The Winter Olympics coach with 16 athletes from 13 countries

Professional figure skating coach Roman Haguenauer made headlines during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing when he was spotted wearing jackets from two different national teams while standing at the rinkside. This unusual occurrence sparked an investigation by BBC Sport’s 'Ask Me Anything' team, who explored the complex logistics of high-level ice dance coaching during global competitions. Haguenauer, a renowned French coach based in Montreal, was managing 16 elite athletes representing 13 different nations, necessitating frequent wardrobe changes to respect the official team uniforms of his various pupils during their respective performances. The phenomenon highlights a unique aspect of figure skating, where the world’s top athletes often congregate at prestigious private academies rather than training solely within their national borders. Haguenauer is a lead coach at the Ice Academy of Montreal (I.AM), a facility that has become a global hub for the sport's elite. Because the Olympic Charter and broadcast protocols require coaches to be identifiable with the athlete currently on the ice, multi-national coaching teams must possess a collection of official apparel for every country they represent at the games. During the Beijing Games, Haguenauer’s roster was so diverse that it included the gold medal-winning French pair Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, as well as teams from the United States, Great Britain, Spain, and Armenia, among others. This logistical challenge meant that as soon as one couple finished their routine and left the 'Kiss and Cry' area, the coach would often have to sprint to a changing room to swap his tracksuit or parka before the next pair took to the ice. This practice is common among the sport’s most successful coaches, who function more as private contractors for international athletes rather than employees of a single national federation. Ultimately, the sight of a coach in multiple uniforms serves as a testament to the globalization of figure skating. While the Olympics are marketed as a competition between nations, the underlying reality is a tightly-knit professional community where international borders matter less than technical expertise. For coaches like Haguenauer, the Olympic experience is a marathon of wardrobe transitions that mirrors the intense competitive schedule of the world’s best skaters.