2021 World Junior Figure Skating Championships

The 2021 World Junior Figure Skating Championships were scheduled to be held from March 1–7, 2021 in Harbin, China.[1] Figure skaters would have competed for the title of junior world champion in men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition would have determined the entry quotas for each federation during the 2021–22 ISU Junior Grand Prix series and at the 2022 World Junior Championships.

2021 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
Type:	ISU Championship
Date:	March 1 – 7
Season:	2020–21
Location:	Harbin, China
Host:	Chinese Skating Association
Venue:	Heilongjiang Provincial Skating Arena
Defending champions
Men's singles: Andrei Mozalev
Ladies' singles: Kamila Valieva
Pair skating: Apollinariia Panfilova / Dmitry Rylov
Ice dance: Avonley Nguyen / Vadym Kolesnik
Previous: 2020 World Junior Championships
Next: 2022 World Junior Championships

Harbin was announced as the host in October 2018.[2] It would have been China's first time hosting Junior Worlds. On November 24, 2020, the International Skating Union announced the cancellation of the event, citing "the pandemic developments and related impact on the organizers and participants."[3] The event had never been cancelled before.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

On July 9, the General Administration of Sport of China announced that no international sporting events would be held in China in 2020, except for 2022 Winter Olympics test events.[4] At the time, it was unclear whether the order could extend into affecting 2021 events. The Chinese Skating Association was scheduled to host several events during the season, including the World Junior Championships. Earlier in the season, the CSA was the only federation to host a wholly domestic Grand Prix event, the 2020 Cup of China, due to the country's stringent quarantine restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]

On July 20, the 2020–21 ISU Junior Grand Prix series was cancelled.[6] With the cancellation of Junior Worlds, there was effectively no season for juniors during the 2020–21 season.[7] However, several juniors who were age-eligible for seniors competed on the senior Grand Prix and/or the 2020–21 ISU Challenger Series instead.[8]

The World Junior Championships were the second ISU Championship event during the 2020–21 season to be cancelled, following the cancellation of the 2021 Four Continents Championships on October 16.[9] The ISU and various host federations had additionally cancelled several other events earlier in the season, including the Junior Grand Prix series, half of the Challenger Series events, and two Grand Prix events.

Qualification

Age and minimum TES requirements

Skaters who reach the age of 13 before July 1, 2020, but have not turned 19 (singles and females of the other two disciplines) or 21 (male pair skaters and ice dancers) are eligible to compete at the junior level.

The ISU stipulates that the minimum scores must be achieved at an ISU-recognized junior international competition in the ongoing or preceding season, no later than 21 days before the first official practice day.[1]

Minimum technical scores (TES)
Discipline	SP / RD	FS / FD
Men	23	42
Ladies	23	38
Pairs	23	34
Ice dance	23	37
Must be achieved at an ISU-recognized international event in the ongoing or preceding season. SP/RD and FS/FD scores may be attained at different events.

Number of entries per discipline

Based on the results of the 2020 World Junior Championships, each ISU member nation can field one to three entries per discipline.[10]

Spots	Men	Ladies	Pairs	Dance
3	Russia  Japan  United States	Russia  United States  South Korea	Russia	United States  Georgia  Russia
2	Italy  France  Estonia  Canada	Poland  Canada  Azerbaijan  Japan	Germany  France  United States  Georgia  China  Canada	France  Canada
If not listed above, one entry is allowed.

Schedule

Date	Discipline	Time	Segment
Wednesday, March 3	Men	11:00	Short program
	All	17:30	Opening ceremony
	Ice dance	18:15	Rhythm dance
Thursday, March 4	Pairs	13:00	Short program
	Ice dance	18:15	Free dance
Friday, March 5	Ladies	10:15	Short program
	Men	18:15	Free skating
Saturday, March 6	Ladies	11:45	Free skating
	Pairs	16:45	Free skating
Sunday, March 7	All	15:00	Exhibition gala
All times are listed in local time (UTC+08:00).[1]

Entries

Member nations had yet to announce their selections at the time of cancellation.

References

1. "2021 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships Announcement". International Skating Union.
2. "Allotment of ISU Championships 2021" (Press release). International Skating Union. October 16, 2018.
3. "Update on ISU Event Calendar season 2020/21". International Skating Union. November 24, 2020.
4. huaxia, ed. (July 9, 2020). "No international sport events in China this year except for Beijing 2022 trials". Xinhua News Agency.
5. McCarvel, Nick (November 7, 2020). "Big-jumping Jin Boyang defends Cup of China title; Peng and Jin capture pairs crown". Olympic Channel.
6. "ISU Junior Grand Prix Series 2020/21 cancelled". International Skating Union. July 20, 2020.
7. McCarvel, Nick (November 24, 2020). "ISU announces cancellation of world junior figure skating championships". Olympic Channel.
8. Hersh, Philip (November 12, 2020). "Reality check: Audrey Shin is what's happening in U.S. women's skating". NBC Sports. NBCUniversal. She had expected, pre-pandemic, to be competing on the Junior Grand Prix this season, but the Junior Grand Prix series was cancelled because of Covid-19. With the senior circuit turned into essentially domestic events for health reasons, there was a place for Shin at Skate America.
9. "Cancellation of ISU Four Continents Championships 2021 and Provisional allotments of ISU Championships 2022 and 2023" (Press release). International Skating Union. October 16, 2020.
10. "Communication No. 2336: Entries for ISU Figure Skating and Synchronized Skating Championships 2021". International Skating Union. July 23, 2020.

External links

• 2021 World Junior Championships at the International Skating Union