The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the

International Skating Union The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, N ...

. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles,

pair skating Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...

, and ice dancing. The series was inaugurated in 1997 to complement the senior-level

ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating (known as ISU Champions Series from 1995 to 1997) is a series of senior international figure skating competitions organized by the International Skating Union. The invitational series was inaugurated in 1995, in ...

. Skaters earn qualifying points at each Junior Grand Prix event and the six highest-ranking qualifiers meet at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, which is held concurrently with the

Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...

History

The ''ISU Junior Series'' was established in the 1997–98 season. Six qualifying competitions took place from late August to early November 1997, leading to the final, which was held in early March 1998. The following season, the series was expanded to eight qualifying events and renamed the ''ISU Junior Grand Prix''. The series was composed of seven qualifying competitions in the 2001–02 season after U.S. Figure Skating cancelled its event in Arizona following the

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, and returned to eight the following year. The International Skating Union permanently reduced the number of qualifying competitions to seven beginning in the 2009–10 season. The ISU officially cancelled the events of the 2020–21 season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, citing increased travel and entry requirements between countries and potentially excessive sanitary and health care costs for hosting members.

Competitions

There are generally seven qualifying events which lead to a final. All seven hold competitions in men's singles, ladies singles, and ice dancing. Four or five of the events also include a pairs competition. The locations of the ISU Junior Grand Prix events change yearly. The eighth event is the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Beginning in the 2008–09 season, it has been held concurrently with the senior final.

Qualifying

Unlike the senior

, competitors are entered by their national federations rather than seeded by the ISU. The number of entries allotted to each ISU member federation is determined by the country's placements at the previous season's World Junior Championships in each respective discipline. The host country is allowed to enter up to three skaters/teams in singles and dance, with no limit on its pair entries. For a number of years, pairs were allowed to compete on both the junior and senior Grand Prix series in the same season but this option was removed before the 2012–13 season.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Junior Grand Prix series, skaters must be at least 13 but not 19 (or 21 for male pair skaters and ice dancers) before the preceding July 1. A skater must meet the age requirement ''before'' it turns July 1 in their place of birth. For example, Adelina Sotnikova was born a few hours into July 1, 1996 in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and consequently, was not eligible to compete until the 2010–11 season.

References

External links

ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating at the International Skating Union

Official ISU videos
at International Skating Union's YouTube channel {{DEFAULTSORT:Isu Junior Grand Prix Figure skating tours and series World youth sports competitions