The International Skating Union formed in 1892 to govern international competition in speed and figure skating. The first championship, known as the Championship of the Internationale Eislauf-Vereingung, was held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1896. There were four competitors and the winner of the event was Gilbert Fuchs of Germany.[4]
The championships were presumed to be all-male since competitive skating was generally viewed as a male sport. However, there were no specific rules regarding the gender of competitors. In 1902, Madge Syers of Great Britain entered the championships and won the silver medal.[5] The 1903 ISU Congress considered gender issues, but passed no new rules. The 1905 ISU Congress established a second-class women's competition called the ISU Championships rather than the World Championships, and winners were known as ISU champions and not world champions. Men's and women's events were generally held separately. The first women's competition was held in Davos, Switzerland, in 1906;[5] the event was won by Syers.
The first pair skating competition was held in Saint Petersburg in 1908,[6] despite pairs competition being illegal in some countries and considered indecent. Early championships for both women and pairs, previously titled "ISU Championships", were retroactively given World Championship status in 1924.[6]
In the early years, judges were invited by the host country and were often natives to that country. At the 1927 women's event in Oslo, Norway, three of the five judges were Norwegian; the three judges awarded first place to Norwegian competitor Sonja Henie, while the Austrian and German judges placed defending champion Herma Szabo of Austria first. The controversial result stood, giving Henie her first world title, but the controversy led to the ISU introducing a new rule that allowed no more than one judge per country on the panel.[7]
Until 1959, national teams were allowed to field multiple competitors in each discipline; for example the United Kingdom entered six skaters in the ladies' singles competition in 1948, and five skaters represented the United States in each singles discipline in 1951. Beginning in 1960, the number of participants per country was limited to a maximum of three per discipline.[citation needed]
In 1967, all events at the World Championships, other than compulsory figures and ice dance, were held indoors.[9]
Every four years, because the World Championships take place around a month after the Winter Olympics, a large proportion of Olympic medalists tend to be absent from the competition. Many skaters need time to rest due to physical and mental exhaustion, and some Olympic medalists choose to cash in on their recent success by turning professional.[10]
Skaters may compete at the World Championships if they represent a member nation of the International Skating Union and are selected by their federation. Pairs and ice dance partnerships composed of skaters of different nationalities are not allowed to compete under two flags; they are required to choose one country and obtain the other country's permission.
Member nations select their entries according to their own criteria. Some countries rely on the results of their national championships while others have more varied criteria, which may include success at certain international events or specific technical requirements. All of the selected skaters must meet the ISU's age and TES requirements.
Age eligibility
Age restrictions have changed throughout the history of the World Championships. Originally there were no any age restrictions at all. For example, Sonja Henie of Norway (three-time Olympic champion and ten-time World champion in women's singles) debuted at the World Championships in 1924, at the age of 11. In mid-1990s International Skating Union (ISU) imposed age limits in order to protect young athletes from serious injuries, especially in women's singles and pair skating. Starting from 1996–97 season, skaters had to be at least 15 years old before July 1 of the previous year.[16] However, there were some exceptions during few following seasons. One exception allowed those who already had skated in senior events to stay at that level. Most notably, Tara Lipinski from the United States (1998 Olympic champion in women's singles who debuted at the World Championships in 1996 at the age of 13) was allowed to participate at the 1997 World Championships where she won a gold medal at the age of 14. That exception expired naturally after a couple of seasons. There was also an exception that skaters who had won medals at the World Junior Championships were eligible to compete as seniors at the ISU Championships. For example, Sarah Hughes from the United States (2002 Olympic champion in women's singles) won silver medal at the 1999 World Junior Championships and thus was allowed to participate at the 1999 World Championships at the age of 13.[17] That exception lasted through the 1999–2000 season, which was also the first season that Junior Worlds were moved from November–December to early March.
At the ISU Congress held in Phuket, Thailand, in June 2022, members of the ISU Council accepted a proposal to gradually increase the minimum age limit for senior competition to 17 years old beginning from the 2024–25 season. To avoid forcing skaters who had already competed in the senior category to return to juniors, the age limit remained unchanged during the 2022–23 season, before increasing to 16 years old during the 2023–24 season, and then will increase to 17 years old during the 2024–25 season.[18]
Minimum technical scores
Since 2010, only skaters who have reached minimum technical elements scores (TES) in the short and free programs at a prior international event are allowed to compete at the World Championships.[19] The short and free scores may be attained at different international events in the ongoing or preceding season. After an ISU congress voted to eliminate the qualifying rounds, the TES minimums were raised for the 2013 World Championships.[citation needed]
Number of entries
Each national federation is entitled to send one entry per discipline. Depending on their results at the previous year's competition, some countries are allowed to send a second or third entry. If a country has only one entry, that skater/team must place in the top ten to earn a second entry and in the top two to earn three entries to next year's championships. If a country has two or three entries, their combined placement (best two) must be 28 or less to keep two entries for their country, and 13 or fewer to qualify three entries. All skaters who qualify for the free segment but place 16th or lower receive 16 placement points. All skaters who compete in the short segment but do not qualify for the free receive 18 placement points. There are exceptions if skaters are forced to withdraw in the middle of the competition due to a medical emergency or equipment problems – they are not considered as entered for the purpose of entry quotas' determination for next year's competition if they did not start or finish the free segment, but were among the top 10 in the short segment. Entries do not carry over and so countries must continue to earn their second or third spot every year.[citation needed]
Number of entries this year
Points required to earn three entries the next year
From left to right:Ulrich Salchow of Sweden holds the record for the most world championships in men's singles (ten); Sonja Henie of Norway holds the record for the most world championships in women's singles (ten); Irina Rodnina of the Soviet Union holds the record for the most world championships in pair skating (ten, although won while paired with different partners); while Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov of the Soviet Union hold the record for the most world championships in ice dance (six).
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