The ISU Junior Grand Prix in Slovenia – also known as Skate Slovenia and the Ljubljana Cup – is an international figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Slovene Skating Union (). It is held periodically as an event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP), a series of international competitions exclusively for junior-level skaters. Medals may be 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 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.
History The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP) was established by the International Skating Union (ISU) in 1997 and consists of a series of seven international figure skating competitions exclusively for junior-level skaters. The locations of the Junior Grand Prix events change every year. While all seven competitions feature the men's, women's, and ice dance events, only four competitions each season feature the pairs event. Skaters earn points based on their results each season, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are then invited to compete at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.
Skaters are eligible to compete on the junior-level circuit if they are at least 13 years old before 1 July of the respective season, but not yet 19 (for single skaters), 21 (for men and women in ice dance and women in pair skating), or 23 (for men in pair skating). Competitors are chosen by their respective skating federations. The number of entries allotted to each ISU member nation in each discipline is determined by their results at the prior World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
Slovenia hosted its first Junior Grand Prix competition in 1999 in Bled. Stefan Lindemann of Germany won the men's event, Irina Tkatchuk of Russia won the women's event, Julia Shapiro and Alexei Sokolov of Russia won the pairs event, and Elena Khalyavina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia won the ice dance event.
Slovenia hosted the 2001 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final – the culminating event of the 2001–02 ISU Junior Grand Prix Series – in Bled. Stanislav Timchenko of Russia won the men's event, Miki Ando of Japan won the women's event, Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao of China won the pairs event, and Elena Khalyavina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia won the ice dance event.
The International Skating Union officially cancelled all scheduled Junior Grand Prix events for the 2020–21 season, which included the 2020 Ljubljana Cup, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing increased travel and entry requirements between countries and potentially excessive sanitary and health care costs for those hosting competitions. On 30 June 2026, the ISU announced that figure skaters from Russia and Belarus would be allowed to compete at international competitions as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs). Each skater was required to undergo an individual assessment conducted by the ISU Council to determine whether they met the criteria for neutral status, which included having not previously taken active part in the Russian war in Ukraine, as well as not having actively or publicly supported the war. As AINs, Russian and Belarusian skaters were not permitted to compete under their national flags or anthems. The 2026 event will be held from 1 to 3 October in Ljubljana.
Medalists Men's singles +Men's event medalists Year Location Gold Silver Bronze 1999 Bled Stefan Lindemann Ben Miller Denis Balandin Stanislav Timchenko Ma Xiaodong Kevin van der Perren 2003 Christopher Mabee Dennis Phan Shawn Sawyer 2012 Joshua Farris Jin Boyang Alexander Samarin 2014 Ljubljana Jin Boyang Alexander Petrov Dmitri Aliev 2016 Alexei Krasnozhon Ilia Skirda Kazuki Tomono 2018 Petr Gumennik Tomoki Hiwatashi Koshiro Shimada 2020 Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Ilya Yablokov Arlet Levandi Matthew Nielsen 2024 Jacob Sanchez Adam Hagara Genrikh Gartung 2026 Hiro Kaewtathip Lee Jae-keun Taiga Nishino
Women's singles +Women's event medalists Year Location Gold Silver Bronze 1999 Bled Irina Tkatchuk Tamara Dorofejev Galina Maniachenko Miki Ando Ludmila Nelidina Akiko Suzuki 2003 Kimmie Meissner Lina Johansson Viktória Pavuk 2012 Kim Hae-jin Barbie Long Evgenia Gerasimova 2014 Ljubljana Serafima Sakhanovich Yuka Nagai Leah Keiser 2016 Rika Kihira Marin Honda Alina Zagitova 2018 Anastasia Tarakanova Anna Tarusina Lee Hae-in 2020 Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Adeliia Petrosian Sofia Samodelkina Lindsay Thorngren 2024 Sophie Joline von Felten Shin Ji-a Mei Okada 2026 Hana Bath Liu Yuxuan Leandra Tzimpoukakis
Pairs +Pairs event medalists Year Location Gold Silver Bronze 1999 Bled 2003 No pairs competitions since 2003
Ice dance +Ice dance event medalists Year Location Gold Silver Bronze 1999 Bled 2003 2012 2014 Ljubljana 2016 2018 2020 Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 2024 2026
References
External links ISU Junior Grand Prix at the International Skating Union Slovene Skating Union JGP Slovenia at Skating Scores