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The 2021
World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships (''"Worlds"'') is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of single skating, men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ...
were held in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
from March 22–28, 2021. Figure skaters competed for the title of world champion in men's singles, ladies' singles,
pairs Concentration, also known as Memory, Shinkei-suijaku (Japanese meaning "nervous breakdown"), Matching Pairs, Match Match, Match Up, Pelmanism, Pexeso or simply Pairs, is a card game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and tw ...
, 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 ...
. The competition was used to determine the entry quotas for each federation at the 2022 World Championships and was the first qualification event for the
2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...
.
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
was announced as the host in June 2018. It was the first time that Stockholm had hosted the World Championships since
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
and the first time that Sweden had hosted since
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
. The World Championships were the only ISU Championship event held during the 2020–21 season, as the
European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
,
Four Continents Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Each of the four continents was seen to represent its quadrant of the world—Africa in the south, America in the west, Asia in the east, ...
, and World Junior Championships were all cancelled. 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 identif ...
, event organizers hosted the event in a bubble. No public spectators were allowed at the event. Like the 2020–21 Grand Prix series, the World Championships were
livestream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
ed on the ISU's
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channel with geographical restrictions for markets that have TV rights in place. The 2015 Eurovision contest winner
Måns Zelmerlöw Måns Petter Albert Sahlén Zelmerlöw (; born 13 June 1986) is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter and television presenter. He took part in '' Idol 2005'', eventually finishing fifth, won the first season of '' Let's Dance,'' and scored a hit w ...
and runner-up
Polina Gagarina Polina Sergeyevna Gagarina ( rus, Поли́на Серге́евна Гага́рина, p=pɐˈlʲinə sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvnə ɡɐˈɡarʲɪnə; born 27 March 1987) is a Russian singer and songwriter. She represented Russia in the Eurovisio ...
recorded the official song for the event, "Circles and Squares", which they performed live at the exhibition gala.


Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic


Scheduling

In early December, even as the 2021 European Championships and the 2020–21 Grand Prix Final were cancelled, ISU Vice President Alexander Lakernik stated that the ISU would make "every effort" to hold the World Championships. Initial concerns about Swedish COVID restrictions led Lakernik to comment that the ISU would have considered moving the competition to Russia, if not for the
Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its co ...
ban on the country holding World Championship events. A Swedish government ban which limited entrants in international competitions hosted by Sweden to only those from the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
had been lifted on November 20, 2020. However, on December 22, 2020, Skate Sweden, the host federation, cancelled all domestic championships for the remainder of the 2020–21 season in compliance with
Public Health Agency of Sweden The Public Health Agency of Sweden ( sv, Folkhälsomyndigheten, abbreviated ''Fohm'') is a Swedish government agency with national responsibility for public health. It falls under the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and works to promote p ...
guidelines. During its January 28 meeting, the ISU Council affirmed that the World Championships would proceed as scheduled. The council also announced that the World Championships' status as an
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
qualification event would be reevaluated and any potential changes determined based on the entries received by the ISU as of the March 1, 2021 deadline. On March 4, the ISU affirmed that the Olympic qualification process would proceed as previously announced, as nearly all
ISU member nations Figure skating is a sport with participants across the world. Originally based in North America and Europe, the sport has experienced a major expansion in the countries of East Asia. The international governing body of the sport is the Internation ...
with qualified skaters had confirmed entry to the 2021 World Championships. In an effort to limit the number of skaters gathering in one place, the ISU announced that instead of a drawing process, the starting order for the free skate/free dance would be the reverse of the short program/rhythm dance placements.


ISU member nations' response

As early as November 2020,
Skate Canada Skate Canada ( Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual ...
stated that there was a possibility, if the event continued as planned, that they would not send skaters due to insufficient COVID-19 protocols. Despite the cancellation of its
national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
and lack of competitive opportunities for its skaters, Skate Canada announced its selection criteria for naming a Worlds team in January 2021. The
Japan Skating Federation The Japan Skating Federation ( ja, 日本スケート連盟) is the sports governing body of Japan for figure skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In comp ...
withdrew their delegation from the
2021 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships The 2021 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships were held from 5 to 7 March 2021 in Dordrecht, Netherlands. Criticism and controversies Many prominent countries didn’t attend or boycotted the world championship for various reasons, some r ...
, scheduled for early March in
Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...
,
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, calling into question their figure skaters' participation at Worlds. The Japan Skating Federation eventually decided to send skaters to Worlds, due to it being an Olympic qualification event, unlike the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships. The Japanese delegation arrived at the competition throughout the weekend of March 20–22, with all athletes testing negative upon arrival. All members of the
Chinese Skating Association The Chinese Skating Association (CSA) was founded in 1956. It hosts the annual Chinese Figure Skating Championships and the Cup of China. Notable people in Chinese figure skating *Yao Bin & Luan Bo Pairs team now coaches - first Chinese pair ska ...
's team were
vaccinated A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.< ...
prior to flying to Stockholm.


