Skate Canada International is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by Skate Canada. The first Skate Canada competition was held in 1973 in Calgary, Alberta. When the ISU launched the Champions Series (later renamed the Grand Prix of Figure Skating) in 1995, Skate Canada International was one of the five qualifying events. It has been a Grand Prix event every year since, except for 2020, when Skate Canada was forced to cancel the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters earn points based on their results at the qualifying competitions each season, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to then compete at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Patrick Chan of Canada currently holds the record for winning the most Skate Canada titles in men's singles (with six), while Michelle Kwan of the United States and Joannie Rochette of Canada are tied for winning the most titles in women's singles (with three each). Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada, and Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany, are tied for winning the most titles in pair skating (with four each). Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada hold the record in ice dance (with seven).
History Between 1923 and 1971, the Canadian Figure Skating Association, which changed its name to Skate Canada in 2000, and the U.S. Figure Skating Association co-hosted the North American Figure Skating Championships. At this time, medal contenders at the World Figure Skating Championships and the Winter Olympics came from either Europe or North America. The North American Championships allowed Canadian and American skaters the opportunity to compete at a comparable event to the European Figure Skating Championships. The championships were held every other year, with Canada and the United States alternating as hosts, and only skaters from Canada and the United States were eligible to compete.
At a planning meeting held in April 1972, representatives from the Canadian Figure Skating Association announced Canada's plans to withdraw from the North American Championships. With one of the two participating nations out, this effectively marked the end of the championships. The delegation from the U.S. Figure Skating Association was unaware at the time that the Canadian Figure Skating Association was already in the planning stages of launching their own international skating competition.
The first edition of the Skate Canada International, then simply called Skate Canada, was held in 1973 in Calgary, Alberta. Nine countries were invited to participate: Austria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, France, Great Britain, Japan, the Soviet Union, the United States, and West Germany. Each nation could field one entry in each of three events – men's singles, women's singles, and ice dance – while Canada fielded three entries in each event. Toller Cranston and Lynn Nightingale, both of Canada, won the men's and women's events, respectively, while Hilary Green and Glyn Watts of Great Britain won the ice dance event.
Canada did not hold the competition in 1979 after reaching an agreement with the U.S. Figure Skating Association to accommodate the Olympic test event at Lake Placid, New York, in anticipation of the 1980 Winter Olympics. In 1987, Skate Canada hosted their own test event at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary, site of the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Compulsory figures, which had been a required element of men's and women's single skating since the beginning, were retired after the 1988 competition. In 1989, Skate Canada unveiled three new events: men's artistic programs, women's artistic programs, and four skating. The artistic events – later rechristened "interpretive programs" – required each skater to present a 2:30 minute program with an emphasis on musical interpretation. No double Axels or triple-rotation jumps were permitted, and skaters had total latitude over their choice of music and costume, even allowing for vocal music, which was not allowed in regular competition at this time. Four skating was not simply two sets of pair skaters performing together; but rather, four individual skaters performing a single routine. This routine included solo jumps, spins, paired throw jumps, paired lifts, paired combination spins, death spirals – all with an exchange of partners – as well as four-person combination spins, lifts, and death spirals.
Beginning with the 1995–96 season, the International Skating Union (ISU) launched the Champions Series – later renamed the Grand Prix Series – which, at its inception, consisted of five qualifying competitions and the Champions Series Final. This allowed skaters to perfect their programs earlier in the season, as well as compete against the same skaters whom they would later encounter at the World Championships. This series also provided the viewing public with additional televised skating, which was in high demand. The five qualifying competitions during this inaugural season were the 1995 Nations Cup, the 1995 NHK Trophy, the 1995 Skate America, the 1995 Skate Canada, and the 1995 Trophée de France. Skaters earned points based on their results in their respective competitions and the top skaters or teams in each discipline were then invited to compete at the Champions Series Final. Skate Canada International has been a qualifying event of the Grand Prix Series every year since, except for 2020, when rising COVID-19 cases in Ontario forced its cancellation. The competition had been scheduled to take place in Ottawa with no audience present, but Skate Canada and city officials decided to cancel it altogether.
