2020–21 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final

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2020–21 Grand Prix Final
Type: Grand Prix
Season: 2020–21
Location: Beijing, China
Host: Chinese Skating Association
Venue: Capital Indoor Stadium
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The 2020–21 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and ISU Junior Grand Prix Final was scheduled to be held from December 10–13, 2020 at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. [1] The combined event was to be the culmination of two international series — the Grand Prix of Figure Skating and the Junior Grand Prix; however, there was no Junior Grand Prix Final, as the Junior Grand Prix was cancelled. [2] Medals were to be awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance on the senior and junior levels. It was originally intended as a test event for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was first postponed and then removed from being hosted in China altogether. [3] The International Skating Union tried searching for a replacement host and alternative dates, before definitively cancelling the event on December 10, 2020. [4] [5]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

On July 9, the General Administration of Sport of China announced that no international sporting events would be held in China in 2020, except for 2022 Winter Olympics test events. [6] The Chinese Skating Association was scheduled to host several events during the season, including the Grand Prix Final; the Grand Prix Final, to be hosted in Beijing, was the only event exempt from the Chinese government's ruling, due to its status as the test event for the Olympic Games. [7]

On July 20, the ISU officially cancelled the Junior Grand Prix series. [2] On August 4, the ISU confirmed that the Grand Prix series would proceed as scheduled during the fall, but each event would mainly invite skaters located domestically in an effort to limit travel during the global pandemic. [8] [9] At the time, no modified qualification procedure for the Grand Prix Final was announced.

On September 30, the ISU announced the postponement of the Grand Prix Final. It believed that hosting the competitions on the scheduled dates (near year-end holidays and national championships) would have impacted a number of participants, given global travel restrictions and the potential need to quarantine on returning to their home country. [3]

On November 13, a joint adapted sports testing program developed by the Beijing 2022 planning committee, the IOC, the IPC, and various winter sports federations, including the ISU, replaced all scheduled Beijing test events. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the ISU announced that it would evaluate the possibility of finding alternative locations outside China and dates to replace the Grand Prix Final. [4]

On December 10, the ISU announced the definitive cancellation of the Grand Prix Final, alongside that of the 2021 European Championships. [5]

Related Research Articles

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of senior international figure skating competitions organized by the International Skating Union. The invitational series was inaugurated in 1995, incorporating several previously existing events. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The junior-level equivalent is the ISU Junior Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cup of China</span> International figure skating competition

The Cup of China is one of the series of six senior-level, international figure skating competitions held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The Cup of China joined the series in 2003, and was cancelled in 2022 as China enforces strict preventive measures for overseas competitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The competitors are selected by invitation only. Organized by the Chinese Skating Association, the Cup of China has been held in Beijing, Harbin, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Chongqing, usually in early November. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sui Wenjing</span> Chinese pair skater

Sui Wenjing is a Chinese pair skater. With partner Han Cong, she is the 2022 Olympic gold medalist, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time world champion, a three-time world silver medalist, the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final champion, a six-time Four Continents champion, a three-time World Junior champion (2010–2012), the 2009–10 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a two-time Chinese national champion. Sui and Han are the first pair skate team to achieve a Super Slam, having won all major competitions in both their senior and junior career. They are the only team that has landed throw quadruple salchows and quadruple twists in competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Han Cong</span> Chinese pair skater

Han Cong is a Chinese pair skater. With partner Sui Wenjing, he is the 2022 Olympic gold medalist, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time world champion, a three-time world silver medalist, the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final champion, a six-time Four Continents champion, a three-time World Junior champion (2010–2012), the 2009–10 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a two-time Chinese national champion. Sui and Han are the first pair skate team to achieve a Super Slam, having won all major competitions in both their senior and junior career. They have landed throw quadruple salchows and quadruple twists in competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha McKay</span> Scottish figure skater (born 1995)

Natasha McKay is a former competitive Scottish figure skater who competes in ladies' singles for Great Britain. She is the 2018 Golden Bear of Zagreb champion, the 2017 Skate Helena champion, the 2017 Open d'Andorra champion, and a six-time British national champion. Her retirement was announced on May 12 2023.

The 2020–21 ISU Junior Grand Prix would have been a series of junior international competitions organized by the International Skating Union to be held from August 2020 through December 2020. It would have been the junior-level complement to the 2020–21 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. On July 20, 2020, the ISU officially cancelled the JGP series due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020–21 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of invitational senior internationals which ran from October 2020 through December 2020. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Before modifications resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, skaters would have earned points based on their placement at each event and the top six in each discipline would have qualified to compete at the Grand Prix Final in Beijing, China. Because of the pandemic, only four of the six events were held, while the Grand Prix Final also ultimately cancelled.

