[1] On February 15, 1961, the entire United States figure skating team and several family members, coaches, and officials were killed when Sabena Flight 548 crashed in Brussels, Belgium, en route to the World Championships in Prague.

The accident caused the cancellation of the 1961 World Championships and necessitated the building of a new American skating program.

Although American figure skaters were still too young in 1964 (most were aged 15 or lower), they still managed to win two medals.

The Germans were re-awarded the silvers in 1987,[4] after appealing that other pairs had signed similar contracts but had not been exposed and disqualified.

In December 2013, the IOC clarified that the Canadian pair had not been stripped of their silver after the Germans regained their medals.