2020 World Championships in Montreal Cancelled

News roundup regarding the cancellation of the 2020 World Championships in Montreal. Please follow our twitter for real-time updates.

Skate Canada announcement:

With the uncertainty surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Skate Canada and the International Skating Union (ISU), were informed today by the Government of Quebec that they have cancelled the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® 2020. The event was scheduled to take place from March 16-22, 2020 in Montreal at Centre Bell.

Skate Canada and the International Skating Union (ISU) have closely monitored the provincial and federal health authorities position on the spread of the virus and fully respect the difficult decision made today.  Like the authorities, Skate Canada and the ISU are committed to the health and safety of the athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and spectators.

Many stakeholders have been affected by the cancellation of the world championships, and Skate Canada and the ISU will be communicating directly with each group in the coming days. Any fan who has purchased tickets directly from the official ticket provider Evenko will receive details on the refund process in due course.

Skate Canada, in partnership with the local organizing committee, Patinage Quebec and all our partners, looked forward to hosting figure skating’s flagship event in Montreal. We thank you all for your efforts and commitment as we prepared to deliver a world-class event.

ISU announcement (excerpt):

Considering the current uncertain developments surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic, a rescheduling and/or relocation of the above-mentioned Championships within the current season, even if the season would be extended by several weeks after its normal end in early April, cannot be reasonably considered. During the coming weeks, the ISU will evaluate in cooperation with all stakeholders whether the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020 could possibly be held later in the year, but in any case not before October 2020. Before taking a final decision, the ISU will remain in close contact with Skate Canada and ISU Members.

Evenko regarding ticket refunds:

Clients that purchased via http://evenko.ca or by phone will automatically receive a refund on the credit card used to make the purchase. Please note that refunds can take up to ten (10) business days depending on the financial institution.

Customers that purchased their tickets in person must return to the Bell Centre Box office to obtain their refund.

Thanks to all skaters for the 2019-2020 season, and thanks to our followers for their support! We wish everyone a safe and healthy off season.

Team USA: 2020 ISU Championship Assignments

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Men: Nathan Chen, Jason Brown, Vincent Zhou (alt: Tomoki Hiwatashi, Andrew Torgashev, Camden Pulkinen)

• Ladies: Mariah Bell, Bradie Tennell (alt: Karen Chen, Amber Glenn, Starr Andrews)

• Pairs: Knierim/Knierim, Cain-Gribble/Leduc (alt: Calalang/Johnson, Kayne/O'Shea, Denney/Frazier)

• Dance: Chock/Bates, Hubbell/Donohue, Hawayek/Baker (alt: Carreira/Ponomarenko, Green/Parsons, McNamara/Carpenter)

FOUR CONTINENTS

• Men: Jason Brown, Tomoki Hiwatashi, Camden Pulkinen (alt: Alex Krasnozhon)

• Ladies: Bradie Tennell, Karen Chen, Amber Glenn (alt: Starr Andrews, Gabriella Izzo)

• Pairs: Knierim/Knierim, Kayne/O'Shea, Calalang/Johnson (alt: Denney/Frazier, Lu/Mitrofanov, Serafini/Tran)

• Dance: Chock/Bates, Hubbell/Donohue, Hawayek/Baker (alt: Carreira/Ponomarenko, Green/Parsons, McNamara/Carpenter)

JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Men: Andrew Torgashev, Ilia Malinin, Maxim Naumov (alt: Dinh Tran, Eric Sjoberg, Lucas Altieri, Liam Kapeikis)

• Ladies: Alysa Liu, Starr Andrews, Lindsay Thorngren (alt: Audrey Shin, Gabriella Izzo, Isabelle Inthisone, Calista Choi)

• Pairs: Finster/Nagy, Smirnova/Siianytsia, Deardorff/Johnson (alt: Fleming/Isbell)

• Dance: Nguyen/Kolesnik, Wolfkostin/Chen, Brown/Brown (alt: Cesanek/Yehorov, Delcamp/Somerville, Ling/Wein)

Source: 1, 2, 3

Team Japan: 2020 ISU Championship Assignments

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Ladies: Rika Kihira, Satoko Miyahara, Wakaba Higuchi (alternates: Kaori Sakamoto, Yuhana Yokoi)

