World Junior Figure Skating Championships Explained

World Junior Figure Skating Championships
Status:	Active
Genre:	Sporting event
Date:	Varying
Frequency:	Annual
Country:	Varying
First:	1976
Organised:	International Skating Union

The World Junior Figure Skating Championships, commonly referred to as "World Juniors" or "Junior Worlds", are annual figure skating competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters within a designated age range compete for the titles of World Junior Champion.

The ISU guidelines for junior eligibility have varied throughout the years – currently, skaters must be at least 13 years old but not yet 19 before the previous 1 July, except for men competing in pair skating and ice dancing where the age maximum is 21.^[1]

This event is one of the four annual ISU figure skating championship events and the most prestigious international one for juniors. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.

History

The first World Junior Championships were held in March 1976 in Megève, France, and were originally named the "ISU Junior Figure Skating Championships".^[2] In 1977 the championships were held again under the same name at the same place. In 1978 these championships were officially renamed the "World Junior Figure Skating Championships", and held once again in Megève, France. Since then, the location has changed each year.

From its inception until 1980, the World Junior Championships were held in the spring. In 1981, the timing was changed to the November or December of the previous calendar year. In 2000, the timing was changed back to its previous form and the World Junior Championships were once again held in the spring.

Qualifying

Skaters qualify for the World Junior Championships by belonging to an ISU member nation. Each country is allowed one entry in every discipline by default. The most entries a country can have in a single discipline is three. Countries earn a second or third entry for the following year's competition by earning points through skater placement. The points are equal to the sum of the placements of the country's skaters (top two if they have three). Entries do not carry over and so countries must continue to earn their second or third spot every year. If a country only has one skater/team, that skater/team must place in the top ten to earn a second entry and in the top two to earn three entries to next year's championships. If a country has two skaters/teams, the combined placement of those teams must be 13 or less to qualify 3 entries, and 28 or less to keep their two entries. If they do not do so, they only have one entry for the following year.

Which skaters from each country attend the World Junior Championships is at the national governing body's discretion. Some countries rely on the results of their national championships while others have more varied criteria. Selections vary by country.

Skaters must be older than 13 and less than 19 (or less than 21 for male pair skaters and ice dancers) by 1 July of the previous year. For example, to compete at the 2010 Junior Worlds, skaters had to be at least 13 and younger than 19 (or 21) by 1 July 2009. A skater must turn 13 before 1 July in their place of birth, e.g. Adelina Sotnikova was born a few hours into 1 July 1996 in Moscow and was not eligible to compete at the 2010 event.

Medalists

Men's singles

Year	Location	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1976	Megève				^[3]
1977	Megève			Richard Furrer
1978	Megève			Brian Boitano
1979	Augsburg			Alexandre Fadeev
1980	Megève			Falko Kirsten
1981	London			Scott Williams
1982	Oberstdorf		Paul Guerrero	Alexander König
1983	Sarajevo			Nils Köpp
1984	Sapporo			Tom Cierniak
1985	Colorado Springs			Rudy Galindo
1986	Sarajevo			Yuriy Tsymbalyuk
1987	Kitchener			Yuriy Tsymbalyuk
1988	Brisbane			Yuriy Tsymbalyuk
1989	Sarajevo			Masakazu Kagiyama
1990	Colorado Springs			John Baldwin
1991	Budapest			Nicolas Pétorin
1992	Hull			Damon Allen
1993	Seoul			Ilia Kulik
1994	Colorado Springs			Jere Michael
1995	Budapest			Seiichi Suzuki
1996	Brisbane			Guo Zhengxin
1997	Seoul			Guo Zhengxin
1998	Saint John			Li Yunfei
1999	Zagreb			Yosuke Takeuchi
2000	Oberstdorf				^[4]
2001	Sofia				^[5]
2002	Hamar				^[6]
2003	Ostrava				^[7]
2004	The Hague				^[8]
2005	Kitchener				^[9]
2006	Ljubljana				^[10]
2007	Oberstdorf				^[11]
2008	Sofia				^[12]
2009	Sofia				^[13]
2010	The Hague				^[14]
2011	Gangneung				^[15]
2012	Minsk				^[16]
2013	Milan				^[17]
2014	Sofia				^[18]
2015	Tallinn				^[19]
2016	Debrecen				^[20]
2017	Taipei				^[21]
2018	Sofia				^[22]
2019	Zagreb				^[23]
2020	Tallinn				^[24]
2021	Harbin	Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic			^[25]
2022	Tallinn				^[26]
2023	Calgary				^[27]
2024	Taipei				^[28]
2025	Debrecen
2026	Tallinn
2027	Sofia

Women's singles

Year	Location	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1976	Megève				^[29]
1977	Megève		Christa Jorda	Corine Wyrsch
1978	Megève			Petra Ernert
1979	Augsburg			Jacki Farrell
1980	Megève			Carola Paul
1981	London			Anna Antonova
1982	Oberstdorf			Elizabeth Manley
1983	Sarajevo			Parthena Sarafidis
1984	Sapporo			Midori Ito
1985	Colorado Springs			Natalia Gorbenko
1986	Sarajevo			Linda Florkevich
1987	Kitchener			Shannon Allison
1988	Brisbane			Yukiko Kashihara
1989	Sarajevo			Surya Bonaly
1990	Colorado Springs			Tanja Krienke
1991	Budapest			Chen Lu
1992	Hull			Chen Lu
1993	Seoul			Tanja Szewczenko
1994	Colorado Springs			Irina Slutskaya
1995	Budapest			Krisztina Czakó
1996	Brisbane			Nadezhda Kanaeva
1997	Seoul			Elena Ivanova
1998	Saint John			Viktoria Volchkova
1999	Zagreb			Viktoria Volchkova
2000	Oberstdorf
2001	Sofia
2002	Hamar
2003	Ostrava
2004	The Hague
2005	Kitchener
2006	Ljubljana
2007	Oberstdorf
2008	Sofia
2009	Sofia
2010	The Hague
2011	Gangneung
2012	Minsk
2013	Milan
2014	Sofia
2015	Tallinn
2016	Debrecen
2017	Taipei
2018	Sofia
2019	Zagreb
2020	Tallinn
2021	Harbin	Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2022	Tallinn
2023	Calgary
2024	Taipei
2025	Debrecen
2026	Tallinn
2027	Sofia

Pairs

Year	Location	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1976	Megève				^[30]
1977	Megève			No other competitors
1978	Megève
1979	Augsburg
1980	Megève
1981	London
1982	Oberstdorf
1983	Sarajevo
1984	Sapporo
1985	Colorado Springs
1986	Sarajevo
1987	Kitchener
1988	Brisbane
1989	Sarajevo
1990	Colorado Springs
1991	Budapest
1992	Hull
1993	Seoul
1994	Colorado Springs
1995	Budapest
1996	Brisbane
1997	Seoul
1998	Saint John
1999	Zagreb
2000	Oberstdorf
2001	Sofia
2002	Hamar
2003	Ostrava
2004	The Hague
2005	Kitchener
2006	Ljubljana
2007	Oberstdorf
2008	Sofia
2009	Sofia
2010	The Hague
2011	Gangneung
2012	Minsk
2013	Milan
2014	Sofia
2015	Tallinn
2016	Debrecen
2017	Taipei
2018	Sofia
2019	Zagreb
2020	Tallinn
2021	Harbin	Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2022	Tallinn
2023	Calgary
2024	Taipei
2025	Debrecen
2026	Tallinn
2027	Sofia

Ice dance

Year	Location	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1976	Megève				^[31]
1977	Megève
1978	Megève
1979	Augsburg
1980	Megève
1981	London
1982	Oberstdorf
1983	Sarajevo
1984	Sapporo
1985	Colorado Springs
1986	Sarajevo
1987	Kitchener
1988	Brisbane
1989	Sarajevo
1990	Colorado Springs
1991	Budapest
1992	Hull
1993	Seoul
1994	Colorado Springs
1995	Budapest
1996	Brisbane
1997	Seoul
1998	Saint John
1999	Zagreb
2000	Oberstdorf
2001	Sofia
2002	Hamar
2003	Ostrava
2004	The Hague
2005	Kitchener
2006	Ljubljana
2007	Oberstdorf
2008	Sofia
2009	Sofia
2010	The Hague
2011	Gangneung
2012	Minsk
2013	Milan
2014	Sofia
2015	Tallinn
2016	Debrecen
2017	Taipei
2018	Sofia
2019	Zagreb
2020	Tallinn
2021	Harbin	Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2022	Tallinn
2023	Calgary
2024	Taipei
2025	Debrecen
2026	Tallinn
2027	Sofia

See also

• World Figure Skating Championships cumulative medal count
• Figure skating at the Olympic Games
• World Figure Skating Championships

References

Sources

• Web site: ISU Constitution & General Regulations 2006.
• Web site: ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules: Single and Pair Skating and Ice Dancing 2006.

Literature

• Book: Hines . James R. . 2011 . Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating . 420 . 978-0810868595.

Notes and References

1. Web site: ISU Constitution & General Regulations 2022 . International Skating Union . 2022-09-13 . 2023-09-10. 111.
2. Web site: ISU History. 2022. isu.org. 18 October 2022.
3. Web site: World Junior Figure Skating Championships: Men . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081031145909/http://www.isuskating.sportcentric.com/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-188674-205896-133256-0-file,00.pdf . 31 October 2008 . 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
4. Web site: 8 August 2003 . World Junior Figure Skating Championships. March 5-12, 2000. Oberstdorf, Germany. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050721081843/http://ww2.isu.org/figure/events/9900/worjun00.html . 21 July 2005 . 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
5. Web site: 16 September 2001 . World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2001. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050214063309/http://www.icecalc.com/events/wjc2001/results/ . 14 February 2005 . 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
6. Web site: 9 March 2002 . 2002 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20041117103901/http://www.icecalc.com/events/wjc2002/results/ . 17 November 2004 . 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
7. Web site: 25 February 2003 . 2003 World Junior Championships. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050110230534/http://www.icecalc.com/events/wjc2003/results/ . 10 January 2005 . 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
8. Web site: 2 March 2004 . 2004 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
9. Web site: 5 March 2005 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2005. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
10. Web site: 11 March 2006 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2006. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
11. Web site: 3 March 2007 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2007. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
12. Web site: 1 March 2008 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2008. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
13. Web site: 28 February 2009 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2009. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
14. Web site: 13 March 2010 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2010. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
15. Web site: 5 March 2011 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2011. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
16. Web site: 3 March 2012 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2012. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
17. Web site: 2 March 2013 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2013. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
18. Web site: 16 March 2014 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2014. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
19. Web site: 7 March 2015 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2015. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
20. Web site: 19 March 2016 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2016. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
21. Web site: 18 March 2017 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2017. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
22. Web site: 10 March 2018 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2018. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
23. Web site: 9 March 2019 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2019. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
24. Web site: 7 March 2020 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2020. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
25. Web site: 24 November 2020 . Update on ISU Event Calendar season 2020/21. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
26. Web site: 17 April 2022 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2022. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
27. Web site: 4 March 2023 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2023. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
28. Web site: 2 March 2024 . ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2024. 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
29. Web site: World Junior Figure Skating Championships: Ladies . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081029225408/http://www.isuskating.sportcentric.com/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-188675-205897-133277-0-file,00.pdf . 29 October 2008 . 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
30. Web site: World Junior Figure Skating Championships: Pairs . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081218220854/http://www.isuskating.sportcentric.com/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-188676-205898-133279-0-file,00.pdf . 18 December 2008 . 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.
31. Web site: World Junior Figure Skating Championships: Dance . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081219022648/http://www.isuskating.sportcentric.com/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-188677-205899-133278-0-file,00.pdf . 19 December 2008 . 7 March 2024 . International Skating Union.