Denkova-Staviski Cup
The Denkova-Staviski Cup is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union, organized and hosted by the Bulgarian Skating Federation and the Denkova-Staviski Skating Club at the Winter Sports Palace in Sofia, Bulgaria. The competition debuted in 2012 and is named in honor of Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski, who competed internationally in ice dance for Bulgaria.
Medals may be awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance at the senior and junior levels, although not every discipline is held every year. Misha Ge of Uzbekistan holds the record for winning the most Denkova-Staviski Cup titles in men's singles, while Alexandra Feigin of Bulgaria holds the record in women's singles.
History
The Denkova-Staviski Cup is named in honor of Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski, figure skaters who competed internationally in ice dance for Bulgaria. Denkova and Staviski are two-time World Championship gold medalists, two-time European Championship silver medalists, the 2006 Grand Prix of Figure Skating gold medalists, and eleven-time Bulgarian national champions. They were the first skaters from Bulgaria to win medals at an International Skating Union championship event, as well as the first skaters from Bulgaria to win gold medals at the World Figure Skating Championships. Having spoken about the lack of skating facilities and coaches in Bulgaria, Denkova and Staviski opened a skating club in 2003 in Sofia: the Denkova-Staviski Skating Club. They retired from competitive skating in 2007. Georgi Parvanov, President of Bulgaria, bestowed upon Denkova and Staviski the Order of Stara Planina, the highest recognition that Bulgarian civilians can receive, in April 2007 for their contributions to sport in Bulgaria.The Denkova-Staviski Cup was held for the first time in 2012 at the Winter Sports Palace in Sofia. Misha Ge of Uzbekistan won the men's event and Valentina Marchei of Italy won the women's event. In 2015, the Denkova-Staviski Cup was the sixth event of the ISU Challenger Series, a series of international figure skating competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union and organized by ISU member nations. The objective is to ensure consistent organization and structure within a series of international competitions linked together, providing opportunities for senior-level skaters to compete at the international level and also earn ISU World Standing points. Challenger Series events had to be scheduled between 1 August and 15 December. When an event was held as part of the Challenger Series, it had to host at least three of the four disciplines and representatives from at least twelve different ISU member nations. The minimum number of entrants required for each discipline was: eight skaters each in men's singles and women's singles, five teams in pair skating, and six teams in ice dance. While ISU member nations were limited to sending a maximum of three skaters or teams per discipline to each event, the Bulgarian Skating Federation could enter an unlimited number of entrants in their own event. Additionally, each skater or team was limited to participating in at most three Challenger Series events each season. The Denkova-Staviski Cup has been held every year since 2012, except for 2020 and 2021, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.