The 2026 Skate Canada International is scheduled to be held from 30 October to 1 November in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Medalists
Men's singles +Men's event medalists Year Location Gold Silver Bronze 1973 Calgary Toller Cranston Ron Shaver Minoru Sano 1974 Kitchener Ron Shaver Minoru Sano Charles Tickner 1975 Edmonton Toller Cranston Ron Shaver Terry Kubicka 1976 Ottawa Ron Shaver Robin Cousins David Santee 1977 Moncton Robin Cousins Charles Tickner Scott Cramer 1978 Vancouver Fumio Igarashi Brian Pockar 1979 No competition held 1980 Calgary Scott Hamilton Brian Pockar David Santee 1981 Ottawa Norbert Schramm Brian Orser Jozef Sabovčík 1982 Kitchener Brian Boitano Heiko Fischer 1983 Halifax Brian Orser Grzegorz Filipowski Masaru Ogawa 1984 Victoria 1985 London Jozef Sabovčík Scott Williams Grzegorz Filipowski 1986 Regina Vitali Egorov Christopher Bowman 1987 Calgary Brian Orser Brian Boitano Viktor Petrenko 1988 Kurt Browning Viktor Petrenko Angelo D'Agostino 1989 Cornwall Petr Barna Paul Wylie Daniel Weiss 1990 Lethbridge Kurt Browning Grzegorz Filipowski Mark Mitchell 1991 London Elvis Stojko Vasili Eremenko Paul Wylie 1992 Victoria Scott Davis Éric Millot 1993 Ottawa Kurt Browning Mark Mitchell Steven Cousins 1994 Red Deer Elvis Stojko Michael Shmerkin Sébastien Britten 1995 Saint John Alexei Urmanov Éric Millot 1996 Kitchener Elvis Stojko Ilia Kulik Scott Davis 1997 Halifax Michael Tyllesen 1998 Kamloops Evgeni Plushenko Elvis Stojko Szabolcs Vidrai 1999 Saint John Alexei Yagudin Takeshi Honda 2000 Mississauga Todd Eldredge Matthew Savoie 2001 Saskatoon Elvis Stojko Todd Eldredge 2002 Quebec City Takeshi Honda Emanuel Sandhu Stanislav Timchenko 2003 Mississauga Evgeni Plushenko Jeffrey Buttle Takeshi Honda 2004 Halifax Emanuel Sandhu Ben Ferreira Jeffrey Buttle 2005 St. John's Jeffrey Buttle Nobunari Oda 2006 Victoria Stéphane Lambiel Daisuke Takahashi Johnny Weir 2007 Quebec City Brian Joubert Kevin van der Perren Jeffrey Buttle 2008 Ottawa Patrick Chan Ryan Bradley Evan Lysacek 2009 Kitchener Jeremy Abbott Daisuke Takahashi Alban Préaubert 2010 Kingston Patrick Chan Nobunari Oda Adam Rippon 2011 Mississauga Javier Fernández Daisuke Takahashi 2012 Windsor Javier Fernández Patrick Chan Nobunari Oda 2013 Saint John Patrick Chan Yuzuru Hanyu 2014 Kelowna Takahito Mura Javier Fernández Max Aaron 2015 Lethbridge Patrick Chan Yuzuru Hanyu Daisuke Murakami 2016 Mississauga Kevin Reynolds 2017 Regina Shoma Uno Jason Brown Alexander Samarin 2018 Laval Keegan Messing Cha Jun-hwan 2019 Kelowna Yuzuru Hanyu Nam Nguyen Keiji Tanaka 2020 Ottawa Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Vancouver Nathan Chen Jason Brown Evgeni Semenenko 2022 Mississauga Shoma Uno Kao Miura Matteo Rizzo 2023 Vancouver Sōta Yamamoto 2024 Halifax Ilia Malinin Shun Sato Cha Jun-hwan 2025 Saskatoon Aleksandr Selevko Kao Miura
