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ISU Challenger Series
Annual figure skating competition series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The ISU Challenger Series is a series of ten international figure skating competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and organized by ISU member nations. The series was introduced in 2014. Its goal is to ensure consistent organization and structure within a series of international competitions and also to provide opportunities for senior-level skaters to compete at the international level while also earning World Standing points. The Nebelhorn Trophy, the Nepela Memorial, and the Golden Spin of Zagreb have been regular competitions in the series since the beginning, as was the Finlandia Trophy until 2024. Skaters and teams are eligible to compete in up to three Challenger Series events each season, and their top two scores are combined to calculate their total Challenger Series scores.
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History
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The International Skating Union Council officially voted to create the Challenger Series at its February 2014 meeting.[1] Its stated goal is to ensure consistent organization and structure within a series of international competitions and to provide opportunities for senior-level skaters to compete at the international level while also earning World Standing points.[2] The original criteria for Challenger Series events were published in April 2014. Challenger Series events must be scheduled between August 1 and December 15. When an event is held as part of the Challenger Series, it must host at least three of the four disciplines (men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance) and representatives from at least twelve different member nations. The minimum number of entrants required for each discipline was fifteen skaters each in men's singles and women's singles, eight teams in pair skating, and ten teams in ice dance. Each member nation is eligible to enter up to three skaters or teams per discipline in each competition.[3] The eleven inaugural competitions were announced in June 2014.[4] Modified criteria were released in August 2014. The minimum number of required entrants was lowered to eight skaters each in men's singles and women's singles, five teams in pair skating, and six teams in ice dance.[5] The 2014 Triglav Trophy was ultimately dropped from the schedule, resulting in a series composed of ten events.[6]
In February 2016, the ISU declared that the Nebelhorn Trophy, the Finlandia Trophy, the Ondrej Nepela Trophy, and the Golden Spin of Zagreb would constitute a "core group" of Challenger Series events in recognition of their long-standing tradition. The ISU also determined that one Challenger Series event each season must be held in either Canada or the United States. Beyond that, member nations were invited to apply for the remaining five host slots. While member nations were still limited to sending a maximum of three skaters or teams per discipline to each event, a host nation could enter an unlimited number of entrants to their own event. Additionally, each skater or team was limited to participating in at most three Challenger Series events each season.[7]
A full slate of competitions was originally scheduled for the 2020 Challenger Series; however, all but two of the events – the 2020 Nebelhorn Trophy and the 2020 Budapest Trophy – were ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 13, 2020, the ISU announced that any remaining Challenger Series events would be treated as separate individual competitions rather than part of a series. As a result, no Challenger Series ranking would be determined and no prize money distributed at the end of the series, although skaters could still earn Challenger Series points to apply toward their world rankings.[8] However, the ISU later revised their decision on August 3, announcing that world ranking points would not be awarded due to the limited nature of the competitions.[9]
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Events
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The ISU Challenger Series has included the following competitions:
- Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy: The Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy is organized and hosted by the Asian Skating Union, nations in Southeast Asia rotate as the host nation each year. The Asian Open Trophy was a Challenger Series event in 2018 and 2019. The Asian Open Figure Skating Classic, scheduled to be hosted by the Chinese Taipei Skating Union in Taipei City, was originally intended to be a Challenger Series event in 2019.[10] However, in July 2019, the ISU revoked the Chinese Taipei Skating Union's right to hold the competition, and instead granted rights to the Asian Open Trophy, which was hosted that year in Dongguan, China.[11] The Asian Open Trophy was intended to be a Challenger Series event in 2021; however, as only the men's and women's singles events featured international participants and the total number of ISU member nations represented at the event only totaled nine, it did not meet the criteria to qualify for Challenger Series status.[12]
- Autumn Classic International: The Autumn Classic International is organized and hosted by Skate Canada. The inaugural edition coincided with the launch of the Challenger Series in 2014 and was held in Barrie, Ontario.[4] The Autumn Classic International was a Challenger Series event in 2014, from 2016 to 2019, in 2021, and in 2023. No competition was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] The competition was last held in 2023 in Montreal.[14]
- Budapest Trophy: The Budapest Trophy is organized and hosted by the Hungarian National Skating Federation at the Vasas Jégcentrum in Budapest. The inaugural edition was intended to be the sixth event of the 2020 Challenger Series; however, all but two of the events (the Nebelhorn Trophy and the Budapest Trophy) were ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition was held under strict conditions for admittance.[15] The Budapest Trophy has been held every year since, although the 2021 and 2025 editions were not part of the Challenger Series.
