2020 World Figure Skating Championships

Last updated
2020 World Figure Skating Championships
2020 World Figure Skating Championships logo.png
Type: ISU Championship
Date:March 16 – 22
Season: 2019–20
Location: Montreal, Canada
Host: Skate Canada
Venue: Bell Centre
Navigation
Previous:
2019 World Championships
Next:
2021 World Championships

The 2020 World Figure Skating Championships were scheduled to be held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from March 16 to March 22, 2020. [1] Figure skaters would have competed for the title of world champion in men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. This would have been the first time that Montreal hosted the World Figure Skating Championships since 1932. [2] The competition was supposed to determine the entry quotas for each federation at the 2021 World Championships.

Contents

The competition was cancelled on March 11 due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, with the possibility of being held later in the year, but not within the current season. [3] [4] It was the second time the event had been cancelled for reasons other than a World War, after the 1961 World Championships were cancelled following the Sabena Flight 548 crash. [5]

The competition was formally cancelled on April 16, after the International Skating Union (ISU) previously considered rescheduling to later within the year. [6] A year later, Skate Canada successfully bid for the right to host the 2024 World Championships in Montreal in lieu of the cancelled earlier event. [7]

Reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic

After a spike in COVID-19 cases from the ongoing pandemic and the cancellation of the 2020 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships in Nova Scotia by the International Ice Hockey Federation, the ISU was placed under intense pressure to make a public statement on the status of the 2020 World Figure Skating Championships, as the disease rapidly intensified across the world. The ISU had implemented prevention methods at its events since February 4, 2020 and required all attendees seeking accreditation to complete a questionnaire and temperature check. [8]

Skate Canada, the host federation, issued a statement on Friday, March 6, that all athletes would be screened for symptoms at the border, undergo health checks, and be required to fill out questionnaires throughout the competition. [9] On Tuesday, March 10, media, officials, skaters, and coaches scheduled to attend the event received a lengthy Coronavirus Information Package from the ISU. All individuals attending the event would have been required to undergo a temperature check upon arrival to the competition and would have been required to check in under 38 °C (100 °F). [10] The Quebec Health Ministry held a press conference the same day to discuss "all major events in the province...with input from the Public Health Agency of Canada." [10] At the meeting, Quebec Minister of Health Danielle McCann indicated that cancellation was a possibility, but a final decision had not yet been reached, despite athletes being scheduled to arrive within the next few days. [10]

At 3:30 PM EDT on Wednesday, March 11, the Quebec government and Quebec Health Ministry made the decision to cancel the World Championships. [3] The ISU posted a statement agreeing with the decision, saying that the event could possibly be rescheduled for later in the year, but not before October 2020. [4] It was unclear how the cancellation would affect the upcoming season and its subsequent Grand Prix assignments, which will begin before then.

On April 12, 2020, ISU Vice-President for Figure Skating, Alexander Lakernik, told media that the chances of rescheduling the championship were slim, due to the ongoing pandemic. [11] The ISU confirmed a complete cancellation of the event, with no chance of postponement to a later date, on April 16. [6]

ISU member nations' response

Prior to the cancellation announcement on March 11, the Polish Figure Skating Association asked its athletes on March 10 to make personal decisions by the next day, March 11, on whether or not to attend the event, following the Polish Minister of Sport's recommendation to avoid travel to foreign events. [12]

Skate Canada, the host federation, postponed several conference calls with its skaters from March 11 to March 13, while awaiting a decision by the local Quebec government on the status of the event. [13]

Several prominent skaters, including two-time reigning men's World Champion Nathan Chen, and coaches Rafael Arutyunyan, Lee Barkell, Marie-France Dubreuil, and Brian Orser, expressed concerns over the possibility of rescheduling the competition to fall 2020, citing the disruption to their training schedules and the proximity to the 2021 edition of the event. [5]

Qualification

Age and minimum TES requirements

Skaters are eligible for the 2020 World Championships if they turned 15 years of age before July 1, 2019 and have met the minimum technical elements score requirements. The ISU accepts scores if they were obtained at senior-level ISU-recognized international competitions at least 21 days before the first official practice day of the championships. [1] The ISU raised the minimum for ladies' singles in both segments on January 8, 2020. [14]

Minimum technical scores (TES)
Discipline SP / RD FS / FD
Men3464
Ladies3051
Pairs2744
Ice dance3347
Must be achieved at an ISU-recognized international event
in the ongoing or preceding season.
SP/RD and FS/FD scores may be attained at different events.