Women's singles +Women's event medalists Year Location Gold Silver Bronze 1973 Calgary Lynn Nightingale Barbara Terpenning Jean Scott 1974 Kitchener Anett Pötzsch Wendy Burge 1975 Edmonton Susanna Driano Kath Malmberg Emi Watanabe 1976 Ottawa Kim Alletson Karena Richardson Garnet Ostermeier 1977 Moncton Linda Fratianne Lisa-Marie Allen Heather Kemkaran 1978 Vancouver Lisa-Marie Allen Claudia Kristofics-Binder Kristiina Wegelius 1979 No competition held 1980 Calgary Elaine Zayak Tracey Wainman Claudia Kristofics-Binder 1981 Ottawa Tracey Wainman Rosalynn Sumners Kira Ivanova 1982 Kitchener Vikki De Vries Kristiina Wegelius Rosalynn Sumners 1983 Halifax Katarina Witt Kay Thomson Tiffany Chin 1984 Victoria Midori Ito Tiffany Chin Natalia Lebedeva 1985 London Caryn Kadavy Elizabeth Manley Patricia Neske 1986 Regina Elizabeth Manley Claudia Leistner Joanne Conway 1987 Calgary Debi Thomas Elizabeth Manley 1988 Natalia Lebedeva Jill Trenary Patricia Neske 1989 Cornwall Kristi Yamaguchi Simone Lang Natalia Lebedeva 1990 Lethbridge Josée Chouinard Lisa Sargeant Holly Cook 1991 London Surya Bonaly Marina Kielmann Karen Preston 1992 Victoria Maria Butyrskaya Alice Sue Claeys Josée Chouinard 1993 Ottawa Chen Lu Olga Markova Karen Preston 1994 Red Deer Krisztina Czakó Laëtitia Hubert Jessica Mills 1995 Saint John Michelle Kwan Hanae Yokoya Josée Chouinard 1996 Kitchener Irina Slutskaya Tara Lipinski Lucinda Ruh 1997 Halifax Michelle Kwan Maria Butyrskaya Surya Bonaly 1998 Kamloops Elena Liashenko Fumie Suguri Irina Slutskaya 1999 Saint John Michelle Kwan Julia Soldatova Jennifer Robinson 2000 Mississauga Irina Slutskaya Michelle Kwan Fumie Suguri 2001 Saskatoon Sarah Hughes Irina Slutskaya Michelle Kwan 2002 Quebec City Sasha Cohen Fumie Suguri Viktoria Volchkova 2003 Mississauga Shizuka Arakawa Júlia Sebestyén 2004 Halifax Cynthia Phaneuf Yoshie Onda Susanna Pöykiö 2005 St. John's Alissa Czisny Joannie Rochette Yukari Nakano 2006 Victoria Joannie Rochette Fumie Suguri Yuna Kim 2007 Quebec City Mao Asada Yukari Nakano Joannie Rochette 2008 Ottawa Joannie Rochette Fumie Suguri Alissa Czisny 2009 Kitchener Alissa Czisny Laura Lepistö 2010 Kingston Alissa Czisny Ksenia Makarova Amélie Lacoste 2011 Mississauga Elizaveta Tuktamysheva Akiko Suzuki Ashley Wagner 2012 Windsor Kaetlyn Osmond Kanako Murakami 2013 Saint John Yulia Lipnitskaya Gracie Gold 2014 Kelowna Anna Pogorilaya Ashley Wagner Satoko Miyahara 2015 Lethbridge Ashley Wagner Elizaveta Tuktamysheva Yuka Nagai 2016 Mississauga Evgenia Medvedeva Kaetlyn Osmond Satoko Miyahara 2017 Regina Kaetlyn Osmond Maria Sotskova Ashley Wagner 2018 Laval Elizaveta Tuktamysheva Mako Yamashita Evgenia Medvedeva 2019 Kelowna Alexandra Trusova Rika Kihira You Young 2020 Ottawa Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Vancouver Kamila Valieva Elizaveta Tuktamysheva Alena Kostornaia 2022 Mississauga Rinka Watanabe Starr Andrews You Young 2023 Vancouver Kaori Sakamoto Kim Chae-yeon Rino Matsuike 2024 Halifax Rino Matsuike Hana Yoshida 2025Saskatoon Mone Chiba Isabeau Levito Ami Nakai
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