| World Junior Figure Skating Championships | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | International championship event |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Inaugurated | 1976 |
| Previous event | 2025 World Junior Championships |
| Next event | 2026 World Junior Championships |
| Organized by | International Skating Union |
TheWorld Junior Figure Skating Championships are an annualfigure skating competition sanctioned by theInternational Skating Union (ISU). The first World Junior Championships were held in 1976 inMegève, France, and the competition has been held every year since, except for 2021, when the event was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Skaters are eligible to compete at the World Junior Championships, provided they represent amember nation of the ISU and are selected by their respective federation, if they are at least 13 years old before July 1 of the respective season, but not yet 19 (forsingle skaters), 21 (for men and women inice dance and women inpair skating), or 23 (for men in pair skating).[1] Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The corresponding competition for senior-level skaters is theWorld Figure Skating Championships.
Adam Rippon of the United States currently holds the record for winning the most World Junior Championship titles in men's singles (with two), whileMao Shimada of Japan holds the record in women's singles (with three).Natalia Krestianinova andAlexei Torchinski of the Soviet Union are tied withSui Wenjing andHan Cong of China for winning the most titles in pair skating (with three each), whileLuka Berulava of Georgia has also won three World Junior Championship titles in pair skating, but with different partners.Elena Krykanova andEvgeni Platov of the Soviet Union hold the record in ice dance (with three).
TheInternational Skating Union (ISU) adopted legislation in 1975 establishing theJunior Figure Skating Championships. The championships were established on a two-year trial basis with the understanding that if they were successful, they would be renamed the World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Theinaugural World Junior Championships took place inMegève, France, in 1976. No skaters were permitted to compete who had previously competed at theEuropean Championships,World Championships, or theWinter Olympics, nor could they have previously won a medal at any international senior-level competition. Those prohibitions were removed in 1980.[2]Mark Cockerell andSuzie Brasher of the United States won the inaugural men's and women's event, respectively.Sherri Baier andRobin Cowan of Canada won the inaugural pairs event, andKathryn Winter andNicholas Slater of Great Britain won the inaugural ice dance event.[2]
Controversy arose at the1977 World Junior Championships when South Africa entered skaters in the competition. The Soviet Union filed a written protest with the ISU demanding that South African skaters be barred from competing in response toSouth Africa's apartheid policies. When the ISU refused, the Soviet Union and members of theWarsaw Pact (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania) boycotted the competition. In response, the ISU placed a "temporary restriction of not taking part in ISU championships" on skaters from South Africa, although South Africa was not expelled from the ISU.[2]
The competition was elevated to World status beginning in 1978 and thefirst official World Junior Championships were again held in Megève.[2] They were held without interruption until 2021. The2021 World Junior Championships were originally scheduled to be held inHarbin, China;[3] however, the ISU announced the cancellation of the event on November 24, 2020, citing "thepandemic developments and related impact on the organizers and participants."[4] The World Junior Championships were the secondISU Championship event to be cancelled during the2020–21 season, following the cancellation of the2021 Four Continents Championships on October 16.[5] The2020–21 ISU Junior Grand Prix series had also been cancelled earlier in the season, on July 20.[6] With the cancellation of the World Junior Championships, there was effectively no opportunity for junior-level skaters to compete during the 2020–21 season.[7]
The2026 World Junior Championships are scheduled to be held from March 2 to 8 inTallinn, Estonia.[8]
Skaters may compete at the World Junior Championships if they represent amember nation of theInternational Skating Union (ISU) and are selected by their federation. Member nations select their entries according to their own criteria. Some countries rely on the results of their national championships while others have more varied criteria, which may include success at certain international events or specific technical requirements. All of the selected skaters must have earned the minimumtotal element scores, which are determined and published each season by the ISU during the current or immediately previous season. Member nations may enter at least one competitor or team in each discipline; a points system allows member nations to enter additional competitors or teams, up to a total of three per discipline, based on the nation's performance in that discipline at the previous World Junior Championships.[9]
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, and if they have not yet turned 19 (forsingle skaters), 21 (for both genders in ice dance and females in pair skating) or 23 (for males in pair skating).[10]
| Discipline | Most championship titles | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skater(s) | No. | Years | Ref. | |
| Men's singles | 2 | 2008–09 | [40] | |
| Women's singles | 3 | 2023–25 | [41] | |
| Pairs | [a] | 3 | 2022; 2024–25 | [42][43] |
| 3 | 1990–92 | [38] | ||
| 3 | 2010–12 | [44] | ||
| Ice dance | 3 | 1984–86 | [39] | |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | 17 | 12 | 13 | 42 |
| 2 |  Soviet Union † | 8 | 8 | 4 | 20 |
| 3 |  Russia †[a] | 8 | 7 | 8 | 23 |