Number of entries per discipline

Based on the results of the 2019 World Championships, each ISU member nation can field one to three entries per discipline. [15]

SpotsMenLadiesPairsDance
3Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Flag of France.svg  France
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
Flag of France.svg  France
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
If not listed above, one entry is allowed.

Schedule

DateDisciplineTimeSegment
Wednesday, March 18Pairs10:30Short program
All14:45Opening ceremony
Ladies15:45Short program
Thursday, March 19Men10:45Short program
Pairs18:00Free skating
Friday, March 20Ice dance11:25Rhythm dance
Ladies18:00Free skating
Saturday, March 21Ice dance14:30Free dance
Men19:00Free skating
Sunday, March 22All16:00–18:30ISU Skating Awards
All times are listed in local time (UTC−04:00). [16]

Entries

Member nations began announcing their selections in December 2019. The International Skating Union published a complete list of entries on February 26, 2020.

CountryMen [17] Ladies [18] Pairs [19] Ice dance [20]
Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia Slavik Hayrapetyan Anastasia Galustyan Tina Garabedian / Simon Proulx-Sénécal
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Brendan Kerry Kailani Craine Holly Harris / Jason Chan
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria Maurizio Zandron Olga Mikutina Miriam Ziegler / Severin Kiefer
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan Vladimir Litvintsev Ekaterina Ryabova
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Viktoriia Safonova
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Isadora Williams
Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Larry Loupolover Alexandra Feigin Mina Zdravkova / Christopher M. Davis
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada [21] Nam Nguyen Emily Bausback
Alicia Pineault
Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro
Evelyn Walsh / Trennt Michaud
Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier
Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha
Carolane Soucisse / Shane Firus
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Jin Boyang Chen Hongyi Peng Cheng / Jin Yang
Sui Wenjing / Han Cong
Tang Feiyao / Yang Yongchao
Wang Shiyue / Liu Xinyu
Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia Lana Petranović / Antonio Souza-Kordeiru
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Michal Březina Eliška Březinová Natálie Taschlerová / Filip Taschler
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia Aleksandr Selevko Eva-Lotta Kiibus
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland [22] Emmi Peltonen Juulia Turkkila / Matthias Versluis
Flag of France.svg  France [23] Kévin Aymoz Maé-Bérénice Méité Cléo Hamon / Denys Strekalin
Coline Keriven / Noël-Antoine Pierre
Marie-Jade Lauriault / Romain Le Gac
Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia Morisi Kvitelashvili Alina Urushadze Maria Kazakova / Georgy Reviya
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany [24] Paul Fentz Nicole Schott Minerva Fabienne Hase / Nolan Seegert
Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel
Katharina Müller / Tim Dieck
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain [25] Peter James Hallam Natasha McKay Zoe Jones / Christopher Boyadji Lilah Fear / Lewis Gibson
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong Yi Christy Leung
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Ivett Tóth Ioulia Chtchetinina / Márk Magyar Emily Monaghan / Ilias Fourati
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Alexei Bychenko Anna Vernikov / Evgeni Krasnopolski Shira Ichilov / Laurent Abecassis
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Daniel Grassl
Matteo Rizzo
Alessia Tornaghi Nicole Della Monica / Matteo Guarise
Rebecca Ghilardi / Filippo Ambrosini
Charlène Guignard / Marco Fabbri
Katrine Roy / Claudio Pietrantonio
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan [26] Yuzuru Hanyu
Keiji Tanaka
Shoma Uno
Wakaba Higuchi
Rika Kihira
Satoko Miyahara
Riku Miura / Ryuichi Kihara Misato Komatsubara / Tim Koleto
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan Maxine Weatherby / Temirlan Yerzhanov
Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia Deniss Vasiļjevs Angelīna Kučvaļska Aurelija Ipolito / J.T. Michel
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania Allison Reed / Saulius Ambrulevičius
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia Julian Zhi Jie Yee
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands [27] Niki Wories Daria Danilova / Michel Tsiba
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines Alisson Krystle Perticheto
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Ekaterina Kurakova Natalia Kaliszek / Maksym Spodyriev
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia [28] Dmitri Aliev
Artur Danielian
Alena Kostornaia
Anna Shcherbakova
Alexandra Trusova
Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii
Daria Pavliuchenko / Denis Khodykin
Evgenia Tarasova / Vladimir Morozov
Victoria Sinitsina / Nikita Katsalapov
Alexandra Stepanova / Ivan Bukin
Tiffany Zahorski / Jonathan Guerreiro
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea Cha Jun-hwan Kim Ye-lim
You Young
Yura Min / Daniel Eaton
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain [29] Laura Barquero / Tòn Cónsul Olivia Smart / Adrián Díaz
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden [30] Nikolaj Majorov Matilda Algotsson
Flag of Switzerland.svg   Switzerland [31] Lukas Britschgi Alexia Paganini Victoria Manni / Carlo Röthlisberger
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Burak Demirboğa Nicole Kelly / Berk Akalın
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine [32] Ivan Shmuratko Oleksandra Nazarova / Maxim Nikitin
Flag of the United States.svg  United States [33] Jason Brown
Nathan Chen
Vincent Zhou
Mariah Bell
Bradie Tennell
Ashley Cain-Gribble / Timothy LeDuc
Jessica Calalang / Brian Johnson
Madison Chock / Evan Bates
Kaitlin Hawayek / Jean-Luc Baker
Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donohue

