The 2020–21 figure skating season began on July 1, 2020, and ended on June 30, 2021. During this season, elite skaters competed at the
2021 World Championships, as well as at elite events such as the
Grand Prix series and the
Challenger Series.
On May 1, 2020, the
International Skating Union established a working group, chaired by ISU Vice-president for Figure Skating Alexander Lakernik, to monitor the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic. Its responsibilities included determining the feasibility of holding events as scheduled, possibly behind closed doors, during the first half of the season, and the financial impact of any potential cancellations.[5] On August 31, the ISU published the official
Guidelines for ISU Events During 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
Cup of China, the Grand Prix Final, and the
World Junior Championships. While the Grand Prix Final, scheduled to be hosted in
Beijing, was exempt from the Chinese government's ruling due to its status as the test event for the Olympic Games, the ISU had not yet discussed a contingency plan regarding Grand Prix event cancellations at the time of the Chinese government's announcement.[7] The ISU announced on July 13 that the Cup of China would remain as scheduled in
Chongqing due to its connection to the Beijing test event: the Grand Prix Final.[8]
On July 20, the ISU officially cancelled the Junior Grand Prix series, citing increased travel and entry requirements between countries and potentially excessive sanitary & health care costs for hosting members.[1] Over half of the events of the
2020–21 ISU Challenger Series were also either cancelled by the host federations or postponed to an unspecified later date.
On August 4, the ISU confirmed that the Grand Prix series would proceed as scheduled during the fall, with a decision to be made regarding the Grand Prix Final at a later date.[9] The competitions were expected to feature skaters from the home country, skaters already training in the host nation, and skaters assigned to that event for geographic reasons; all officials would also be from the national organizing committee.[10] On September 25,
U.S. Figure Skating announced that
Skate America would be held without an audience in line with
Nevada Gaming Control Board guidelines regarding the pandemic.[11] On September 30, the ISU announced that the Grand Prix Final would not be held as scheduled in Beijing on December 10–13, and that they were searching for an alternate host outside China for the event.[12] On October 14,
Skate Canada announced the cancellation of the 2020 Skate Canada International due to the worsening situation in Ontario.[13] The
French Federation of Ice Sports informed the ISU of the cancellation of the 2020 Internationaux de France on October 19.[14] In November, the Grand Prix Final was first removed from China altogether, before being definitively cancelled on December 10, 2020.[2][15] The ISU later rescheduled the Beijing test event to the 2021
Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy in October.[16]
On October 16, the ISU announced the cancellation of the
2021 Four Continents Championships.[3] On November 24, the
2021 World Junior Championships were also cancelled.[4] On December 10, the ISU announced the definitive cancellation of the Grand Prix Final alongside the cancellation of the
2021 European Championships.[17] The
2021 World Championships were held as scheduled in
Stockholm, Sweden, on March 22–28, although three positive
COVID-19 cases were detected during the event.[18] In addition, the ISU slightly modified the qualification rules to allow additional skaters the opportunity to meet the minimum TES requirements.[19]
Due to the vast difference in skaters' travel restrictions, the ISU determined that it would be unfair to award
ISU world standings and season's world ranking points at the
Challenger Series and
Grand Prix events.[20][21] Thus, the 2021 World Championships were the only event to affect the
2020–21 ISU world standings. As the Junior Grand Prix and World Junior Championships were cancelled, junior skaters had no opportunities to earn World Standing Points for the season.[22]
Scores earned at the domestic Grand Prix events did not count as official ISU scores for the purposes of achieving minimum TES requirements or as personal/season's bests.[21] Thus, the season's best scores list was composed entirely of scores earned on the Challenger Series, where the
2020 Nebelhorn Trophy and
2020 Budapest Trophy were the only two of ten scheduled events to be held, the 2021 World Championships, and the
2021 World Team Trophy.
Skaters were eligible to compete in
International Skating Union (ISU) events at the junior or senior levels according to their age. These rules may not have applied to non-ISU events such as national championships.
Level
Date of birth
Junior (females in singles and pairs; males in singles)
^
abDue to disturbances in skaters' training schedules resulting from the
COVID-19 pandemic, the ISU extended the upper age limit for skaters in junior and novice ice dance by one year. However, the new age limit only applied to couples who competed together during the
2019–20 season and maintained the same programs for the 2020–21 season.[24]
Changes
If skaters of different nationalities team up, the
ISU requires that they choose one country to represent. Date refers to date when the change occurred or, if not available, the date when the change was announced.
^This competition featured two teams composed entirely of Japanese skaters rather than the traditional three teams drawn from their respective regions (Europe, Japan, and North America).[179]
Cancelled events
Numerous competitions were cancelled by either the ISU, the host federation, or the local government due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
^"Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games – Adapted Sports Testing Programme".
