The ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating is a figure skating team competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. The World Team Trophy was held for the first time in Tokyo, Japan, from April 16 to 19, 2009. Traditionally, the competitive skating season had concluded with the World Championships.
The new event was announced at a news conference during the 2008 World Championships, in the hope of encouraging countries to develop top figure skaters in all disciplines. [1] Each country sends two men, two women, one pair, and one ice dance entry.
Selected skaters from the six countries with the best results during the season compete in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance in a team format. The participating countries in the inaugural event were (in descending order of finish) the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Russia, and China. The Japan Skating Federation paid the global prize money for the ISU World Team Trophy in 2009. [2] The total prize money in 2009 was US$1,000,000, the highest ever in an ISU event, with $200,000 awarded to the winning country. [1] [3] In 2015, the qualifying countries (in descending order of qualification) were Russia, the United States, Japan, Canada, France, and China, with the United States taking the title. Prize money was once again US$1,000,000. [4]
In 2009, there were reports that some of the participating skaters did not wish to take part in the event. Canadian ice dancer Scott Moir was quoted as saying that although the event was fun, skaters had been pressured to attend. [5] U.S. ice dancer Tanith Belbin told an interviewer that she and partner Benjamin Agosto had not been aware of the event until after the 2009 World Championships. Evan Lysacek, who had won the World Championship shortly before the World Team Trophy, was quoted in the same article as saying he was excited and looking forward to competing in Japan as part of the American team, referring to the event as "icing on the cake". [6]
In 2012, skaters expressed more enthusiasm about competing at the World Team Trophy. Daisuke Takahashi referred to the competition as "a lot of fun", while Scott Moir said it was turning into an exciting event, especially considering a team event would be contested at the 2014 Winter Olympics. The fact that this event is held after all major competitions forced many athletes to not attend in order to not risk injuries or fatigue after a long season. The event is also not in a similar format as the Olympics: ice dance and pairs events only count as two events each and individual competitions for four events, thus favoring teams and nations who are not well fulfilled in ice dance and pairs events. The lowest ranked ice dancers and pairs are also awarded 7 points, marginalizing the point difference toward the winners who are awarded only five more points for a maximum of twelve points. [7]
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
2 | Japan | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
3 | Russia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
4 | Canada | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
5 | South Korea | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Totals (5 entries) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 |
Team | 2009 | 2012 | 2013 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 2021 | 2023 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 4th | 4th | 5th | 6th | 6th | 8 |
China | 6th | – | 5th | 5th | 5th | – | – | – | 4 |
France | 4th | 4th | 6th | 6th | 6th | 4th | 5th | 5th | 8 |
Italy | – | 6th | – | – | – | 6th | 4th | 4th | 4 |
Japan | 3rd | 1st | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 8 |
Russia | 5th | 5th | 4th | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | – | 7 |
South Korea | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2nd | 1 |
United States | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 8 |
Tessa Jane McCormick Virtue is a Canadian retired ice dancer. With ice dance partner Scott Moir, she is the 2010 and 2018 Olympic champion, the 2014 Olympic silver medallist, a three-time World champion, a three-time Four Continents champion, the 2016–17 Grand Prix Final champion, an eight-time Canadian National champion, the 2006 World Junior champion and the 2006 Junior Grand Prix gold medallists. Virtue and Moir are also the 2018 Olympic gold medallists in the team event and the 2014 Olympic silver medallists in the team event. Upon winning their third Olympic gold medal, they became the most decorated Canadian ice dance team of all time and the most decorated Olympic figure skaters of all time. Widely regarded as one of the greatest ice dance teams of all time, they are the only ice dancers in history to achieve a Super Slam, having won all major international competitions in their senior and junior careers. Virtue and Moir are holders of the world record score for the now-defunct original dance.
Scott Patrick Moir is a Canadian retired ice dancer and coach. With ice dance partner Tessa Virtue, he is the 2010 and 2018 Olympic champion, the 2014 Olympic silver medallist, a three-time World champion, a three-time Four Continents champion, the 2016–17 Grand Prix Final champion, an eight-time Canadian national champion, the 2006 World Junior champion and the 2006 Junior Grand Prix champion. Moir and Virtue are also the 2018 Olympic gold medallists in the team event and the 2014 Olympic silver medallists in the team event. Upon winning their third Olympic gold medal, they became the most decorated Canadian ice dance team of all time and the most decorated Olympic figure skaters of all time. Widely regarded as one of the greatest ice dance teams of all time, they are the only ice dancers in history to achieve a Super Slam, having won all major international competitions in their senior and junior careers. Virtue and Moir are holders of the world record score for the now-defunct original dance.