| 4 |  Japan | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
| 5 |  Canada | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 6 |  China | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 7 |  South Korea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 |  Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Israel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 |  France | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 12 |  Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 |  Belgium | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Great Britain | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Kazakhstan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 |  East Germany † | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 18 |  Italy | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Slovakia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 20 |  Sweden | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (20 entries) | 49 | 49 | 49 | 147 | |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 15 | 12 | 12 | 39 |
| 2 | Russia †[a] | 15 | 12 | 9 | 36 |
| 3 | Japan | 10 | 6 | 9 | 25 |
| 4 | East Germany † | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 5 | Soviet Union † | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 6 | France | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | South Korea | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 8 | Canada | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | West Germany † | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 10 |  Austria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Hungary | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 12 | China | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 14 |  Finland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Great Britain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Italy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (17 entries) | 49 | 49 | 49 | 147 | |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia †[a] | 12 | 14 | 17 | 43 |
| 2 | Soviet Union † | 12 | 9 | 8 | 29 |
| 3 | China | 7 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| 4 | United States | 6 | 6 | 9 | 21 |
| 5 | Canada | 3 | 7 | 4 | 14 |
| 6 | Ukraine | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 7 |  Georgia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 |  Australia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| East Germany † | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 10 | Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Japan | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | Czechoslovakia † | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 South Africa | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 14 | France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (14 entries) | 49 | 49 | 48 | 146 | |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union † | 15 | 11 | 3 | 29 |
| 2 | Russia †[a] | 15 | 9 | 13 | 37 |
| 3 | United States | 12 | 8 | 10 | 30 |
| 4 | Canada | 2 | 5 | 10 | 17 |
| 5 | Great Britain | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | Italy | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 |  Poland | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 8 | Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | France | 0 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| 10 | Hungary | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 |  Estonia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Georgia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Israel | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| South Korea | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 | Germany | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Totals (16 entries) | 49 | 49 | 49 | 147 | |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia †[a] | 50 | 42 | 47 | 139 |
| 2 | United States | 50 | 38 | 44 | 132 |
| 3 | Soviet Union † | 37 | 30 | 17 | 84 |
| 4 | Japan | 17 | 14 | 16 | 47 |
| 5 | Canada | 10 | 16 | 18 | 44 |
| 6 | China | 8 | 4 | 9 | 21 |
| 7 | East Germany † | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 8 | Ukraine | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 9 | Georgia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | France | 2 | 10 | 13 | 25 |
| 11 | South Korea | 2 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| 12 | Great Britain | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 13 | Czech Republic | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 14 | Italy | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 15 | Australia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 16 | Poland | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 17 | Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 | Germany | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 19 | West Germany † | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 20 | Hungary | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 21 | Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 22 | Austria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 23 | Belgium | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Czechoslovakia † | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Estonia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Kazakhstan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| South Africa | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 28 | Slovakia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 29 | Finland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sweden | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (30 entries) | 196 | 196 | 195 | 587 | |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)| Competitive skating |
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International competitions |
| ||||||||||
| Elements and other moves |
| ||||||||||
| Professional skating | |||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||
| Lists |
| ||||||||||
| Film & TV | |||||||||||
