Lithuanian Figure Skating Championships
The Lithuanian Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition organized by the Lithuanian Skating Federation to crown the national champions of Lithuania. Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance at the senior and junior, although not every discipline is held every year due to a lack of participants.
The Lithuanian government cancelled the 1992 Lithuanian Championships after Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas competed in ice dance at the Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships without permission, as Drobiazko was not yet a Lithuanian citizen, despite being married to a Lithuanian. Drobiazko was granted Lithuanian citizenship in 1993 for her "merits in sport and for promoting the country's name". Drobiazko and Vanagas hold the hold for winning the most Lithuanian Championship titles in ice dance.
Figure skating in Lithuania has been hampered by a lack of resources. in 1993, there were only two operable ice rinks in Lithuania – one in Kaunas and one in Elektrėnai – and the cost was prohibitive. The Lithuanian Skating Federation also had difficulty attracting international competitors from whom they had hoped Lithuanian skaters could learn. In November 1993, the Lithuanian Skating Federation had to invite guest skaters from neighboring nations to fill out the Lithuanian Championships, because the Lithuanian team featured only one man, who withdrew from the competition after the first day due to injury, four women, and one ice dance team.
The Latvian Skating Association hosted a joint competition in December 2016 – the 2016 Latvian Open – which served as the 2017 national championships for both Latvia and Lithuania. The results were separated to form national podiums for each nation.