The International Skating Union organizes six annual Championships for figure skating. It is at the discretion of each member country which skaters, pairs or synchronized skating teams are sent to which championship. [1]
No skater in men's single skating, women's single skating, pair skating and ice dancing can compete at all four competitions in one season, but some skaters have competed at all four over the course of their careers. The Championships for men's singles, women's singles, pair skating and ice dancing are:
The Championships for synchronized skating are held separately from the three other disciplines and they are:
The World Figure Skating Championships ("Worlds") is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Generally held in March, the World Championships are considered the most prestigious of the ISU Figure Skating Championships. With the exception of the Olympic title, a world title is considered to be the highest competitive achievement in figure skating.
Synchronized skating is an ice skating sport where between 8 to 16 skaters perform together as a team. They move as a flowing unit at high speed over the ice, while performing elements and footwork.
The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European champion. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The event is sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and is the sport's oldest competition. The first European Championships was held in 1891 in Hamburg, Germany and featured one segment, compulsory figures, with seven competitors, all men from Germany and Austria. It has been, other than four periods, held continuously since 1891, and has been sanctioned by the ISU since 1893. Women were allowed to compete for the first time in 1930, which is also the first time pairs skating was added to the competition. Ice dance was added in 1954. Only eligible skaters from ISU member countries in Europe can compete, and skaters must have reached at least the age of 15 before July 1 preceding the competition. ISU member countries can submit 1-3 skaters to compete in the European Championships.
The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters within a designated age range compete for the title of World Junior champion. The ISU guidelines for junior eligibility have varied throughout the years – currently, skaters must be at least 13 years old but not yet 19 before the previous 1 July, except for men competing in pair skating and ice dancing where the age maximum is 21.
A figure skating competition is a judged sports competition in figure skating.
The short program of figure skating is the first of two segments of competitions, skated before the free skating program. It lasts, for both senior and junior singles and pair skaters, 2 minutes and 40 seconds. In synchronized skating, for both juniors and seniors, the short program lasts 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Vocal music with lyrics is allowed for all disciplines since the 2014-2015 season. The short program for single skaters and for pair skaters consists of seven required elements, and there are six required elements for synchronized skaters.
The figure skating season is the period of time in which competitions are contested in the sport of figure skating. The skating season begins on July 1 of one year and lasts until June 30 of the next year, thus spanning a full 12 months. The seasons are referred to by the years they span; for example, the 2017–18 figure skating season began in July 2017 and ended in June 2018.
The 2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships was an international competition in the 2008–09 season. Commonly called "World Juniors" and "Junior Worlds", they are an annual figure skating competition in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.
The 2010 World Junior Figure Skating Championships was an international competition in the 2009–10 season. Commonly called "World Juniors" and "Junior Worlds", the annual event awards medals in the disciplines men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.
The 2011–12 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the 15th season of the series of junior international competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the 2011–12 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating contested by senior-level skaters. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance.
The 2012–13 figure skating season began on July 1, 2012, and ended on June 30, 2013. During this season, elite skaters from men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance competed on the International Skating Union (ISU) Championship level at the 2013 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. They also competed in elite events such as the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final.
The 2015 World Junior Figure Skating Championships was an international figure skating competition in the 2014–15 season. Commonly called "World Juniors" and "Junior Worlds", the event determined the World Junior champions in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.
The 2015–16 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and ISU Junior Grand Prix Final took place from December 10 to 13, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. Hosted by Barcelona for the second year in a row, the combined event was the culmination of two international series — the Grand Prix of Figure Skating and the Junior Grand Prix. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior and junior levels. For the first time, medals were also awarded in synchronized skating.
Grand Slam (GS) is a term used in figure skating for the winning all three major annual senior-level international competitions within a single season within one of the four disciplines: men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. Winning all three major annual senior-level international competitions at any point during the course of a career is called a "Career Grand Slam". In pair skating and ice dancing, one team may accomplish a Career Grand Slam skating together or one skater may achieve it with different partners.
The ISU World Standings and Season's World Ranking are the objective merit-based method used by the International Skating Union (ISU) for single & pair skating and ice dance, as well as synchronized skating. Only eligible skaters/teams will be considered in the ISU World Standings and Season's World Ranking.
This article contains lists of achievements in major international figure skating competitions according to first-place, second-place and third-place results obtained by skaters/teams representing different nations. The objective is not to create combined medal tables; the focus is on listing the best positions achieved by skaters/teams in major international competitions, ranking the nations according to the most number of podiums accomplished by skaters/teams of these nations. All five competitive disciplines currently recognized by the International Skating Union (ISU) are covered: 1) Men's single skating, 2) Ladies' single skating, 3) Pair skating, 4) Ice dance, and 5) Synchronized skating. The four disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating and ice dance also appeared as part of a team event at the Winter Olympic Games.
The 2020 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships were held on February 4–9, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. 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, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance.
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.
The 2022 World Junior Figure Skating Championships was held from April 13–17, 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia. Figure skaters competed for the title of junior world champion in men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition determined the entry quotas for each federation during the 2022–23 ISU Junior Grand Prix series and at the 2023 World Junior Championships.
The 2022–23 ISU Junior Grand Prix will be the 25th season of a series of junior international competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It will be the junior-level complement to the 2022–23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Skaters will compete for medals in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance, as well as for qualifying points. The top six from each discipline will qualify for the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final, to be held together with the senior final.