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The Epic Evolution Of Men's Figure Skating Costumes Through The Years

How does Patrick Chan's costume stack up against the greats of the past?

There's no sport in the Winter Olympics quite like figure skating. It has everything: grace, style, strength and, of course, flashy costumes.

Most of the attention is usually on the women's costumes, which are undoubtedly beautiful and often covered in enough sparkle to light up a whole rink. But the men's costumes have long been equally as dramatic ― just look at Johnny Weir.

Interestingly, the International Skating Rulebook states that figure skating costumes "must be modest, dignified and appropriate for athletic competition ― not garish or theatrical in design," according to ESPN. Of course, what one might consider garish or theatrical, another may deem beautiful, which makes the rule pretty hard to break. So, over the years, skaters from all over the world have continued to compete in flashy designs, whether they be brightly colored leotards or animal print tops.

Earlier this week, we got to see some of Team USA's men and women dazzle on the ice (and win bronze) at the team skating event, and this weekend the men will compete in the short program and free skate events.

Before we get to cheer them on from our living rooms (or from South Korea, for those lucky enough to attend), let's take a look back at some of the best, boldest and most memorable men's Olympic skating costumes through the years.

  • Toller Cranston, 1976
    ullstein bild via Getty Images
    The Canadian skater performs at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
  • Robin Cousins, 1980
    Tony Duffy via Getty Images
    The British skater performs part of his gold medal routine during the free program of the men's figure skating event on Feb. 21, 1980, during the Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York.
  • Scott Hamilton, 1984
    David Madison via Getty Images
    The American fan favorite skates his long program during the men's singles competition at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, on Feb. 16.
  • Brian Boitano, 1988
    David Madison via Getty Images
    The Californian competes in the final of the men's singles figure skating event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada.
  • Brian Orser, 1988
    David Madison via Getty Images
    The Canadian skates in the final of the men's singles event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada, on Feb. 20.
  • Kurt Browning, 1992
    Jean-Yves Ruszniewski via Getty Images
    The Canadian performs at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.
  • Viktor Petrenko, 1992
    VINCENT ALMAVY via Getty Images
    The Ukrainian star performs his original program at the Winter Olympics on Feb. 13, 1992, in Albertville, France.
  • Elvis Stojko, 1994
    Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
    The Canadian in the men's technical program at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in Norway.
  • Oleg Tataurov, 1994
    David Madison via Getty Images
    The Russian competes in the free skate portion of the men's figure skating singles competition at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.
  • Alexei Urmanov, 1994
    David Madison via Getty Images
    The Russian champion in the free skate portion of the men's figure skating singles competition at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
  • Margus Hernits, 1998
    Tony Marshall - EMPICS via Getty Images
    The Estonian skater at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
  • Kyu-Hyun Lee, 1998
    Tony Marshall - EMPICS via Getty Images
    The South Korean performs at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
  • Philippe Candeloro, 1998
    Jean-Yves Ruszniewski via Getty Images
    The French skater performs at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
  • Ilia Kulik, 1998
    Tony Marshall - EMPICS via Getty Images
    The Russian competing at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
  • Todd Eldredge, 2002
    JOHN MACDOUGALL via Getty Images
    The American performs in the men's short program in Salt Lake City.
  • Ivan Dinev, 2002
    Tony Marshall - EMPICS via Getty Images
    The Bulgarian skater in his free program at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
  • Takeshi Honda, 2002
    TIMOTHY A. CLARY via Getty Images
    The Japanese figure skater performs his men's short program at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
  • Dmitri Dmitrenko, 2002
    TIMOTHY A. CLARY via Getty Images
    Performing his men's short program for Ukraine at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
  • Viktor Pfeifer, 2006
    Clive Rose via Getty Images
    The Austrian competes in the men's free skate program final in Turin, Italy.
  • Evan Lysacek, 2006
    Robert Laberge via Getty Images
    The American competes in the men's short program at the Turin Games in 2016 in Italy.
  • Ilia Klimkin, 2006
    Robert Laberge via Getty Images
    Competing in the men's short program for Russia at the Palavela in Turin, Italy.
  • Johnny Weir, 2006
    Robert Laberge via Getty Images
    The U.S. skater competes in the men's short program at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games.
  • Stefan Lindemann, 2006
    Robert Laberge via Getty Images
    The German competes in Turin, Italy.
  • Kevin Van Der Perren, 2006
    Al Bello via Getty Images
    The Belgian competes in the men's short program at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
  • Viktor Pfeifer, 2006
    Robert Laberge via Getty Images
    Competing in the men's short program for Austria at the Games in Turin, Italy.
  • Gheorghe Chiper, 2006
    Robert Laberge via Getty Images
    Competing for Romania in the men's short program in Turin, Italy.
  • Shawn Sawyer, 2006
    Robert Laberge via Getty Images
    The Canadian competes in the men's short program figure skating at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games.
  • Stephane Lambiel, 2006
    Clive Rose via Getty Images
    The Swiss skater in Turin, Italy.
  • Anton Kovalevski, 2006
    Clive Rose via Getty Images
    The Ukrainian performs Feb. 16, 2006, in Turin, Italy.
  • Daisuke Takahashi, 2006
    FRANCK FIFE via Getty Images
    Japan's star performs in the men's free skating program in Turin, Italy.
  • Emanuel Sandhu, 2006
    Clive Rose via Getty Images
    The Canadian in the men's free skating program in Turin, Italy.
  • Brian Joubert, 2006
    FRANCK FIFE via Getty Images
    The French skater performs in the free skating program in Turin, Italy.
  • Evgeni Plushenko, 2010
    Matthew Stockman via Getty Images
    The gold medalist from Russia competes in Vancouver, Canada.
  • Johnny Weir, 2010
    Cameron Spencer via Getty Images
    The American in the free skating at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada.
  • Jason Brown, 2014
    YURI KADOBNOV via Getty Images
    The U.S. skater at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Feb. 9, 2014.
  • Adam Rippon, 2018
    Dean Mouhtaropoulos via Getty Images
    The American skates in the team event at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 12.
  • Mikhail Kolyada, 2018
    Jean Catuffe via Getty Images
    Competing among the Olympic athletes from Russia at the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea.
  • Patrick Chan, 2018
    Jean Catuffe via Getty Images
    Competing for Canada in the men's free skating event during the figure skating team event of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea.
  • Keiji Tanaka, 2018
    Jamie Squire via Getty Images
    Competing for Japan in Gangneung, South Korea.

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