Benoit Richaud, a 38-year-old French coach and choreographer, has been spotted wearing the jackets of both Canada and Georgia during the team event final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The incident happened in a short space of time, within minutes of each other.
Richaud is coaching 16 different skaters, including athletes from 13 countries, which is no surprise given his expertise as a choreographer. He has won awards for his work, including being named the Best Figure Skater Choreographer at the 2024 ISU Skating Awards.
However, what's unusual about Richaud's role at the Olympics is that he is working with athletes from multiple countries, even if they are competing against each other. Rules allow coaches to work with athletes from different nations, and Richaud is a prime example of this.
Richaud explained in an interview that his job can be emotionally demanding due to the high stakes involved in figure skating competitions. He also mentioned that it's difficult for him to switch between supporting multiple athletes from different countries.
The reason behind Richaud's involvement with so many skaters is not explicitly stated, but his success as a choreographer suggests that he has a talent for creating memorable performances.
Richaud is coaching 16 different skaters, including athletes from 13 countries, which is no surprise given his expertise as a choreographer. He has won awards for his work, including being named the Best Figure Skater Choreographer at the 2024 ISU Skating Awards.
However, what's unusual about Richaud's role at the Olympics is that he is working with athletes from multiple countries, even if they are competing against each other. Rules allow coaches to work with athletes from different nations, and Richaud is a prime example of this.
Richaud explained in an interview that his job can be emotionally demanding due to the high stakes involved in figure skating competitions. He also mentioned that it's difficult for him to switch between supporting multiple athletes from different countries.
The reason behind Richaud's involvement with so many skaters is not explicitly stated, but his success as a choreographer suggests that he has a talent for creating memorable performances.
benoit richaud is literally the ultimate hype rider 
! coaching 16 different skaters from 13 countries? that's like, the ultimate dream job 
! and can you even imagine being in his shoes during those intense Olympics moments? switching between countries and emotions on the fly? 
he must be a total rockstar to handle all that stress! 
and i love how he just owns it, no apologies needed 
. btw, who's ready for some epic figure skating performances in 2026?! 
, you know? People might think he's just being flashy or trying to get attention, but honestly, it's not that simple. He's dealing with some crazy pressure from the athletes and the team event format can be super intense. And let's be real, 16 skaters from different countries is a lot to handle! 
, given the rules and all. Richaud's got a talent for getting the best out of skaters, and that's something to be celebrated! 
I'm loving how Benoit Richaud is breaking the rules and being extra supportive to all those talented athletes 
! I mean, who needs national borders when you've got figure skating magic happening on the ice? 
. And can we talk about how mentally tough it must be for him to switch between supporting different skaters in such a short space of time? 
What's wild is that he gets to work with athletes from so many countries, it's like a real-life international team project! 
The emotional demands of figure skating competitions must be insane, I can imagine Richaud switching between all those skaters' needs and emotions in his head all the time. 
the thing that got me tho was when he said his job can b emotionally draining rn figure skating competitions are already stressful enough without having to deal w/ multiple teams 
So like I was reading about this French coach Benoit Richaud and he's wearing both Canada & Georgia jackets at Olympics 
Like what even is going on there? 
He's got 16 skaters from 13 countries under him 
But switching between them must be like super hard 
Guess his skills as a choreographer are what landed him this gig 