Skaters' response

Skaters came into the event with varying levels of preparation due to their respective governments' and federations' responses to the pandemic in their home country. Multiple skaters were also unable to train with their main coaches due to travel and/or visa restrictions and spent the season in temporary training situations, either on their own or with a different set of coaches. In January 2021, four-time and defending ice dance world champions
Gabriella Papadakis Gabriella Maria Papadakis (born 10 May 1995) is a French ice dancer. With her partner, Guillaume Cizeron, she is a 2022 Olympic champion, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a five-time World champion (2015–2016, 2018–2019, 2022), a five-time con ...
and
Guillaume Cizeron Guillaume Cizeron (born 12 November 1994) is a French ice dancer. With his partner, Gabriella Papadakis, he is the 2022 Olympic champion, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a five-time World champion (2015–2016, 2018–2019, 2022), a five-time ...
of France announced that they would not compete at the World Championships, citing uncertainties regarding COVID; they planned to focus on the
2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...
next season instead. Several other skaters scheduled to compete at Worlds, including two-time defending men's world champion
Nathan Chen Nathan Chen (born May 5, 1999) is an American figure skater. He is the 2022 Olympic champion, a three-time World champion ( 2018, 2019, 2021), the 2017 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final champion ( 2017, 2018, 2019), a ...
of the United States, expressed during the weeks leading up to the competition that while they were grateful for the opportunity to compete, they had similar concerns about COVID safety protocols at Worlds; however, some skaters felt that proper precautions were being taken and that they would likely be safe at the event.


Criticism and concerns


COVID management

During the months preceding skaters' and officials' arrival in Stockholm, a petition calling for the ISU to implement a tighter bubble and stricter quarantine rules garnered thousands of signatures. The ISU did not address the campaign's concerns about how COVID safety protocols would be enforced at the event. The attendance of the
Figure Skating Federation of Russia The Figure Skating Federation of Russia (russian: Федерация фигурного катания на коньках России, lit. ''Figure Skating on Skates Federation of Russia'') is the national sport governing body for figure skating ...
(FSR) drew particular scrutiny, as the federation was accused of holding several domestic and international events – including a
Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...
event, the 2020 Rostelecom Cup – in violation of the ISU's COVID safety guidelines. In addition, a significant number of Russian skaters contracted COVID; at least 11 members of Russia's 17-person Worlds team tested positive at some point during the season. Nevertheless, all members of the FSR delegation tested negative during the initial round of testing administered upon arrival in Stockholm.


Judging

Judges who could travel with fewer COVID restrictions were more available than those who could not, resulting in a geographically uneven distribution of judges on the panel. After the event, there were some suggestions that, depending on the skaters’ nationality, judges were applying criteria inconsistently when awarding both TES and PCS marks. In addition, FSR's
Alexandra Trusova Alexandra "Sasha" Vyacheslavovna Trusova ( rus, Александра Вячеславовна Трусова, , ɐlʲɪˈksandrə ˈtrusəvə; born 23 June 2004) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2022 Olympic silver medalist, the 2021 Wor ...
's five-quad free skate performance, during which she fell multiple times and completed only one quad cleanly, was cited as an example of judges inflating TES and PCS marks in favor of "technical bravery over artistic brilliance". Trusova rose from 12th after the short program to the bronze medal position.


