Savchenko was granted German citizenship on 29 December 2005, making it possible for the pair to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Just prior to the Olympics, the National Olympic Committee of Germany decided to exclude their coach, Ingo Steuer, from the Olympic team due to his collusion with the Stasi. After a court battle, he was granted accreditation. Savchenko/Szolkowy finished sixth with 180.15 points. They also placed sixth at 2006 Worlds some weeks later, where they earned 170.08 points overall.