International Skating Union. November 13, 2020. While under the current pandemic situation finding alternative locations (outside China) and dates to replace the respective Events during the ongoing season will be a challenge, the ISU nevertheless is evaluating such alternatives for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and the ISU World Speed Skating Championships.
^Sun, Haiguang (September 21, 2020).
"前几日去九华山庄采访,发现于小雨新搭档变成了王磊。" [A few days ago, I went to Jiuhua Mountain Villa for an interview and found that Yu Xiaoyu's new partner had become Wang Lei.] (
Weibo) (in Chinese).
^
abYu, Xiaoyu (April 2, 2021).
"在这里向广大的冰迷和一直以来关心我支持我的朋友们宣布一个会让大家失落的消息,我前不久正式提交了退役申请。" [I'm here to announce to the skating fans and friends who have always cared about and supported me, a piece of news that will make you all feel lost. I formally submitted my application for retirement not long ago.] (in Chinese) – via
Weibo.
^"日野龍樹、今季限りで現役引退を表明「久しぶりに楽しい全日本だった」" [Ryuju Hino announces retirement from active duty this season: "All-Japan was fun for the first time in a long time"]. Yahoo! Japan (in Japanese). December 26, 2020. Archived from
the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^Wu, Dong; Zhuo, Ran (February 18, 2021).
""五朝老将"张昊:坚守所爱 为北京冬奥加油" ["Five Dynasties Veteran" Zhang Hao: Stick to what I love and cheer for the Beijing Winter Olympics]. Beijing Daily (in Chinese).
^Kim, Hee-seon (May 3, 2021).
"[캐스팅보드] 스케이트 벗고 무대로… 이준우, "뮤지컬 배우 꿈, 가족들도 몰랐죠"" [[Casting board] Taking off his skates and going on the stage... Lee June-hyoung, "Even my family didn't know my dream of becoming a musical actor"]. 서울자치신문 (in Korean).
^Bruckner, Nóra (June 7, 2021).
""Szeretnék még esélyt adni magamnak"" ["I want to give myself another chance"] (in Hungarian). Hungarian Skating Federation.
^Gallagher, Jack (February 13, 2021).
"[ICE TIME] Exclusive: Legendary Choreographer David Wilson Calls for New Leadership at Skate Canada". Japan Forward. Following the cancellation of last year's world championships in Montreal...Skate Canada proceeded to cancel the Junior Grand Prix in British Columbia in August, the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Ontario, in September, and Skate Canada International in Ottawa in October, before pulling the plug on the nationals.
The 2020–21 figure skating season began on July 1, 2020, and ended on June 30, 2021. During this season, elite skaters competed at the
2021 World Championships, as well as at elite events such as the
Grand Prix series and the
Challenger Series.
On May 1, 2020, the
International Skating Union established a working group, chaired by ISU Vice-president for Figure Skating Alexander Lakernik, to monitor the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic. Its responsibilities included determining the feasibility of holding events as scheduled, possibly behind closed doors, during the first half of the season, and the financial impact of any potential cancellations.[5] On August 31, the ISU published the official
Guidelines for ISU Events During 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
Cup of China, the Grand Prix Final, and the
World Junior Championships. While the Grand Prix Final, scheduled to be hosted in
Beijing, was exempt from the Chinese government's ruling due to its status as the test event for the Olympic Games, the ISU had not yet discussed a contingency plan regarding Grand Prix event cancellations at the time of the Chinese government's announcement.[7] The ISU announced on July 13 that the Cup of China would remain as scheduled in
Chongqing due to its connection to the Beijing test event: the Grand Prix Final.[8]
On July 20, the ISU officially cancelled the Junior Grand Prix series, citing increased travel and entry requirements between countries and potentially excessive sanitary & health care costs for hosting members.[1] Over half of the events of the
2020–21 ISU Challenger Series were also either cancelled by the host federations or postponed to an unspecified later date.