COVID at Worlds

Crown Princess Victoria Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland (Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée; born 14 July 1977) is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne, as the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf. If she ascends to the throne as expect ...
had been scheduled to open the competition and participate in the opening ceremony, before she and her husband,
Prince Daniel A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
, contracted COVID-19 in the weeks prior to the event. She instead appeared in a video message from
Haga Palace Haga Palace ( sv, Haga slott), formerly known as the Queen's Pavilion ( sv, Drottningens paviljong), is located in the Haga Park, Solna Municipality in Metropolitan Stockholm, Sweden. The palace, built between 18021805, was modelled after bal ...
to welcome the athletes. Delegations began arriving on March 20 and 21, and members underwent the required multiple PCR tests and quarantine period in their hotel rooms until a negative result was returned. Attendees were not eligible for accreditation until passing a second PCR test. After receiving accreditation, limited testing was conducted and attendees were only required to fill out daily symptom questionnaires and undergo temperature checks. On March 22, the ISU announced that one positive case had been found during one of the initial rounds of testing and that
contact tracing In public health, contact tracing is the process of identifying persons who may have been exposed to an infected person ("contacts") and subsequent collection of further data to assess transmission. By tracing the contacts of infected individua ...
procedures were being undertaken. The person with the positive case, later revealed to be Viktoriia Safonova of Belarus, was quarantined and not allowed to participate. Safonova's coach subsequently tested negative in a second round of testing, and Safonova, who traveled from a different city, had had no contact with the other members of the Belarusian team or their coaches. The ISU did not enforce an isolation period for close contacts. On March 24, the ISU announced that a second positive case had been found, also during the initial round of testing upon arrival and prior to accreditation. Without accreditation, neither positive had been let into the competition bubble. On March 26, the ISU announced that a third positive case had been found, with this case being discovered within the bubble. After the event, ice dancer
Simon Proulx-Sénécal Simon Proulx-Sénécal (born December 6, 1991) is a Canadian-born ice dancer who competes with Tina Garabedian for Armenia. They are the 2015 Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalists and reached the free dance at two European Championships (2016, ...
of Armenia revealed that he had tested positive on March 25, the day before the ice dance competition was scheduled to start, and asked for a re-test prior to the rhythm dance on March 26. As the test result did not come back until after the rhythm dance had concluded, Proulx-Sénécal and his partner,
Tina Garabedian Tina Garabedian ( hy, Թինա Կարապետյան; born June 13, 1997) is a retired Armenian-Canadian ice dancer. She and her partner Simon Proulx-Sénécal represented Armenia at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Personal life Tina Garabedian was b ...
, were not allowed to compete. The result came back as a second positive. Proulx-Sénécal expressed that he believed his first test was a false positive, as his federation later received a written test result stating that his second test taken the morning of the rhythm dance was negative, not positive as initially conveyed to their team doctor. He subsequently tested negative twice more, once the day after the rhythm dance in Stockholm (March 27) and once upon returning to his training base in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
on March 29. As of June 2021, the ISU had launched an investigation into the handling of the situation.


Qualification


Age and minimum TES requirements

Skaters were eligible for the 2021 World Championships if they turned 15 years of age before July 1, 2020, and if they met the minimum technical elements score requirements. For the 2021 World Championships, the ISU accepted scores if they were obtained at senior or junior-level ISU-recognized international competitions during the current or preceding two seasons and recorded at least 21 days before the first official practice day of the championships. Traditionally, scores must be attained from an ISU-recognized senior-level international competition during the current or preceding season. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, the ISU extended the validity to scores attained at an ISU-recognized international competition at either the senior or junior level during the current or preceding two seasons. Skaters who did not have any technical minimums (e.g. new pairs or ice dance teams) or still did not meet technical minimums under the expanded timeline could submit video via their federations to the ISU for virtual judging.


Number of entries per discipline

Normally, the number of entries would be based on the results of the preceding Worlds. Because the 2020 World Championships were cancelled, results from the 2019 World Championships were used instead.


Schedule


Entries

Member nations began announcing their entries in December 2020. 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, Net ...
published a complete list of entries on March 2, 2021.