Changes to preliminary entries

DateDisciplineWithdrewAddedReason/Other notesRefs
February 26, 2020Pairs Flag of the United States.svg Alexa Scimeca Knierim / Chris Knierim Flag of the United States.svg Jessica Calalang / Brian Johnson C. Knierim retired [34]
March 5, 2020Ladies Flag of Sweden.svg Anita Östlund Flag of Sweden.svg Matilda Algotsson Injury recovery [35]
March 6, 2020Ice dance Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Laurence Fournier Beaudry / Nikolaj Sørensen Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Carolane Soucisse / Shane Firus Recovery from knee surgery (Sørensen) [36]
March 7, 2020Men Flag of Finland.svg Roman Galay N/ATravel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
March 9, 2020Men Flag of Belarus.svg Alexander Lebedev N/A

Related Research Articles

World Figure Skating Championships Recurring tournament

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.

The World Short Track Speed Skating Championships are a senior international short track speed skating competition held once a year to determine the World Champion in individual distances, relays and Overall Classification. It is sanctioned by the International Skating Union and is usually held in March or April.

2011 World Figure Skating Championships

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.

Nikolaj Sørensen Danish-Canadian ice dancer

Nikolaj Sørensen is a Danish-Canadian ice dancer. Competing for Canada with his skating partner, Laurence Fournier Beaudry, he is a four-time Grand Prix bronze medalist and a four-time Challenger medalist, including gold at the 2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. Domestically they are the 2019 Canadian national bronze medalists.

Laurence Fournier Beaudry Canadian ice dancer

Laurence Fournier Beaudry is a Canadian ice dancer. Competing for Canada with her skating partner, Nikolaj Sørensen, she is a four-time Grand Prix bronze medalist and a four-time Challenger medalist, including gold at the 2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. Domestically they are the 2019 Canadian national bronze medalists.

