One of the most eye-catching personalities at the 25th Winter Olympic Games in 2026 has been French figure skating coach Benoît Richaud.
According to Idman.Biz, Richaud repeatedly appeared at the rink wearing jackets of different national teams as he accompanied skaters representing a wide range of countries throughout the competition. His presence in various team areas quickly became a talking point among spectators and media covering the Games.
It later emerged that the French specialist is currently working with a total of 16 figure skaters from 13 different nations. As a result, on competition days he has been moving almost constantly between the main ice arena and the training facilities, juggling warm-ups, technical briefings and post-performance analysis.
Such an extensive international portfolio has effectively made Richaud the unofficial busiest coach of the Winter Olympics, underlining the increasingly global nature of elite figure skating. In an era where top choreographers and coaches often collaborate across borders, his workload in Milano-Cortina has stood out even by modern standards.