Changes to preliminary entries


Medal summary


Medalists

Medals awarded to the skaters who achieve the highest overall placements in each discipline: Small medals awarded to the skaters who achieve the highest short program or
rhythm dance The rhythm dance (RD) is the first segment of an ice dance competition. The International Skating Union (ISU) renamed the short dance to the "rhythm dance" in June 2018, prior to the 2018–2019 season. It became part of international competitio ...
placements in each discipline: Medals awarded to the skaters who achieve the highest
free skating The free skating segment of figure skating, also called the free skate and the long program, is the second of two segments of competitions, skated after the short program. Its duration, across all disciplines, is four minutes for senior skaters a ...
or
free dance Free dance is a 20th-century dance form that preceded modern dance. Rebelling against the rigid constraints of classical ballet, Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis (with her work in theater) developed their own styles of free dance ...
placements in each discipline:


Medals by country

Table of medals for overall placement: Table of small medals for placement in the short/rhythm segment: Table of small medals for placement in the free segment:


Results


Men

Nathan Chen Nathan Chen (born May 5, 1999) is an American figure skater. He is the 2022 Olympic champion, a three-time World champion ( 2018, 2019, 2021), the 2017 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final champion ( 2017, 2018, 2019), a ...
of the United States became the second American and the fifth skater since 1980 to win three consecutive World titles, following Scott Hamilton,
Kurt Browning Kurt Browning, (born June 18, 1966) is a Canadian figure skater, choreographer and commentator. He is the first skater to land a ratified quadruple jump in competition. He is a four-time World Champion and Canadian national champion. Career ...
,
Alexei Yagudin Alexei Konstantinovich Yagudin ( rus, Алексей Константинович Ягудин, , ɐlʲɪˈksʲeɪ̯ kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪt͡ɕ ɪ̯ɪˈɡudʲɪn, Ru-Alexei Konstantinovich Yagudin.ogg; 18 March 1980) is a Russian former co ...
, and
Patrick Chan Patrick Lewis Wai–Kuan Chan (born December 31, 1990) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. He is a 2018 Olympic gold medallist in the team event, 2014 Olympic silver medallist in the men's and team events, a three–time World ch ...
.


Ladies

The
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n team, competing as FSR due to CAS sanctions against the country, became the second team to ever sweep the ladies' podium at a World Championships after the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
did so in
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
.


Pairs

Anastasia Mishina Anastasia Viktorovna Mishina (russian: Анастасия Викторовна Мишина, born 24 April 2001) is a Russian pair skater. With her skating partner, Aleksandr Galliamov, she is the 2022 Olympic champion in the team event and 20 ...
/
Aleksandr Galliamov Aleksandr Romanovich Galliamov (russian: Александр Романович Галлямов, Tatar: Александр Романович Галләмов, born 28 August 1999) is a Russian pair skater. With his skating partner, Anastasia Mi ...
of FSR became the first pairs team to win gold in their Worlds debut since
Ekaterina Gordeeva Ekaterina "Katia" Alexandrovna Gordeeva (russian: Екатерина Александровна Гордеева; born 28 May 1971) is a Russian figure skater. Together with her husband, the late Sergei Grinkov, she was the 1988 and 1994 Olymp ...
/
Sergei Grinkov Sergei Mikhailovich Grinkov (russian: Сергей Михайлович Гриньков; 4 February 1967 – 20 November 1995) was a Russian pair skater. Together with his wife Ekaterina Gordeeva, he was the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Champion and ...
of the Soviet Union did so in
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
.


Ice dance


Olympic qualification event

The results of the 2021 World Championships determined 82 spots for the
2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...
: 23 entries in men's singles, 24 in ladies' singles, 16 in pairs, and 19 in ice dance. The available spots were awarded going down the results list, with multiple spots being awarded first. One allocated spot in men's singles was unused due to an insufficient number of member nations meeting the criteria, and the spot was re-allocated to the qualification event,
2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was held on September 22–25, 2021 in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series. It was also the final qualifying event for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Medals were awarded in the discipli ...
. At the World Championships, countries were able to qualify up to three entries in each discipline according to the system in place for earning multiple spots to the 2022 World Championships. However, for the Olympics, if a country earned two or three spots, but did not have two or three skaters/teams, respectively, qualified for the free segment, the country must qualify the second or third spot at Nebelhorn Trophy. Each discipline qualified independently. The following ISU member nations earned Olympic quota spots for their
National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...
at the World Championships:


Notes


References


External links

*
Official program

2021 World Figure Skating Championships
at 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, Net ...

Results
{{DEFAULTSORT:World Figure Skating Championships, 2021 World Figure Skating Championships 2021 World Figure Skating Championships
World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships (''"Worlds"'') is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of single skating, men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ...
2021 in Swedish sport March 2021 sports events in Europe Sport in Stockholm