Team USA, Frederick Richard and Ilia Malinin Declare December 21 National Backflip Day

Ahead of upcoming Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, new “holiday” will celebrate the backflip with an epic livestream filled with flips, surprises, and philanthropy  

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - It has already been an amazing year for the backflip.

In May, Team USA gymnast and Paris 2024 medalist, Frederick “Flips” Richard, broke the world record for most backflips in a day across his social media, while raising more than $60K for gymnastics equipment for international youth. 

And throughout the year, Team USA figure skater and Milan Cortina 2026 hopeful, Ilia “Quad God” Malinin, has been turning heads by incorporating the backflip, which had previously been banned since 1976, into his routines, including at November’s Skate Canada, where he set a new world record for the free skate score. 

Not to mention the world’s biggest creators going viral for their backflips, and NFL players doing backflips as touchdown celebrations. 

In the process, the two athletes have become fans of one another - Richard will even be attending the upcoming Olympic Winter Games, which start Feb. 6 on NBC, as a Team USA Creator. They are now teaming up with Team USA to end 2025 with one last backflip celebration before flipping to 2026 - by declaring Dec. 21 National Backflip Day. 

National Backflip Day will be held on Dec. 21 due to the numerical flipping of the day’s 12/21 numbers and how the seasons also flip from fall to winter on this date.

More importantly, National Backflip Day is intended to not only celebrate the backflip’s big year in 2025 and to help fans prepare for the Olympic Winter Games, but to encourage youth to learn how to safely backflip as part of an active lifestyle, and to “flip the script” in their own sports and passions, which Fred and Ilia are both embracing as they push boundaries in Gymnastics and Figure Skating.

Starting today, fans can watch the exclusive content of Richard and Malinin’s first in-person meetup where they exchange backflip stories and tricks across @TeamUSA social media. 

On National Backflip Day itself, Richard will be hosting an all day backflip stream live across his @FrederickFlips social media channels from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center starting at 10 a.m. MT. Starting today, fans can post a backflip video with #NationalBackflipDay and also tag @FrederickFlips for a chance to be featured in the livestream and to contribute to the cause.

This video can be of fans doing an actual backflip if they’re able and exercise caution, or even flipping a water bottle (or coin, pancake, etc.) or asking Frederick for advice on how to positively and creatively flip around any kind of situation in life that he may reply to during the stream - be creative and safe.

The goal for the day is simple, yet ambitious. The stream will be filled with stunts, appearances and surprises, and for every flip video submitted, a generous United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation (USOPF) NextGen Council donor will match impact up to 10,000 flips and up to $10,000. This year’s National Backflip Day will generate support for the Team USA Fund. One hundred percent of gifts to the Team USA Fund go directly to athletes and the programs that make their dreams possible, from mental health and education to training, competition, and career transition support. As the fundraising arm of the USOPC, the USOPF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advancing Team USA.

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About Team USA
Team USA is the world’s largest and most diverse team of athletes representing the United States at the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the U.S. The USOPC is responsible for protecting, supporting, and empowering Team USA athletes and for stewarding the Olympic and Paralympic Movements across the nation.

About Team USA Fund
The Team USA Fund supports Team USA athletes by providing essential resources that help them thrive on and off the field of play. As the fundraising arm of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation (USOPF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the mission of Team USA. When you give to the Team USA Fund, 100% of donations go directly to Team USA athletes and the programs that make their dreams possible. To learn more, visit .