On August 4, the ISU confirmed that the Grand Prix series would proceed as scheduled during the fall, with a decision to be made regarding the Grand Prix Final at a later date.[9] The competitions were expected to feature skaters from the home country, skaters already training in the host nation, and skaters assigned to that event for geographic reasons; all officials would also be from the national organizing committee.[10] On September 25,
U.S. Figure Skating announced that
Skate America would be held without an audience in line with
Nevada Gaming Control Board guidelines regarding the pandemic.[11] On September 30, the ISU announced that the Grand Prix Final would not be held as scheduled in Beijing on December 10–13, and that they were searching for an alternate host outside China for the event.[12] On October 14,
Skate Canada announced the cancellation of the 2020 Skate Canada International due to the worsening situation in Ontario.[13] The
French Federation of Ice Sports informed the ISU of the cancellation of the 2020 Internationaux de France on October 19.[14] In November, the Grand Prix Final was first removed from China altogether, before being definitively cancelled on December 10, 2020.[2][15] The ISU later rescheduled the Beijing test event to the 2021
Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy in October.[16]
On October 16, the ISU announced the cancellation of the
2021 Four Continents Championships.[3] On November 24, the
2021 World Junior Championships were also cancelled.[4] On December 10, the ISU announced the definitive cancellation of the Grand Prix Final alongside the cancellation of the
2021 European Championships.[17] The
2021 World Championships were held as scheduled in
Stockholm, Sweden, on March 22–28, although three positive
COVID-19 cases were detected during the event.[18] In addition, the ISU slightly modified the qualification rules to allow additional skaters the opportunity to meet the minimum TES requirements.[19]
Due to the vast difference in skaters' travel restrictions, the ISU determined that it would be unfair to award
ISU world standings and season's world ranking points at the
Challenger Series and
Grand Prix events.[20][21] Thus, the 2021 World Championships were the only event to affect the
2020–21 ISU world standings. As the Junior Grand Prix and World Junior Championships were cancelled, junior skaters had no opportunities to earn World Standing Points for the season.[22]
Scores earned at the domestic Grand Prix events did not count as official ISU scores for the purposes of achieving minimum TES requirements or as personal/season's bests.[21] Thus, the season's best scores list was composed entirely of scores earned on the Challenger Series, where the
2020 Nebelhorn Trophy and
2020 Budapest Trophy were the only two of ten scheduled events to be held, the 2021 World Championships, and the
2021 World Team Trophy.
Skaters were eligible to compete in
International Skating Union (ISU) events at the junior or senior levels according to their age. These rules may not have applied to non-ISU events such as national championships.
Level
Date of birth
Junior (females in singles and pairs; males in singles)
^
abDue to disturbances in skaters' training schedules resulting from the
COVID-19 pandemic, the ISU extended the upper age limit for skaters in junior and novice ice dance by one year. However, the new age limit only applied to couples who competed together during the
2019–20 season and maintained the same programs for the 2020–21 season.[24]
Changes
If skaters of different nationalities team up, the
ISU requires that they choose one country to represent. Date refers to date when the change occurred or, if not available, the date when the change was announced.
^This competition featured two teams composed entirely of Japanese skaters rather than the traditional three teams drawn from their respective regions (Europe, Japan, and North America).[179]
Cancelled events
Numerous competitions were cancelled by either the ISU, the host federation, or the local government due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
^"Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games – Adapted Sports Testing Programme".
International Skating Union. November 13, 2020. While under the current pandemic situation finding alternative locations (outside China) and dates to replace the respective Events during the ongoing season will be a challenge, the ISU nevertheless is evaluating such alternatives for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and the ISU World Speed Skating Championships.
^Sun, Haiguang (September 21, 2020).
"前几日去九华山庄采访,发现于小雨新搭档变成了王磊。" [A few days ago, I went to Jiuhua Mountain Villa for an interview and found that Yu Xiaoyu's new partner had become Wang Lei.] (
Weibo) (in Chinese).
^
abYu, Xiaoyu (April 2, 2021).
"在这里向广大的冰迷和一直以来关心我支持我的朋友们宣布一个会让大家失落的消息,我前不久正式提交了退役申请。" [I'm here to announce to the skating fans and friends who have always cared about and supported me, a piece of news that will make you all feel lost. I formally submitted my application for retirement not long ago.] (in Chinese) – via
Weibo.
^"日野龍樹、今季限りで現役引退を表明「久しぶりに楽しい全日本だった」" [Ryuju Hino announces retirement from active duty this season: "All-Japan was fun for the first time in a long time"]. Yahoo! Japan (in Japanese). December 26, 2020. Archived from
the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
^Wu, Dong; Zhuo, Ran (February 18, 2021).
""五朝老将"张昊:坚守所爱 为北京冬奥加油" ["Five Dynasties Veteran" Zhang Hao: Stick to what I love and cheer for the Beijing Winter Olympics]. Beijing Daily (in Chinese).
^Kim, Hee-seon (May 3, 2021).
"[캐스팅보드] 스케이트 벗고 무대로… 이준우, "뮤지컬 배우 꿈, 가족들도 몰랐죠"" [[Casting board] Taking off his skates and going on the stage... Lee June-hyoung, "Even my family didn't know my dream of becoming a musical actor"]. 서울자치신문 (in Korean).
^Bruckner, Nóra (June 7, 2021).
""Szeretnék még esélyt adni magamnak"" ["I want to give myself another chance"] (in Hungarian). Hungarian Skating Federation.
^Gallagher, Jack (February 13, 2021).
"[ICE TIME] Exclusive: Legendary Choreographer David Wilson Calls for New Leadership at Skate Canada". Japan Forward. Following the cancellation of last year's world championships in Montreal...Skate Canada proceeded to cancel the Junior Grand Prix in British Columbia in August, the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Ontario, in September, and Skate Canada International in Ottawa in October, before pulling the plug on the nationals.