Nikolaj Majorov Swedish figure skater

Nikolaj Majorov is a Swedish figure skater. He is the 2020 Swedish national champion.

2020 European Figure Skating Championships

The 2020 European Figure Skating Championships were held in Graz, Austria, on 20–26 January 2020. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition determined the entry quotas for each federation at the 2021 European Championships.

The 2020–21 ISU Junior Grand Prix was scheduled to be the 24th season of a series of junior international competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was intended to be the junior-level complement to the 2020–21 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Skaters would have competed for medals in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance, as well as for qualifying points. The top six from each discipline would have qualified for the 2020–21 Junior Grand Prix Final, to be held together with the senior final.

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. Originally, 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. Due to the pandemic, only four of the six events were held as scheduled, with 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.

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.

National figure skating championships for the 2020–21 season were scheduled to take place mainly from December 2020 to January 2021. They were held to crown national champions and served as part of the selection process for international events, such as the 2021 ISU Championships. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. A few countries chose to organize their national championships together with their neighbors; the results were subsequently divided into national podiums.

The 2021 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships were scheduled to be held from February 9–14, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Held annually since 1999, the competition would have featured skaters from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Medals were to be awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance.

The 2020–21 Japan Figure Skating Championships were held in Nagano, Nagano from December 23–27, 2020. It was the 89th edition of the event. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, and ice dance. The results were part of the Japanese selection criteria for the 2021 World Championships.

The 2021 French Figure Skating Championships were held in Vaujany from 5 to 6 February 2021. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, and ice dance. The results were part of the French selection criteria for the 2021 World Championships.

The 2021 European Figure Skating Championships were scheduled to be held from 25 to 31 January 2021 in Zagreb, Croatia. Medals would have been awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance.

2021 World Figure Skating Championships Figure skating competition

The 2021 World Figure Skating Championships were held in Stockholm, Sweden from March 22–28, 2021. Figure skaters competed for the title of world champion in men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition was used to determine the entry quotas for each federation at the 2022 World Championships and was the first qualification event for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The 2021 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships were scheduled be held on February 8–14, 2021 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. Medals were to be awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance on the senior and junior levels. Although the official International Skating Union terminology for female skaters in the singles category is ladies, Skate Canada uses women officially. The results were supposed to be part of the Canadian selection criteria for the 2021 World Championships.

The 2021 South Korean Figure Skating Championships were held from February 24–26, 2021 at the Uijeongbu Indoor Ice Rink in Uijeongbu. It was the 75th edition of the event. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's and ladies' singles on the senior and junior levels. The results were part of the Korean selection criteria for the 2021 World Championships.

The 2021–22 figure skating season began on July 1, 2021 and will end on June 30, 2022. During this season, elite skaters will compete 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 will also compete at elite events such as the Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix series, and the ISU Challenger Series.