- Cranberry Cup International: The Cranberry Cup International is organized and hosted by U.S. Figure Skating at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts. The inaugural edition was held in 2021; however, it did not become a Challenger Series event until 2024.[16] The Cranberry Cup International is held in conjunction with the John Nicks Pairs Challenge – the former hosts the men's and women's events, while the latter hosts the pairs event – and the two competitions constitute U.S. Figure Skating's contribution to the Challenger Series.[17]
- Denis Ten Memorial Challenge: The Denis Ten Memorial Challenge is organized and hosted by the Denis Ten Foundation and the Kazakhstan Skating Union. It is named in honor of Denis Ten, a former figure skater who competed internationally for Kazakhstan.[18] The inaugural edition was held in 2019 in Almaty.[19] The competition was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20] In 2021, the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge was the seventh event of the Challenger Series,[21] and it has been a Challenger Series event every year since.
- Denkova-Staviski Cup: The Denkova-Staviski Cup is organized and hosted by the Bulgarian Skating Federation and the Denkova-Staviski Skating Club at the Winter Sports Palace in Sofia. The competition debuted in 2012 and is named in honor of Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski, who competed internationally in ice dance for Bulgaria.[22] In 2015, the Denkova-Staviski Cup was the sixth event of the Challenger Series. It has been held every year since 2012, except for 2020 and 2021, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23][24]
- Finlandia Trophy: The Finlandia Trophy was organized and hosted by Skating Finland. The competition debuted in 1995 in Helsinki, and when the ISU launched the Challenger Series in 2014, the Finlandia Trophy was one of the inaugural competitions.[4] The Finlandia Trophy was a Challenger Series event consistently through 2023, except in 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[25] Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from participating in international figure skating competitions.[26] The ISU also ordered that no international competitions be held in Russia or Belarus. Therefore, the Rostelecom Cup, which had been scheduled that November, was cancelled.[27] Finland was chosen to host the replacement event: the Grand Prix of Espoo.[28] Finland hosted both the Grand Prix of Espoo and the Finlandia Trophy in 2022 and 2023, but beginning in 2024, Skating Finland chose to focus its resources on the Grand Prix event, to which it bestowed the Finlandia Trophy name.[29] Therefore, the last installment of the Finlandia Trophy as a Challenger Series event took place in 2023.
- Golden Spin of Zagreb: The Golden Spin of Zagreb is organized and hosted by the Croatian Skating Federation at the Klizalište Velesajem in Zagreb. The competition debuted in 1967 when Zagreb was part of Yugoslavia, but no competition was held in 1991 owing to the Croatian War of Independence.[30] The Golden Spin of Zagreb continued as a Croatian event beginning in 1992. When the ISU launched the Challenger Series in 2014, the Golden Spin of Zagreb was one of the inaugural competitions.[4] It has been a Challenger Series event ever since, except for 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[31]
- Ice Challenge: The Ice Challenge – held in 2021 as the Cup of Austria – is organized and hosted by the Grazer Eislaufverein and Skate Austria at the Eisstadion Liebenau in Graz. The competition debuted as an international event in 2009; prior to that, it had been a regional event called the Leo-Scheu-Gedächtnislaufen, named in honor of Leo Scheu, the first president of the Grazer Eislaufverein.[32] When the ISU launched the Challenger Series in 2014, the Ice Challenge was one of the inaugural competitions.[4] The Ice Challenge has been held several times since 2014, but was a Challenger Series event only in 2015, 2021, and 2022. It was scheduled to be a Challenger Series event in 2023 before the Grazer Eislaufverein cancelled the competition.[33]
- Ice Star: The Ice Star – originally called the Minsk-Arena Ice Star – was organized and hosted by the Skating Union of Belarus at the Minsk-Arena in Minsk. The competition debuted in 2012,[34] and was a Challenger Series event twice during its history: in 2017 and 2019. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ISU banned all athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus from participating at any international competitions.[35] As such, the 2021 Ice Star was the last iteration of the competition to be held.[36]
- Inge Solar Memorial: The Inge Solar Memorial/Alpen Trophy was a one-time event, organized and hosted by Skate Austria in 2018 at the OlympiaWorld Innsbruck in Innsbruck, Austria. It was named in honor of Inge Solar, a former figure skater who competed internationally for Austria. It was part of the 2018 Challenger Series.[37]
- John Nicks Pairs Challenge: The John Nick Pairs Challenge is organized and hosted by the Skating Club of New York and U.S. Figure Skating at the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers in New York City, New York.[38] The competition debuted in 2021,[39] and is named in honor of John Nicks,[40] a retired British figure skater who worked as a figure skating coach in the United States for nearly four decades.[41] In 2024, it became part of the Challenger Series.[16] The John Nicks Pairs Challenge is held in conjunction with the Cranberry Cup International – the former hosts the pairs event, while the latter hosts the men's and women's events – and the two competitions constitute U.S. Figure Skating's contribution to the Challenger Series.[17]
- Kinoshita Group Cup: The Kinoshita Group Cup was a one-time event, organized and hosted by the Japan Skating Federation in 2025 at the Kanku Ice Arena in Osaka.[42] It was part of the 2025 Challenger Series.[17]
- Lombardia Trophy: The Lombardia Trophy is organized and hosted by the Italian Ice Sports Federation. The competition debuted in 2013 in Sesto San Giovanni,[43] and when the ISU launched the Challenger Series in 2014, the Lombardia Trophy was one of the inaugural competitions.[4] The Lombardia Trophy has been a Challenger Series event ten times during its history as of 2025. No competition was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although it had already been left off the slate of competitions for the 2020 Challenger Series.[44] From 2013 to 2015, the competition was held in Sesto San Giovanni; since 2016, it has been held in Bergamo.
