ISU Championships
The ISU holds five championships every season. Currently, the first one to be held is the European Figure Skating Championships. It usually takes place in January. The European Championships, often referred to informally as Europeans, is the oldest of the five championships. It is open to skaters from European Member Nations of the ISU.
The next one held is the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. It usually takes place in early February. The Four Continents Championships were established in 1999 to be the equivalent of Europeans for skaters from non-European Member Nations.
The World Junior Figure Skating Championships, often informally called Junior Worlds or World Juniors, were for many years held in late November or December. Following the 1998/1999 season, they were moved to late February/early March, and have been held after the Four Continents Championships. Even when they were held before the New Year, the events were officially referred to by the next calendar year, and the champions are listed in results by that year. For example, Ilia Klimkin, who won it in November 1998, is officially the 1999 World Junior Champion. By ISU regulation, the World Junior Championships should be held in the first half of March. The World Junior Championships are open to skaters who fit into a certain age category. Currently, skaters must be between the ages of 13 and 19 (or 13 and 21 for the men in pairs and ice dancing) in order to compete.
The World Figure Skating Championships, commonly referred to informally as Worlds, are the next ISU Championship to be held. By ISU regulation, they must take place following the fourth Monday in February and there should be at least fourteen days between Worlds and the Four Continents Championships or European Championships, whichever happens later. The World Championships are open to all member nations of the ISU.
The final ISU Championship of the year is the World Synchronized Skating Championships.
Read more about this topic: Figure Skating Season