2021–22 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final

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2021–22 Grand Prix Final
Logo of the 2021 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final
Type:Grand Prix
Season:2021–22
Location:Osaka, Japan
Host:Japan Skating Federation
Venue:Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome
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The 2021–22 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final would have been a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Japan Skating Federation, and the final event of the 2021–22 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It was scheduled to be held concurrently with the 2021–22 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final at the Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome in Osaka, Japan, from December 9 to 12, 2021.[1] Medals would have been awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance at the senior and junior levels. However, the competition was cancelled due to travel restrictions imposed by Japan in response to the discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.

Background

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The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of seven events sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and held during the autumn: six qualifying events and the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. This allows skaters to perfect their programs earlier in the season, as well as compete against the skaters with whom they will later compete at the World Championships. Skaters earn points based on their results in their respective competitions and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final.[2] Likewise, the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP) is a series of seven international figure skating competitions exclusively for junior-level skaters. The locations of the Junior Grand Prix events change every year. Skaters earn points based on their results each season, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are then invited to compete at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.[3]

Due to varying travel and quarantine restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries had logistical issues gaining access to certain competitions at both the Junior Grand Prix and Grand Prix series. For example, Russian skaters were unable to enter France for the first two stages of the JGP series and struggled to obtain visas for the 2021 Skate America.[4][5] For the Junior Grand Prix series, the ISU implemented a re-allocation process for countries who had lost quota spots due to being unable to travel to certain countries and compete. Additionally, the ISU decided not to implement a JGP ranking for the season and to instead prioritize holding the JGP series safely "with the best possible participation" in light of the pandemic.[6] On September 1, 2021, the Japan Skating Federation announced that it had chosen to forego the JGP series entirely, despite originally planning to skip just the first three events, due to pandemic-related travel restrictions and the mandatory quarantine period for skaters upon return to Japan.[7] As a result, Japan would have had no competitors at the Junior Grand Prix Final before being awarded wild card berths in men's and women's singles.[8][9]

On November 29, 2021, in response to the discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, the Japanese government announced travel restrictions that prevented foreigners from entering Japan beginning the next day.[10] The Japan Skating Federation announced that it would implement a bubble environment – that is, in a cluster made up exclusively of individuals who have been thoroughly tested and unlikely to spread infection – at the 2021 Grand Prix Final in Osaka, as the federation "[proceeded] with preparations while taking infection control measures in line with the government's policy."[11] On December 2, the ISU announced that the event had been cancelled for the month of December due to the "complicated epidemic situation".[12] The ISU left open the possibility for postponement until the end of the season, but did not announce a post-season date or location for any rescheduled event.[13] Unable to find a replacement host, the ISU ultimately cancelled the event on December 17.[14]

Qualifiers

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Senior qualifiers

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The following skaters and teams originally qualified to compete at the 2021–22 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

No. Men[15] Women[16] Pairs[17] Ice dance[18]
1 Japan Yuma Kagiyama Russia Kamila Valieva
  • Russia
2 Japan Shoma Uno Russia Anna Shcherbakova
3 United States Vincent Zhou Russia Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
4 United States Nathan Chen Japan Kaori Sakamoto
5 Russia Mikhail Kolyada Russia Maiia Khromykh
6 United States Jason Brown Russia Alena Kostornaia
Alternates
No. Men[15] Women[16] Pairs[17] Ice dance[18]
1 Japan Shun Sato South Korea You Young
2 Georgia (country) Morisi Kvitelashvili Belgium Loena Hendrickx
3 South Korea Cha Jun-hwan Japan Mai Mihara

Junior qualifiers

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The following skaters and teams originally qualified to compete at the 2021–22 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

