Seoul, South Korea, will host the 2020 Four Continents Championships at the WAIKIKI Mokdong Ice Rink, Tues., Feb. 4 through Sun., Feb. 9. This competition is open to skaters from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. A total of 75 skaters/teams are currently scheduled to compete: 25 men, 23 ladies, 11 pairs and 16 ice dance teams. Australia, China, Japan and the U.S. are the only nations with judges on the panels for all four disciplines.
With Yuzuru Hanyu scheduled to compete, finding a seat might be a challenge, given the nation′s proximity to Japan. The Four Continents title is the only major one missing from Hanyu′s illustrious résumé, but there is little doubt it will be added at the conclusion of this competition. Hanyu announced on Feb. 3 that he will perform his 2018 Olympic programs at this competition. He will be joined by Kazuki Tomono, Yuma Kagiyama, Rika Kihira, Wakaba Higuchi and Kaori Sakamoto.
In a Jan. 6 press release issued by the Japan Skating Federation, it was announced that Shoma Uno would not compete in Seoul. The federation also confirmed Uno has relocated to Switzerland to train with Stéphane Lambiel on a permanent basis. Uno said his reason for declining the invitation is that he wants to focus on preparing for the World Championships in Montréal this March.
Though it is listed on the ISU site that China’s Boyang Jin has a quad Axel-Euler-triple Salchow combination planned as one of the elements in his free skate, this information is not correct.
Kihira, the 2019 ladies champion, should have no problem repeating the result she achieved in Anaheim, California, and capture her second consecutive crown.
South Korea will field a full complement of skaters in the singles disciplines and one ice dance duo. Jun-Hwan Cha, Young You and Eunsoo Lim are the headliners of this team. Australia, the host of the 2021 Four Continents Championships, has three men, one lady, one pairs and three ice dance teams currently listed on the competition roster. Unfortunately, the North Korean team is MIA from the pairs roster.
The 2020 Four Continents Championships will be live-streamed worldwide on the ISU Skating Channel (link below), except in countries with TV/online rights holders. This competition will not air on the CBC network in Canada.
ENTRIES
START ORDERS/RESULTS
ISU SKATING CHANNEL
Alternative Stream: QQLive
EVENT SCHEDULE
WORLD CLOCK
RELATED CONTENT:
SECOND FOUR CONTINENTS CROWN FOR KIHIRA
HANYU SHATTERS SHORT PROGRAM RECORD
RIKA KIHIRA WINS SHORT PROGRAM BATTLE
Also taking place this week:
2020 BAVARIAN OPEN