ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of competitions organized by the
International Skating Union. Elite
figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles,
pair skating, and
ice dancing.
Events
Currently the sanctioned events for the Grand Prix are:
*
Skate America*
Skate Canada International*
Cup of China*
Trophée Eric Bompard*
Cup of Russia*
NHK TrophyThe season ends with the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. This year's series will start in October and end in December.
Background
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating was first created in the 1995-96 skating season, using a points-based system based on results from the selected international events. The top qualifying skaters from each discipline would be eligible to compete in the Grand Prix Figure Skating Final.
Skaters are entered either by being "seeded" or by invitation. The "seeding" of top skaters at Grand Prix events basically takes into account their placement from the previous World Championships. This is to give a balanced field throughout the series. Each event can invite up to three skaters from their own country for each discipline.
Starting with the 2003-04 season, the Interim Judging System was introduced for scoring events in the Grand Prix. This later developed into the
ISU Judging System, often called the
Code of Points (CoP), of figure skating, replacing the previous 6.0 system.
Also in the 2003-04 season, the Bofrost Cup on Ice event was replaced with Cup of China.
In
1997, the Junior Grand Prix Series and Final were created.
2006-07 season
The events for the 2006-2007 season are as follows:
* Oct. 26-29,
Skate America, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
* Nov. 2-5,
Skate Canada, Victoria, BC, Canada
* Nov. 9-12,
Cup of China, Nanjing, China
* Nov. 16-19,
Trophée Eric Bompard, Paris, France
* Nov. 23-26,
Cup of Russia, Moscow, Russia
* Nov. 30-Dec. 3,
NHK Trophy, Nagano, JapanThe final will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, from December 14th to 17th.
*
Medals table and winner information, 1995-2002*
2006 Grand Prix information*
ISU Grand Prix 2004-2005 information (PDF)
