World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). The first World Championships were held in 1896 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and they have been held ever since with only four interruptions. A separate competition for women was established in 1905, with the men's and women's events held as separate competitions for several years. Pair skating was added in 1908 and ice dance in 1952.

Skaters are eligible to compete at the World Championships, provided they represent a member nation of the International Skating Union and are selected by their respective federation. Skating federations have the liberty to make their own selections, but skaters competing at the World Championships must have earned the minimum required element scores. Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The World Championships are considered the most prestigious event in figure skating,^[1] second only to the Olympics.

The corresponding competition for junior-level skaters is the World Junior Figure Skating Championships. The corresponding competitions for synchronized skating are the World Synchronized Skating Championships and the World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships.

Ulrich Salchow of Sweden holds the record for winning the most World Championship titles in men's singles (with ten), while Sonja Henie of Norway holds the record in women's singles (also with ten). Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev of the Soviet Union hold the record in pair skating (with six), although Rodnina won an additional four titles with a previous partner. Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov of the Soviet Union hold the record in ice dance (with six).

The 2026 World Championships are scheduled to be held March 23–29 in Prague, Czech Republic,^[2] while the 2027 World Championships are scheduled to be held March 15–21 in Tampere, Finland.^[3]

The International Skating Union (ISU) was formed in 1892 to govern international competition in speed and figure skating.^[4] The first world championships in figure skating, known as the Championship of the Internationale Eislauf-Vereingung, were held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1896. There were four competitors and the winner of the event was Gilbert Fuchs of Germany.^[5]

Since competitive skating was generally viewed as a male sport, the championships were presumed to be an exclusive male event. However, there were no specific rules barring women from competing. In 1902, Madge Syers of Great Britain entered the championships and won the silver medal.^[5] The ISU Congress – the highest-ranking decision-making body of the ISU – considered gender issues at their meeting in 1903, 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; its winners were known as ISU champions and not world champions.^[5] Men's and women's events were generally held separately. The first competition for women was held in Davos, Switzerland, in 1906;^[4] the event was won by Syers.^[5]

The first competition for pair skating was held in Saint Petersburg in 1908.^[5] Early championships for both women and pairs – previously called ISU Championships – were retroactively given World Championship status in 1924.^[4]

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; those 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, awarding 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 a panel.^[6]

The 1930 World Championships in New York City were the first to be held outside Europe and combined all three competitions (men's singles, women's singles, and pair skating) into one event for the first time.^[4] Ice dance made its debut at the 1952 World Championships.^[4] Compulsory figures were retired from the World Championships after 1990.^[7]

Every four years, the Winter Olympics take place roughly a month before the World Championships, causing a number of Olympic medalists tend to miss the World Championships. Many skaters need time to rest due to physical and mental exhaustion, and some Olympic medalists chose to capitalize on their success by becoming professional skaters with companies such as the Ice Capades or Champions on Ice.^[8] Prior to 1993, professional skaters were barred from competing at the Olympics by the ISU, so choosing to pursue skating professionally had once meant the end of one's competitive career.^[9]

The World Championships have been interrupted four times in the competition's history: from 1915 through 1921 due to World War I;^[5] from 1940 through 1946 due to World War II;^[5] in 1961 after the crash of Sabena Flight 548;^[10] and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[11]

Skaters may compete at the World Championships if they represent a member nation of the International Skating Union and are selected by their federation. 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 have earned the minimum total element scores, which are determined and published each season by the ISU, during the current or immediately previous season. Member nations may enter at least one competitor or team in each discipline; while a points system allows member nations to enter additional competitors or teams, up to a total of three per discipline, based on the nation's performance in that discipline at the previous World Championships.^[12]

Age restrictions have changed throughout the history of the World Championships. Originally there were no age restrictions at all. For example, Sonja Henie of Norway – a 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.^[6] Beginning with the 1996–97 season, skaters had to be at least 15 years old before July 1 of the previous year.^[13] However, the ISU allowed for two exception. Firstly, skaters younger than 15 who had already competed in senior-level international events could continue. For example, Tara Lipinski of the United States – the 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.^[14] Secondly, skaters who had won medals at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships were permitted to compete as seniors at the ISU Championships.^[15] For example, Sarah Hughes of the United States – the 2002 Olympic champion in women's singles – won the silver medal at the 1999 World Junior Championships, and was thus allowed to participate at the 1999 World Championships at the age of 13.^[15]

At the ISU Congress held in June 2022, members of the ISU Council – the ISU's executive body responsible for determining policies – accepted a proposal to gradually increase the minimum age limit for senior competition to 17 beginning with 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 during the 2023–24 season, and then to 17 during the 2024–25 season.^[16]