The NHK Trophy is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Japan Skating Federation. The first NHK Trophy was held in 1979 in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. When the ISU launched the Champions Series (later renamed the Grand Prix Series) in 1995, the NHK Trophy was one of the five qualifying events. It has been a Grand Prix event every year since. Medals may be awarded in men's singles, women's 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 ...

, and

ice dance Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...

. Skaters earn points based on their results at the qualifying competitions each season, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to then compete at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Daisuke Takahashi of Japan holds the record for winning the most NHK Trophy titles in men's singles (with six), while Midori Ito of Japan holds the record in women's singles (also with six). Shen Xue and

Zhao Hongbo Zhao Hongbo (; born 22 September 1973) is a Chinese retired pair skater. With his wife Shen Xue, Zhao is the 2010 Figure skating at the Olympics, Olympic champion, the 2002 & 2006 Figure skating at the Olympics, Olympic bronze medalist, a three ...

of China hold the record in pair skating (with four), while Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat of France hold the record in ice dance (with five).

History

The inaugural competition – the 1979 NHK Trophy – was held in

. Robin Cousins of Great Britain won the men's event, Emi Watanabe of Japan won the women's event, Irina Vorobieva and Igor Lisovsky of the Soviet Union won the pairs event, and Irina Moiseeva and Andrei Minenkov, also of the Soviet Union, won the ice dance event. Beginning with the 1995–96 season, the International Skating Union (ISU) launched the Champions Series – later renamed the Grand Prix Series – which, at its inception, consisted of five qualifying competitions and the Champions Series Final. This allowed skaters to perfect their programs earlier in the season, as well as compete against the same skaters whom they would later encounter at the World Championships. This series also provided the viewing public with additional televised skating, which was in high demand. The five qualifying competitions during this inaugural season were the 1995 Nations Cup, the 1995 NHK Trophy, the 1995 Skate America, the 1995 Skate Canada, and the 1995 Trophée de France. Skaters earned points based on their results in their respective competitions and the top skaters or teams in each discipline were then invited to compete at the Champions Series Final. Due to the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, a number of modifications were made to the structure of the 2020 NHK Trophy. The competitors consisted initially only of skaters from Japan, although You Young of South Korea was added to the roster once her travel to Japan was approved. The

event was also cancelled. The 2025 NHK Trophy is scheduled to be held November 7–9 in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

Medalists

Men's singles

Women's singles

Pairs

Ice dance

Records

Cumulative medal count

Men's singles

Women's singles

Pairs

Ice dance

Total medals

References

External links

Japan Skating Federation

ISU Grand Prix

NHK Trophy
at Skating Scores {{Grand Prix Figure skating ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating

Trophy A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sports, sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athlet ...

International figure skating competitions hosted by Japan Recurring sporting events established in 1979 1979 establishments in Japan