AI-generated illustration; not a photograph of the reported event.
- calendar_today October 22, 2026
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Returns
The backbone of the international figure skating season begins this Friday with the opening of the Grand Prix tour in France. Over the next several weeks, six regular Grand Prix events will be held through the end of November, including a Canadian stop in Kelowna, British Columbia. Skaters may compete in two events, and the top six finishers in each discipline—men's, women's, pairs, and ice dance—will qualify for the prestigious Grand Prix Final in December, which will be held in China. After the Grand Prix, national championships and the world championships in Finland will take place in early 2027.
Changes and Retirements Mark New Cycle
This season marks the start of a new Olympic cycle with several prominent athletes stepping away from the competitive ice. Olympic pairs gold medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan and women's singles star Kaori Sakamoto have announced their retirements. Others, such as U.S. women's champion Alysa Liu, Japanese men's silver medallist Yuma Kagiyama, American ice dance champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, as well as Canadian ice dance bronze medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, are taking the year off to consider their futures. Gilles and Poirier, who reached the Olympic podium with a bronze in Milan and added a silver in Prague for a fifth world-championship medal in six years, may have competed for the final time.
Canada in Rebuild Mode
With key athletes stepping aside, canadian figure skating enters a rebuilding phase. Gilles and Poirier were Canada's only figure skating medallists at the past two Winter Olympics and one of just two Canadian pairs to qualify for last year's Grand Prix Final. The other Canadian pair, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, ended their partnership after finishing 11th at the Olympics, with Deschamps retiring and Stellato-Dudek returning to the United States to join a new partner.
New Partnerships and Olympic Prospects
The discipline of ice dance also saw significant changes. Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, who together won eight Grand Prix medals and placed fourth at last year's Final, have ended their partnership. Lajoie will now skate with Jean-Luc Baker, formerly of the U.S., while Lagha teamed up with Hannah Lim, a previous South Korea representative, although Lim will have to wait a year before competing internationally for Canada.
Despite the challenges, there is optimism for the future. The pairs team of Lia Pereira, 22, and Trennt Michaud, 30, earned eighth place at their Olympic debut last winter and followed with a bronze at the world championships—their first medal in four tries. They will look to build on this at Skate Canada International and the Finlandia Trophy this season.
Stephen Gogolev Leads a New Generation
Perhaps the most exciting Olympic prospect for Canada is 21-year-old Stephen Gogolev. Gogolev broke through last season by winning his first Grand Prix medal (a bronze in Finland), securing a surprising fifth place at the Olympics—where he scored second-best in the free skate—and finishing fourth at the world championships. Off-season training in Europe has helped him refine his programs and reintroduce more quadruple jumps, once his signature before being hampered by back problems. Gogolev's coach believes he has the potential for ambitious technical elements, though his training has occasionally been affected by a lingering foot injury since the Olympics.
Gogolev is set to compete in the Canadian and Finnish Grand Prix events alongside Pereira and Michaud, continuing his emergence as a leader for the next generation of Canadian figure skating.
How to Watch the Grand Prix
Coverage of every skate from the Grand Prix will be available live on CBC Gem and the CBC Sports website starting this Friday. Regular weekend broadcasts continue on CBC TV, including the new CBC Sports Primetime show on Saturday nights. Fans can check official schedules for a complete list of streaming and broadcast times.
Looking Ahead to 2030
As the climb to the 2030 Olympic Games in the French Alps begins, Canada finds itself focused on rebuilding its figure skating program. While medals may be harder to come by this season, rising talents and fresh partnerships offer hope for future success on the international stage.
Source: cbc.ca.