References

  1. 1 2 "ISU 2020 World Figure Skating Championships Announcement". International Skating Union.
  2. "Skate Canada to host the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® 2020 in Montreal" (Press release). Skate Canada. September 21, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "World figure skating championships cancelled in Montreal". CBC News. March 11, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "ISU Statement – ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020, Montreal". International Skating Union. March 11, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Hersh, Philip (March 11, 2020). "Nathan Chen, skating coaches react to cancellation of world figure skating championships". NBC Sports.
  6. 1 2 "ISU Statement – Definite cancellation of pending 2020 ISU Championships". International Skating Union. April 16, 2020.
  7. "Skate Canada awarded the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® 2024 in Montréal". Skate Canada. June 9, 2021.
  8. "ISU Statement – Coronavirus – ISU Events season 2019/20". International Skating Union. March 2, 2020.
  9. "Here's how major events in Montreal are handling COVID-19 concerns". CBC News. March 9, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Ewing, Lori (March 10, 2020). "ISU clamps down on access to world figure skating championships in Montreal amid COVID-19 concerns". Global News.
  11. Dolgopolov, Nikolai (April 12, 2020). "Лед подождет и дождется" [The ice will wait and wait] (in Russian).
  12. Tascher, Jacek (March 10, 2020). "Ważna informacja dotycząca koronowirusa" [Important information about coronavirus] (in Polish). Polish Figure Skating Association. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  13. Ewing, Lori [@Ewingsports] (March 11, 2020). "Quebec Premier (my prvs tweet said health minister) says decision to be announced today on next week's world figure skating championships in Montreal" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  14. "Communication No. 2302: ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020, Minimum Total Elements Score - Ladies". International Skating Union. January 8, 2020.
  15. "Entries for ISU Figure Skating and Synchronized Skating Championships 2020". International Skating Union.
  16. "Event Schedule – Montreal 2020". Skate Canada . Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  17. "ISU World Championships 2020: Men". International Skating Union. February 26, 2020.
  18. "ISU World Championships 2020: Ladies". International Skating Union. February 26, 2020.
  19. "ISU World Championships 2020: Pairs". International Skating Union. February 26, 2020.
  20. "ISU World Championships 2020: Ice Dance". International Skating Union. February 26, 2020.
  21. "Joukkue taitoluistelun MM-kilpailuihin" [Team for the Figure Skating World Championships] (in Finnish). Finnish Figure Skating Association. February 24, 2020.
  22. "Championnat du Monde 2020 de Patinage artistique & Danse sur glace" [2020 World Figure Skating & Ice Dance Championship] (in French). Fédération Française des Sports de Glace. February 12, 2020.
  23. "Nominierung WM-Mannschaft" [World Cup team nomination] (in German). Deutsche Eislauf-Union. February 18, 2020.
  24. "British Ice Skating selections to latest ISU major championships". British Ice Skating. February 20, 2020. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020.
  25. "ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020" (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Skating Federation. December 22, 2019.
  26. "Daria Danilova/Michel Tsiba en Niki Wories naar WK Kunstrijden in Montréal (15 – 22 maart)" [Daria Danilova / Michel Tsiba and Niki Wories to the World Championships Figure Skating in Montreal (March 15–22)] (in Dutch). KNSB. February 24, 2020.
  27. "Состав российской команды на чемпионат мира в Монреале" [Russia's team to the World Championships in Montreal] (in Russian). Figure Skating Federation of Russia. January 31, 2020.
  28. "Olivia Smart & Adrián Díaz representarán a España en el Mundial de Patinaje Artístico" [Olivia Smart & Adrián Díaz will represent Spain in the World Figure Skating Championships] (in Spanish). Federación Española de Deportes de Hielo. January 29, 2020.
  29. "Anita Östlund och Nikolaj Majorov uttagna till VM i konståkning 2020" [Anita Östlund and Nikolaj Majorov selected for the World Cup in figure skating 2020] (in Swedish). Skate Sweden. February 24, 2020.
  30. "Eiskunstlauf/Eistanz: Selektionen für die ISU Weltmeisterschaften und Junioren-Weltmeisterschaften 2020" [Nominations for the ISU World and World Junior Championships] (in German). Swiss Ice Skating. February 17, 2020. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020.
  31. "ЗАТВЕРДЖЕНО СКЛАД КОМАНД УКРАЇНИ ДЛЯ УЧАСТІ В ЧЕМПІОНАТАХ СВІТУ З ФІГУРНОГО КАТАННЯ" [Composition of Ukraine's World Championships teams approved] (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation. February 7, 2020. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020.
  32. "Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson added to U.S. World Team". U.S. Figure Skating. February 26, 2020.
  33. Östlund, Anita (March 5, 2020). "Hi everyone! Unfortunately I have decided to withdraw from the World Championships this year" (Instagram). Archived from the original on 2021-12-24.
  34. Skate Canada [@SkateCanada] (March 6, 2020). "#Montreal2020 announcement: Ice dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Nikolaj Sorensen have withdrawn from the world championships due to Nikolaj recovering from surgery" (Tweet) via Twitter.