50 8.210.00 6 75.34 40.67 34.67 8.64 8.43 8.89 8.68 8.710.00 7 74.50 40.36 34.14 8.32 8.29 8.68 8.68 8.710.00 8 74.35 40.13 34.22 8.68 8.25 8.64 8.57 8.640.00 9 74.00 40.41 33.59 8.43 8.25 8.46 8.46 8.390.00 10 70.52 38.93 31.59 7.89 7.71 8.00 7.96 7.930.00 11 69.40 38.79 30.61 7.61 7.36 7.86 7.71 7.710.00 12 67.52 35.63 31.89 7.96 7.79 8.04 8.04 8.040.00 13 65.68 34.46 31.22 7.89 7.64 7.68 7.96 7.860.00 14 65.55 34.18 31.37 7.96 7.54 7.82 7.89 8.000.00 15 63.25 34.62 28.63 7.18 7.04 7.11 7.29 7.180.00 16 63.04 34.61 28.43 7.11 6.96 7.18 7.11 7.180.00 17 62.61 33.50 30.11 7.64 7.46 7.50 7.61 7.431.00 18 61.55 34.70 26.85 7.00 6.64 6.75 6.71 6.460.00 19 60.35 34.26 26.09 6.54 6.32 6.68 6.57 6.500.00 20 58.80 31.71 28.09 7.07 6.93 6.96 7.07 7.071.00 21 57.74 32.89 24.85 6.39 5.96 6.29 6.25 6.180.00 22 42.93 21.04 22.89 6.04 5.54 5.57 5.79 5.681.00

Free skating The pairs' free skate was held on 15 February. In a stunning rebound, Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot, who had finished the short program in fourth place, performed what Gabrielle Tetrault-Farbera and Elaine Lies of Reuters described as a "flawless" free skate with "flowing choreography", leapfrogging to an Olympic gold medal finish. Their free skate also set a new world record score, breaking the previous record, which had been set by them at the 2018 Grand Prix Final. Savchenko had twice won an Olympic bronze medal with her previous partner Robin Szolkowy, but this was her first Olympic gold medal. Savchenko and Massot performed a triple twist lift, a side-by-side triple Salchow-double toe loop jump combination, a throw triple flip, and a throw triple Salchow. It was Germany's first Olympic gold medal in pair skating in 66 years.