2020–21 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating


The 2020–21 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of invitational senior internationals which will run from October 2020 through December 2020. Medals will be awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters will earn points based on their placement at each event and the top six in each discipline will qualify to compete at the Grand Prix Final in Beijing, China.
Organized by the International Skating Union, the series sets the stage for the 2021 Europeans, the 2021 Four Continents, and the 2021 World Championships. The corresponding series for junior-level skaters will be the 2020–21 ISU Junior Grand Prix.

Reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic

On May 1, 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 include 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 announced that a host federation must make a decision regarding potential cancellation of their event at latest 12 weeks prior to the event.
On July 9, the General Administration of Sport of China announced that no international sporting events would be held in China in 2020, except for 2022 Winter Olympics test events. The Chinese Skating Association was scheduled to host several events during the season, including the Cup of China and the Grand Prix Final. While the Grand Prix Final, to be hosted in Beijing, is exempt from the Chinese government's ruling due to its status as the test event for the Olympic Games, the ISU has not yet discussed a contingency plan regarding Grand Prix event cancellations. The ISU announced on July 13 that the it plans for the Cup of China to remain as scheduled, due to its connection to the Beijing test event, the Grand Prix Final.

Schedule

The series will comprise the following events:
DateEventLocationResults
October 23–25 2020 Skate AmericaLas Vegas, Nevada, United States
Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 2020 Skate CanadaOttawa, Ontario, Canada
November 6–8 2020 Cup of ChinaChongqing, China
November 13–15 2020 Internationaux de FranceGrenoble, France
November 20–22 2020 Rostelecom CupMoscow, Russia
November 27–29 2020 NHK TrophyOsaka, Japan
December 10–13 2020–21 Grand Prix FinalBeijing, China

Requirements

Skaters were eligible to compete on the senior Grand Prix circuit if they had reached the age of 15 before July 1, 2020. They were also required to have earned a minimum total score at certain international events.

Assignments

Men

Ladies

Pairs

Ice dance

Changes to preliminary assignments

Skate America

Skate Canada

Cup of China

Internationaux de France

Rostelecom Cup

NHK Trophy

Medal summary

Medalists

EventDisciplineGoldSilverBronze
Skate CanadaMen
Skate CanadaLadies
Skate CanadaPairs
Skate CanadaIce dance

EventDisciplineGoldSilverBronze
Cup of ChinaMen
Cup of ChinaLadies
Cup of ChinaPairs
Cup of ChinaIce dance

EventDisciplineGoldSilverBronze
Internationaux de FranceMen
Internationaux de FranceLadies
Internationaux de FrancePairs
Internationaux de FranceIce dance

EventDisciplineGoldSilverBronze
Rostelecom CupMen
Rostelecom CupLadies
Rostelecom CupPairs
Rostelecom CupIce dance

EventDisciplineGoldSilverBronze
NHK TrophyMen
NHK TrophyLadies
NHK TrophyPairs
NHK TrophyIce dance

EventDisciplineGoldSilverBronze
Grand Prix FinalMen
Grand Prix FinalLadies
Grand Prix FinalPairs
Grand Prix FinalIce dance

Medal standings

Qualification

At each event, skaters earned points toward qualification for the Grand Prix Final. Following the sixth event, the top six highest scoring skaters/teams advanced to the Final. The points earned per placement were as follows:
PlacementPoints Points
1st1515
2nd1313
3rd1111
4th99
5th77
6th55
7th4
8th3
9th
10th

There were originally seven tie-breakers in cases of a tie in overall points:
  1. Highest placement at an event. If a skater placed 1st and 3rd, the tiebreaker is the 1st place, and that beats a skater who placed 2nd in both events.
  2. Highest combined total scores in both events. If a skater earned 200 points at one event and 250 at a second, that skater would win in the second tie-break over a skater who earned 200 points at one event and 150 at another.
  3. Participated in two events.
  4. Highest combined scores in the free skating/free dance portion of both events.
  5. Highest individual score in the free skating/free dance portion from one event.
  6. Highest combined scores in the short program/short dance of both events.
  7. Highest number of total participants at the events.
If a tie remained, it was considered unbreakable and the tied skaters all advanced to the Grand Prix Final.

Qualification standings

Bold denotes Grand Prix Final qualification.
PointsMenLadiesPairsIce dance
30
28
26
24
22
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
0

Qualifiers

Top scores

Men

Best total score

Best short program score

Best free skating score

Ladies

Best total score

Best short program score

Best free skating score

Pairs

Best total score

Best short program score

Best free skating score

Ice dance

Best total score

Best rhythm dance score

Best free dance score