One coach works at the Olympics with 16 figure skaters from 13 countries at once. Just keep changing clothes
During the figure skating competition on Tuesday, attentive spectators might have noticed something unusual: French coach Benoît Richaud appeared at the rink's edge in jackets from various national teams — first France, then Georgia, writes the BBC.
Benoît Richaud in jackets of different national teams. Collage: BBC
38-year-old Richaud is a coach and choreographer. At the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy, he is working with 16 figure skaters representing 13 different countries. In the men's short program on Tuesday, seven of his proteges competed, although he was listed in the official schedule as a coach for only four athletes.
Since some of his students competed one after another, Richaud had to quickly change clothes. For example, Frenchman Adam Siao Him Fa and Georgian Nika Egadze took to the ice with numbers 25 and 26 — so the coach had to change outfits promptly.
His athletes had varying results, but Siao Him Fa is currently third after the short program and is contending for a medal before the free program on Friday.
Spectators are already accustomed to seeing Richaud in different jackets: during the team event on Sunday, he first supported Egadze in a Georgian national team jacket, and less than 15 minutes later, appeared in a Canadian jacket to support Stephen Gogolev.
The coach himself admits that such work requires great organization and emotional resilience. If everyone performs well, everything goes easier. But if one athlete performs poorly and the next performs well, strong and conflicting emotions arise, which are difficult to switch between immediately. He notes that if his proteges performed one after another constantly, it would be very difficult.
Richaud jokes that he used to always wear black, and people laughed about it, but now they are surprised how he manages to appear in jackets of different colors.
To manage changing uniforms, the coach leaves jackets in his athletes' changing rooms in advance, although this is usually not allowed. Sometimes national team leaders or managers help him — they keep the jackets ready and hand them over at the right moment.
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Вот как обстоят дела:
Распространенная практика: Для элитных тренеров и хореографов очень распространена одновременная работа с фигуристами из разных стран.
Высокий спрос и масштаб деятельности: Ришо — востребованный, удостоенный наград хореограф (Лучший хореограф ISU 2024 года), работавший с большим количеством фигуристов высшего уровня из разных стран. По состоянию на начало 2026 года сообщалось, что он работал с большим количеством спортсменов, например, с 16 фигуристами, представляющими 13 разных стран, что требовало от него частой смены командных курток на соревнованиях.
Правила разрешают это: Правила Международного союза конькобежцев (ISU) разрешают тренерам работать со спортсменами из разных стран.
Специализированный подход: Ришо фокусируется на создании уникальной, индивидуальной программы для каждого фигуриста, а не на универсальном подходе, что позволяет ему работать с конкурентами, не нарушая профессиональную этику.