ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating – originally called the ISU Junior Series – was established by the International Skating Union in 1997 and consists of a series of seven international figure skating competitions exclusively for junior-level skaters. The locations of the JGP events change every year. Medals may be awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. While all seven competitions feature the men's, women's, and ice dance events, only four competitions each season feature the pairs event. Skaters earn points based on their results each season, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are then invited to compete at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Beginning with the 2008–09 figure skating season, Junior Grand Prix Final has been held in conjunction with the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.
Skaters are eligible to compete on the junior-level circuit if they are at least 13 years old before July 1 of the respective season, but not yet 19, 21, or 23. Competitors are chosen by their respective skating federations. The number of entries allotted to each ISU member nation in each discipline is determined by their results at the prior World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Each skater or team is limited to participating in no more than two Junior Grand Prix competitions per season.
Switzerland hosted the very first Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, the culminating event of the Junior Grand Prix series, in 1997 in Lausanne. Timothy Goebel of the United States won the men's event, and also became the first skater in the world to successfully perform a quadruple Salchow in competition, and the first American skater to land a quadruple jump of any kind in competition. At the 2002 Junior Grand Prix Final in The Hague, Miki Ando of Japan became the first woman to land a quadruple jump in competition when she performed a quadruple Salchow.
Reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic
On April 30, 2020, the International Skating Union established a working group, chaired by ISU Vice-president for Figure Skating Alexander Lakernik, to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Its responsibilities included determining the feasibility of holding events as scheduled, possibly behind closed doors, during the first half of the 2020–21 season; and the financial impact of any potential cancellations. The ISU also announced that any host federation needed to make a decision regarding cancellation of their Junior Grand Prix event at least ten weeks prior to the event.On May 16, the Slovak Figure Skating Association informed the ISU that it had cancelled all events that it was scheduled to host due to the pandemic, including the second event of the 2020–21 Junior Grand Prix series. On May 26, Skate Canada cancelled the first event of the JGP series. On July 3, the Japan Skating Federation cancelled its event in Yokohama, originally scheduled to be the fourth in the series. The Japan Skating Federation later announced on July 13 that it would not send any skaters to any Junior Grand Prix event, even if the competitions proceeded as scheduled.
On July 13, the ISU announced major changes to the JGP format, including:
- No ISU Junior Grand Prix points would be awarded and no ISU Junior Grand Prix Ranking for 2020–21 would be established.
- There would be no pre-allocated entries for ISU members to participate in each Junior Grand Prix event and ISU members could choose the events in which they would enter their skaters.