The figure skating events at the 1972 Winter Olympics were held at the Makomanai Skating Rink and the Mikaho Indoor Skating Rink.

Ondrej Nepela was a Slovak figure skater who represented Czechoslovakia. He was the 1972 Olympic champion, a three-time World champion (1971–1973), and a five-time European champion (1969–1973). Later in his career, he performed professionally and became a coach.