Taylor Swift did not step onto the ice during the 2026 Winter Olympics, but Olympic champion Alysa Liu believes the global pop icon still played a part in Team USA’s gold medal moment.
During the iHeartRadio Music Awards held Thursday (March 26), Liu had the opportunity to present Swift with the 2026 Artist of the Year honor. While speaking onstage, the figure skating star described Swift as the “GOAT of music.”
“She lent her voice and music by narrating a video introducing me and the other ‘Blade Angels,’” she continued of Swift, who attended the ceremony alongside fiancé Travis Kelce. “I gotta say, I think that’s why we won.”
The 14 time Grammy Award winner later took the stage to accept the trophy, one of seven awards she collected that evening. “First of all, to receive this award from Alysa,” she began her speech. “You brought me so much happiness and everyone else so much happiness with your performances.”
Swift showed strong support for Team USA throughout the Olympic season. She shared a recorded message wishing the athletes success, which aired during the opening ceremony in early February. Not long after that, she also provided narration for a promotional spot featuring Liu and the rest of the U.S. figure skating team.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to Amber [Glenn], Alysa and Isabeau [Levito], three American showgirls on ice who will capture your heart with their stories,” Swift said in the promo video, adding of Liu, “She walked away from skating when she was 16, but then came back on her own terms. Joy fuels her now. Every jump, a celebration. Every performance, a testament to the beauty of knowing yourself.”
Earlier in the year, Swift also allowed her Billboard Hot 100 chart topping track Life of a Showgirl single “The Fate of Ophelia” to be featured in a Winter Olympics advertisement.