The 2020–21 figure skating season began on July 1, 2020, and ended on June 30, 2021. During this season, elite skaters competed on the ISU Championship level at the 2021 World Championships. They also competed in elite events such as the Grand Prix series and the ISU Challenger Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports</span>

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the most significant disruption to the worldwide sporting calendar since World War II. Across the world and to varying degrees, sports events were cancelled or postponed. The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were rescheduled to 2021. At the time, spectators had no games to watch and players no games to play. Only a few countries and territories, such as Hong Kong, Turkmenistan, Belarus, and Nicaragua, continued professional sporting matches as planned.

The 2020–21 ISU Challenger Series was scheduled to be held from September 9 to December 5, 2020. It was the seventh season that the ISU Challenger Series, a group of senior-level international figure skating competitions ranked below the ISU Grand Prix, was held. Originally a series of ten events, the 2020–21 Challenger Series featured only two individual events, with six events cancelled and two postponed to an unknown future date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 SHISEIDO Cup of China was the third event in the 2020–21 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Chongqing Huaxi Culture and Sports Center in Chongqing, China on November 6–8. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance.

The 2021–22 ISU Junior Grand Prix was a series of junior international competitions organized by the International Skating Union that were held from August 2021 through December 2021. It was the junior-level complement to the 2021–22 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters earned points based on their placement at each event and the top six in each discipline qualified to compete at the 2021–22 Junior Grand Prix Final in Osaka, Japan. Ultimately, the Grand Prix Final was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 World Junior Figure Skating Championships were scheduled to be held from March 1–7, 2021 in Harbin, China. Figure skaters would have competed for the title of junior world champion in men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition would have determined the entry quotas for each federation during the 2021–22 ISU Junior Grand Prix series and at the 2022 World Junior Championships.

The 2021–22 figure skating season began on July 1, 2021 and ended on June 30, 2022. During this season, elite skaters competed on the ISU Championship level at the 2022 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships, as well as at the 2022 Winter Olympics. They also competed at elite events such as the Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix series, and the ISU Challenger Series.

The 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships was held from January 3–9, 2022 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance at the senior and junior levels. The results were part of the U.S. selection criteria for the 2022 World Championships, 2022 World Junior Championships, the 2022 Four Continents Championship, and the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The 2021 Cup of China was scheduled to be the third event in the 2021–22 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was to be held at the Chongqing Huaxi Culture and Sports Center in Chongqing on November 5–7. Medals would have been awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. Skaters would have earned points toward qualifying for the 2021–22 Grand Prix Final.

The 2021–22 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and ISU Junior Grand Prix Final were scheduled to be held from December 9–12, 2021 at the Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome in Osaka, Japan. The combined event was to be the culmination of two international series — the Grand Prix of Figure Skating and the Junior Grand Prix. Medals would have been awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance on the senior and junior levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy</span>

The 2021 CS Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy was held on October 13–17, 2021 in Beijing, China. It was scheduled as part of the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series, although it was later re-classified as an international event. It also served as the test event for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance.

The 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia was the third event in the 2021–22 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Torino Palavela in Turin on November 5–7. It was the replacement event for Cup of China. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2021–22 Grand Prix Final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships</span>

The 2022 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships were held from January 18–23, 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia. Held annually since 1999, the competition featured skaters from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. Although the event was designed for non-European skaters, the International Skating Union asked the Estonian Skating Union, the host of the 2022 European Championships, to host the Four Continents Championships in the same venue after no non-European ISU members applied to host following the Chinese Skating Association's withdrawal.

References

  1. ↑ "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and ISU Challenger Series announced" (Press release). International Skating Union. March 27, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "ISU Junior Grand Prix Series 2020/21 cancelled". International Skating Union. July 20, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Cancellation / Postponement of ISU Events season 2020/21". International Skating Union. September 30, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games – Adapted Sports Testing Programme". International Skating Union. November 13, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Update on ISU Event Calendar season 2020/21". International Skating Union. December 10, 2020.
  6. ↑ huaxia, ed. (July 9, 2020). "No international sport events in China this year except for Beijing 2022 trials". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020.
  7. ↑ Zhukov, Vladislav (July 9, 2020). "Финал Гран-при по фигурному катанию не попадает под запрет о проведении турниров в Китае" [Figure skating Grand Prix Final does not fall under ban on tournaments in China] (in Russian). TASS.
  8. ↑ "Figure skating: ISU Grand Prix series to go ahead as planned in fall". Kyodo News. August 4, 2020.
  9. ↑ The Associated Press (August 4, 2020). "Grand Prix figure skating series downsized to localized events". CBC.
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