• Men: Yuzuru Hanyu, Keiji Tanaka, Shoma Uno (alternates: Kazuki Tomono, Sota Yamamoto)

• Pairs: Riku Miura / Ryuichi Kihara

• Ice Dance: Misato Komatsubara / Tim Koleto

FOUR CONTINENT CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Ladies: Rika Kihira, Wakaba Higuchi, Kaori Sakamoto (alternates: Yuhana Yokoi, Marin Honda)

• Men: Yuzuru Hanyu, Shoma Uno, Yuma Kagiyama (alternates: Kazuki Tomono, Sota Yamamoto)

• Pairs: Riku Miura / Ryuichi Kihara

• Ice Dance: Misato Komatsubara / Tim Koleto

JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Ladies: Mana Kawabe, Tomoe Kawabata (alternate: Shiika Yoshioka)

• Men: Shun Sato, Yuma Kagiyama (alternates: Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda, Mitsuki Sumoto)

• Ice Dance: Utana Yoshida / Shingo Nishiyama (alternate: Ayumi Takanami / Yoshimitsu Ikeda)

Source

ISU Skating Awards premieres at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020 in Montreal - International Skating Union

The International Skating Union, Skate Canada and Art on Ice are proud to announce that the first ever ISU Skating Awards will be held on the occasion of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® Montreal 2020.

Awards from seven categories will be given to outstanding athletes, Choreographer and Coach. Additionally, an innovative mix of Figure Skating, Dance and Cirque Nouveau will be showcased, featuring captivating music acts and several live performances - involving all 2020 ISU World Figure Skating Champions and medalists.

The ISU Skating Awards is a new format that will take place on Sunday, March 22, 2020 between 16:00 – 18:30 EDT (21:00 – 23:30 GMT) bringing a glamorous finish to the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020. Guests, VIPs and ISU Skating Awards nominees will arrive on the red carpet at the famous Bell Center in Montreal.

A long list of candidates will be announced on December 1, 2019 and on-line voting will open, allowing the media, public and ISU Members to vote for their favorite candidates through a new on-line voting platform. On-line voting will be possible from December 1, 2019 to February 10, 2020.

Following the on-line vote, three nominees in each category will be selected and officially announced on March 10, 2020.

A star-studded Jury will determine the winner of each category and the winners will be revealed and presented with their Award on the occasion of ISU Skating Awards held on March 22, 2020.

ISU Skating Awards categories

There are 7 Award categories:

• Most Valuable Skater: Honors the Single Skater or Pair or Ice Dance Couple who best managed to increase the level of popularity of Figure Skating related to the fan base involvement, media attention and sponsors appreciation

• Best Costume: Honors the Single Skater or Pair or Ice Dance Couple presenting a costume reflecting creativity, contemporary implementation, fashion, style and originality

• Most Entertaining Program: Honors the Single Skater or Pair or Ice Dance Couple for the music selection, expression, creativity, contemporary implementation, originality and overall performance

• Best Newcomer: Honors a young talented Single Skater or Pair or Ice Dance Couple competing very successfully in ISU Events on the Senior level for the first season

• Best Choreographer: Honors the choreographic work of a Choreographer who successfully inspired one or several Single Skaters and/or Pairs and/or ice Dance Couples

• Best Coach: Honors a Coach who delivered professional and efficient work and achieved outstanding results with one or several Single Skaters and/or Pairs and/or ice Dance Couples

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Honors a Figure Skating legend having achieved great success and popularity and is considered as a role model in the Figure Skating World.

The ISU, Skate Canada and Art on Ice held a press conference on October 26, 2019 to unveil the ISU Skating Awards. The panel included:

• Patricia St Peter – ISU Representative

• Benoit Lavoie – ISU Council Member

• Oliver Höner - ISU Skating Awards Producer & Art on Ice CEO

• Ari Zakarian - ISU Skating Award Show initiator

• Leanna Carron – Skate Canada President

The full press conference is available on demand on the Skating ISU YouTube channel.

To receive the latest information on the #ISUSkatingAwards please subscribe to the ISU Newsletter here and for more information please visit www.isu.org and https://montreal2020.com. Click here to buy tickets for this exclusive event.