No. Men[19] Women[20] Pairs[21] Ice dance[22]
1 United States Ilia Malinin Russia Sofia Akateva
  • Russia
  • Ekaterina Chikmareva
  • Matvei Ianchenkov
2 Russia Ilya Yablokov Russia Veronika Zhilina
  • Russia
  • Natalia Khabibullina
  • Ilya Knyazhuk
  • Russia
  • Vasilisa Kaganovskaia
  • Valeriy Angelopol
3 Russia Gleb Lutfullin Russia Sofia Muravieva
  • Russia
  • Anastasia Mukhortova
  • Dmitry Evgenyev
4 Russia Kirill Sarnovskiy Russia Adeliia Petrosian
  • Russia
  • Ekaterina Petushkova
  • Evgenii Malikov
5 Canada Wesley Chiu United States Isabeau Levito (withdrew)[23] —
6 Russia Egor Rukhin United States Lindsay Thorngren
Wild Cards[24] Japan Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda Japan Rion Sumiyoshi —
Alternates
No. Men[19] Women[20] Pairs[21] Ice dance[22]
1 Russia Artem Kovalev Russia Anastasia Zinina (called up)
  • Russia
  • Sofia Leonteva
  • Daniil Gorelkin
2 Kazakhstan Mikhail Shaidorov Russia Sofia Samodelkina
  • Russia
3 Estonia Arlet Levandi South Korea Kim Chae-yeon
  • Russia
  • Ekaterina Storublevtseva
  • Artem Gritsaenko

References

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  1. ^ "Decisions of the Council – Update on ISU Event Calendar". International Skating Union. January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  2. ^ Hines, James R. (2006). Figure Skating: A History. University of Illinois Press. pp. 246–247, 332–335. ISBN 978-0-252-07286-4.
  3. ^ "ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 24, 2025. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  4. ^ "О неучастии российских фигуристов в первом и втором этапах серии ИСУ Гран-при среди юниоров в Куршевеле (Франция)" [On the non-participation of Russian figure skaters in the first and second stages of the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel (France)]. Figure Skating Federation of Russia (in Russian). August 10, 2021. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  5. ^ Nikolaev, Denis (September 6, 2021). "Коган: «ФФККР делает все возможное, чтобы фигуристы выступили на Skate America»" [Kogan: "FFKKR is doing everything possible for skaters to perform at Skate America"]. Sport24 (in Russian). Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  6. ^ "Communication No. 2418: Decisions of the Council – ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating season 2021/22". International Skating Union. August 5, 2021. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  7. ^ "フィギュア、北京五輪テスト大会に選手派遣の方針 スケート理事会" [Figure skating board to dispatch athletes to Beijing Olympics test event]. Sponichi (in Japanese). September 1, 2021. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  8. ^ Gallagher, Jack (September 18, 2021). "Rika Kihira's Move to Train with Brian Orser Improves Chances for Olympic Medal". Japan Forward. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "Communication No. 2431: Decisions of the Council". International Skating Union. October 4, 2021. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "全外国人の入国禁止…フィギュアＧＰファイナルの影響は？ 連盟「現段階でお答えできない」" [All foreigners are prohibited from entering the country ... What is the impact on the Grand Prix Final? Federation "I can't answer at this stage"]. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). November 29, 2021. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  11. ^ "大阪でのフィギュアＧＰファイナル、開催に向け調整…バブル方式「準備進めていく」" [Figure skating Grand Prix Final in Osaka, adjustments for holding ... "Preparing" bubble method]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). November 30, 2021. Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "Omicron travel rules, entry ban create mess for sports in Japan". The Asahi Shimbun. December 2, 2021. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  13. ^ "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2021, Osaka/Japan – cancellation". International Skating Union. December 2, 2021. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  14. ^ "Cancellation of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2021, Osaka/Japan". International Skating Union. December 17, 2021. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2021/2022 (Men)". International Skating Union. November 27, 2021. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2021/2022 (Women)". International Skating Union. November 27, 2021. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  17. ^ a b "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2021/2022 (Pairs)". International Skating Union. November 27, 2021. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2021/2022 (Ice Dance)". International Skating Union. November 27, 2021. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  19. ^ a b "ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2021/2022: Men Final Results". International Skating Union. October 11, 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2021/2022: Women Final Results". International Skating Union. October 11, 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  21. ^ a b "ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2021/2022: Pairs Final Results". International Skating Union. October 11, 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2021/2022: Ice Dance Final Results". International Skating Union. October 11, 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  23. ^ "Isabeau Levito Withdraws from Junior Grand Prix Final" (Press release). U.S. Figure Skating. November 30, 2021. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  24. ^ "本田ルーカス剛史、住吉りをん 開催国枠でジュニアＧＰファイナル出場へ" [Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda, Rion Sumiyoshi to participate in the Junior GP Final in the host country spot]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
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