Charles Allen White Jr. is an American former competitive ice dancer. With partner Meryl Davis, he is the 2014 Olympic Champion, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time World champion, five-time Grand Prix Final champion (2009–2013), three-time Four Continents champion and six-time U.S. national champion (2009–2014). They also won a bronze medal in the team event at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The 2006–07 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of international invitational competitions in the first half of the 2006–07 figure skating season. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dancing over six events. Skaters earned a certain number of points per placement and the top six scoring skaters at the end of the series qualified for the 2006–07 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.
The 2007–08 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of international invitational competitions in the first half of the 2007–08 season. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pairs, and ice dancing over six events. Skaters earned a certain number of points per placement and the top six scoring skaters or teams at the end of the series qualified for the 2007–08 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, held in Turin, Italy.
The 2008–09 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of six international invitational competitions in the 2008–09 season. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior level. At each event, skaters earned points based on their placements and the top six scoring skaters or teams at the end of the series qualified for the 2008–09 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, held in Goyang, South Korea.
Alex Hideo Shibutani is an American former competitive ice dancer. Partnered with his sister Maia Shibutani, he is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist (2018), a three-time World medalist, the 2016 Four Continents champion, and a two-time U.S. national champion. The Shibutanis have also won six titles on the Grand Prix series and a silver medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships. They are two-time members of the US Olympic team, competing at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. In 2018, they became the first ice dancers who are both of Asian descent to medal at the Olympics. They are the second sibling duo to ever share an ice dancing Olympic medal, and the first from the United States.
Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The events took place between 14 and 27 February 2010.
The 2011 World Figure Skating Championships was a senior international figure skating competition in the 2010–11 season. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.
The 2009–10 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of senior-level international figure skating competitions in the 2009–10 season. The six invitational events took place in the fall of 2009, building to the Grand Prix Final. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior level. At each event, skaters earned points based on their placement and the top six in each discipline at the end of the series qualified for the 2009–10 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, held in Tokyo, Japan.
The 2010–11 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series of the 2010–11 season. It was a series of six international invitational competitions in the fall of 2010 that built to the Grand Prix Final. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior level. At each event, skaters earned points based on their placement toward qualifying for the Grand Prix Final. The top six scoring skaters or teams at the end of the series competed at the 2010–2011 Grand Prix Final, held in Beijing, China.
The 2009 ISU World Team Trophy was an international figure skating competition in the 2008–09 season. The six countries with the best results during the season – in descending order of finish: the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Russia and China – selected two men's single skaters, two ladies' single skaters, one pair, and one ice dancing entry to compete in a team format. The planned Olympic team event will have one entry per discipline.
The 2012 ISU World Team Trophy was an international team figure skating competition in the 2011–12 season. Participating countries selected two men's single skaters, two ladies' single skaters, one pair and one ice dancing entry to compete in a team format with points based on the skaters' placement.
The 2011–12 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of senior international figure skating competitions in the 2011–12 season. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing at six invitational competitions in the fall of 2011. Skaters earned points based on their placement at each event and the skaters who finished in the top six in each discipline qualified to compete at the Grand Prix Final, held in Quebec City, Canada.
The 2012–13 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of senior international figure skating competitions in the 2012–13 season. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points based on their placement at each event and the top six in each discipline qualified to compete at the Grand Prix Final, held in Sochi, Russia.
The 2013 ISU World Team Trophy was an international team figure skating competition in the 2012–13 season. Participating countries selected two men's single skaters, two ladies' single skaters, one pair and one ice dancing entry to compete in a team format with points based on the skaters' placement.
The 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of senior international figure skating competitions in the 2013–14 season. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points based on their placement at each event and the top six in each discipline qualified to compete at the Grand Prix Final, held in Fukuoka, Japan.
The following is about the qualification rules and allocation of spots for the figure skating events at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Davis and White are American former ice dancers. The pair are the 2014 Olympic Champion, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time World champion, five-time Grand Prix Final champion (2009–2013), three-time Four Continents champion and six-time U.S. national champion (2009–2014). They also won a bronze medal in the team event at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was held on September 22–25, 2021 in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series. It was also the final qualifying event for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance.