2025 Finlandia Trophy


The 2025 Finlandia Trophy is a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Organized and hosted by Skating Finland, it was the sixth event of the 2025–26 Grand Prix of Figure Skating series: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held from 21 to 23 November at the Helsinki Ice Hall in Helsinki, Finland. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters also earned points based on their results, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline at the end of the season were then invited to compete at the 2025 Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. Yuma Kagiyama and Mone Chiba of Japan won the men's and women's events, respectively. Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany won the pairs event, and Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France won the ice dance event. The unusually harsh judging of the ice dance event prompted an outcry from both skaters and their coaches, leading the ISU to announce a formal review of the matter.

Background

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of seven events sanctioned by the International Skating Union and held during the autumn: six qualifying events and the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. This allows skaters to perfect their programs earlier in the season, as well as compete against the skaters whom they would later encounter at the World Championships. Skaters earn points based on their results in their respective competitions and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final. The first edition of the Grand Prix of Finland was held in 2018 in Helsinki as a replacement event for the Cup of China – a long-time event in the Grand Prix series – after the Chinese Skating Association declined to host any international skating events in order to prepare its venues for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ISU also ordered that no international competitions would be held in Russia or Belarus. Therefore, the Rostelecom Cup, which had been scheduled for that November, was cancelled. As such, the Grand Prix of Finland was staged to serve as its replacement. In 2024, the Grand Prix of Finland adopted the name Finlandia Trophy, which had previously been the name of Finland's Challenger Series event.
The 2025 Finlandia Trophy was the sixth event of the 2025–26 Grand Prix of Figure Skating series, and was held from 21 to 23 November at the Helsinki Ice Hall in Helsinki, Finland. Upon completion of the Finlandia Trophy, the top six skaters and teams in each discipline – men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance – were then invited to compete at the 2025 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, Japan.

Changes to preliminary assignments

The International Skating Union published the initial list of entrants on 6 June 2025.

Required performance elements

Single skating

Men and women competing in single skating performed their short programs on Friday, 21 November. Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds, the short program had to include the following elements:
For men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.
For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.
Men and women performed their free skates on Saturday, 22 November. The free skate performance for both men and women could last no more than 4 minutes, and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one had to be a flying spin, and one had to be a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.

Pairs

Couples competing in pair skating performed their short programs on Friday, 21 November. Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds, the short program had to include the following elements: one pair lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.
Couples performed their free skates on Saturday, 22 November. The free skate performance could last no more than 4 minutes, and had to include the following: three pair lifts, of which one has to be a twist lift; two different throw jumps; one solo jump; one jump combination or sequence; one pair spin combination; one death spiral; and a choreographic sequence.

Ice dance

Couples competing in ice dance performed their rhythm dances on Friday, 21 November. Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds, the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "music, dance styles, and feeling of the 1990s". Examples of applicable dance styles and music included, but were not limited to: pop, Latin, house, techno, hip-hop, and grunge. The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: one pattern dance step sequence, one choreographic rhythm sequence, one dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence.
Couples then performed their free dances on Saturday, 22 November. The free dance performance could last no longer than 4 minutes, and had to include the following: three dance lifts, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one step sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three choreographic elements.

Judging

For the 2025–26 season, all of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base point value and were then scored by a panel of seven or nine judges on a scale from -5 to 5 based on their quality of execution. The judging panel's Grade of Execution was determined by calculating the trimmed mean, and this GOE was added to the base value to come up with the final score for each element. The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total element score. At the same time, judges evaluated each performance based on three program components – skating skills, presentation, and composition – and assigned a score from.25 to 10 in.25 point increments. The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.
DisciplineShort program
or Rhythm dance		Free skate
or Free dance
Men1.673.33
Women1.332.67
Pairs1.332.67
Ice dance1.332.00

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls. The total element score and total program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.

Medal summary

DisciplineGoldSilverBronze
Men

Results

Men's singles

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan secured his spot at the 2025 Grand Prix Final with two victories: the 2025 Finlandia Trophy and the 2025 NHK Trophy. Kagiyama fell on his quadruple toe loop during his free skate, but still finished with the highest score in the free skate and overall. Adam Siao Him Fa of France, who had been in first place after the short program, made several errors in his jumps and finished in second place. "I was very nervous and it was very stressful, but overall there are a lot of positives from this event," Siao Him Fa stated. "A lot of stuff happened before the competition that could have put my confidence a bit down but somehow I kind of managed with all of that." Siao Him Fa also secured a spot at the Grand Prix Final. Stephen Gogolev of Canada finished in third place, marking the first time Gogolev had won a medal at a Grand Prix competition. "I'm pretty happy with how I skated," Gogolev said. "Obviously, there are a few mistakes to correct, but I fought hard."