- Mordovian Ornament: The Mordovian Ornament was a one-time event, organized and hosted by the Figure Skating Federation of Russia in 2015 in Saransk.[45] It was part of the 2015 Challenger Series.
- Nebelhorn Trophy: The Nebelhorn Trophy is organized and hosted by the German Ice Skating Union at the Eissportzentrum Oberstdorf in Oberstdorf. The competition debuted in 1969 and is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain. When the ISU launched the Challenger Series in 2014, the Nebelhorn Trophy was one of the inaugural competitions.[4] It has been a Challenger Series every year since.
- Nepela Memorial: The Nepela Memorial – originally called the Ondrej Nepela Memorial – is organized and hosted by the Slovak Figure Skating Association at the Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava. The competition debuted in 1993 and is named in honor of Ondrej Nepela, a former Slovak figure skater who competed internationally for Czechoslovakia.[46] When the ISU launched the Challenger Series in 2014, the Nepela Memorial – at that point called the Ondrej Nepela Trophy – was one of the inaugural competitions.[4] The Nepela Memorial has been a Challenger Series event every year since, except for 2020 and 2021, when the competitions were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[47][48]
- Tallinn Trophy: The Tallinn Trophy is organized and hosted by the Estonian Skating Union at the Tondiraba Ice Hall in Tallinn.[49] It debuted in 2002 as a regional competition before expanding as an international event in 2011 and joining the Challenger Series in 2015.[50][51] The Tallinn Trophy was a Challenger Series event from 2015 through 2018, and again beginning in 2024. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Tallinn Trophy was held exclusively for skaters in Estonia.[52]
- Trialeti Trophy: The Trialeti Trophy was a one-time event, organized and hosted by the Georgian Figure Skating Union in 2025 at the Ice Palace Tbilisi in Tbilisi.[53] It was part of the 2025 Challenger Series.[17]
- Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur: The Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur is organized and hosted by the French Federation of Ice Sports and the Nice Baie des Anges Association at the Palais des sports Jean-Bouin in Nice. Originally known as the International Cup of Nice, it was held from 1995 to 2017; and then returned in 2021 with its new name.[54] It was a Challenger Series event in 2024.[16]
- U.S. International Figure Skating Classic: The U.S. International Figure Skating Classic was organized and hosted by U.S. Figure Skating. The competition debuted in 2012 in Salt Lake City,[55] and when the ISU launched the Challenger Series in 2014, the U.S. International Classic was one of the inaugural competitions.[4] It was a Challenger Series event from 2014 through 2019, and again in 2022. No competition was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[56] although it had already been left off the slate of competitions for the 2020 Challenger Series.[57] The U.S. International Classic returned in 2021, hosted by the Skating Club of Boston at their new facility in Norwood, Massachusetts.[58] Although the 2022 installment in Lake Placid was held as a Challenger Series event, it was also the last installment of the U.S. International Classic to be held.
- Volvo Open Cup: The Volvo Open Cup is organized and hosted by the Latvian Figure Skating Association in Riga. It was a Challenger Series event in 2014, for what was the Volvo Open Cup's twenty-fifth anniversary.
- Warsaw Cup: The Warsaw Cup is organized and hosted by the Polish Figure Skating Association at the Arena COS Torwar in Warsaw. The inaugural edition of the Warsaw Cup was held in 2002,[59] and was exclusively a junior-level competition until 2010, when senior-level events began to be hosted as well.[60] When the ISU launched the Challenger Series in 2014, the Warsaw Cup was one of the inaugural competitions.[4] Now exclusively a senior-level competition, the Warsaw Cup was a Challenger Series event from 2014 to 2017. The Warsaw Cup was held in 2018, but not as part of the Challenger Series.[61] It returned to the Challenger Series in 2019. No competition was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[62] The competition returned in 2021 and has been a Challenger Series event ever since.
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Top three finishers per season
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Each skater or team is permitted to compete in up to three ISU Challenger Series events. The two highest scores received determine their final ranking.[3]
Men's singles
Women's singles
Pairs
Ice dance
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Top scoring skaters per season
Men's singles
Women's singles
Pairs
Ice dance
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References
External links
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