Women's singles

Mone Chiba of Japan, who had been in second place after the short program, placed first in the free skate and won the gold medal, securing her spot at the 2025 Grand Prix Final. "Reflecting back on today's performance, there were not so perfect jumps," Chiba stated afterward. "However the rest of the jumps I was able to complete clean... And I was able to deliver and convey emotions through the step sequence and choreographic sequence, so I'm happy." Amber Glenn of the United States, who had been in first place after the short program, finished in second place, despite landing her signature triple Axel, when she had errors with several of her following jumps. "Of course it's disappointing when I'd had four Grand Prix wins in a row," Glenn said, acknowledging that she was battling illness, "but I didn't feel my best and I was happy I was able to still do something." Rino Matsuike of Japan rallied back from a sixth-place finish in the short program to win the bronze medal. Loena Hendrickx of Belgium, who had struggled considerably in the short program and placed tenth, withdrew from the competition prior to the free skate for medical reasons.

Pairs

The top four pairs teams following the short program were separated by a margin of less than one point, making it the slimmest margin in the history of the Grand Prix of Figure Skating in any discipline. Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany emerged victorious, despite errors in both programs: a stumble on their death spiral in the short program and a fall on their triple Salchow in the free skate. Hase and Volodin earned a spot at the 2025 Grand Prix Final. Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov of the United States finished in second place. Mitrofanov described the competition as "one of the most interesting events been a part of." Ellie Kam and Daniel O'Shea of the United States finished in third place. "I'm very proud of how we skated today," Kam states. "It was definitely a step in the right direction. It wasn't as clean as at ... but I think we've really taken the steps to improve our performance and we were able to do a good job with that here today."

Ice dance

Having previously won the 2025 Grand Prix de France, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France won their second Grand Prix event at the 2025 Finlandia Trophy, beating Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada by a margin of two points and guaranteeing their spot at the 2025 Grand Prix Final. "We're very pleased with our performances this weekend," Cizeron stated afterward. "We've been working a lot on the rhythm dance and I think it really showed yesterday, and the free dance keeps developing and maturing... we had so much fun today showing that." Cizeron had competed for years with Gabriella Papadakis, winning five World Championship titles and gold medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics before they ended their partnership in December 2024. Fournier Beaudry had competed for Canada with Nikolaj Sørensen before Sørensen received a suspension from competitive skating in October 2024. Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron announced their new partnership in March 2025 with a stated goal of competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Gilles and Poirier also earned a spot at the 2025 Grand Prix Final with their second place finish. "I think we're really proud of our performance today," Poirier said. "We had a lot of pressure on ourselves after a weak performance at, and so we needed to prove to ourselves that we are capable of this program, and I think we accomplished that today." Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik of the United States finished in third place and also earned a spot at the Grand Prix Final. "If someone would have told us we'll go to the Final at the beginning of the season, Olympic season, there's no way," Kolesnik states, "but deep inside, I had that dream and I'm happy I did it."

Controversy

The International Skating Union announced on 27 November that they were planning to undertake "a review following inquiries received about the ice dance event" at the 2025 Finlandia Trophy." Athletes and coaches had complained that the technical panel was unusually harsh, awarding level one designations on numerous teams' step sequences and flagging choreographic elements as insufficient to meet the requirements. At a press conference following the rhythm dance, Piper Gilles of Canada commented: "It is really unfortunate the top athletes in the world are getting level ones on their pattern step . We are all working really hard but we are made feel a bit like junior skaters." Guillaume Cizeron of France was more blunt: "Of course I’m angry... I don’t think I’ve ever been to a competition like this in my career from a judging standpoint." Gleb Smolkin of Georgia was equally critical: "I don’t think we should be disappointed with the performance in general, but very disappointed with these scores, and it was very harsh and brutal." Alex Shibutani of the United States was puzzled with the scores he and Maia received versus those they had received at the 2025 NHK Trophy: "At, we received level three for our midline step, and we received higher levels on our footwork... and we felt today that we had worked really hard on them and improved them, and performed them in the moment much stronger than NHK. But the levels were level one.”
Under the ISU Judging System, the base value of each element performed is identified by the Technical Panel. The panel is tasked with identifying all of the elements performed in real time as they happen, as well as flagging technical errors and the levels of difficulty performed in different elements. The technical panel comprises three individuals: the Technical Controller, who supervises the panel and breaks any ties on technical decisions during their review of the elements; and two Technical Specialists, who call the elements as they happen. Much of the controversy at the 2025 Finlandia Trophy centered on the role of Shawn Rettstatt, the Technical Controller at both the Finlandia Trophy and the 2025 Skate America. Rettstatt was also chair of the ISU's Technical Committee for Ice Dance, which is responsible for establishing the rules for competitive ice dance. Noticeable changes made under Renstatt's leadership have included the elimination of a required pattern dance in the rhythm dance for senior-level teams and the addition of more choreographic elements. While these changes were ostensibly intended to allow for increased creativity among teams and more audience engagement, critics have argued that the elimination of a required pattern removed "one opportunity to directly compare teams on the basis of their technical skating", and may allow more preferential scoring from the individual judges. Piper Gilles summed up the controversy: "We are accountable for everything that we do out on the ice, but I don’t necessarily think that the judges and the technical panel are also accountable for what they do to the athletes. I think there needs to be an equal amount of respect between the two of us.

Works cited

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