The World's top figure skaters including reigning Olympic Champions Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) and Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov (RUS), who will make a comeback after sitting out the post-Olympic season, World and European Champions and medalists will compete in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series 2015/16. Three-time World Champion Mao Asada (JPN) and 2014 Olympic silver medalist Patrick Chan (CAN) also make their comeback on the series.
The series kicks off with Skate America in Milwaukee, WI (USA), October 23 to 25. The event features Olympic and World bronze medalist Denis Ten (KAZ), Olympic silver medalists Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov (RUS), World silver medalist Wenjing Sui/Cong Han (CHN), World Ice Dance silver medalists Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) and 2014 European Champion Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS). Reigning World Junior Champions Evgenia Medvedeva (RUS), Shoma Uno (JPN) and Anna Yanovskaya/Sergey Mozgov (RUS) will debut on the senior circuit.
Skate Canada in Lethbridge, AB (CAN), October 30 to November 1, is headlined by three-time World Champion Chan, Olympic Champion Hanyu, World Pairs Champions Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford (CAN), World Champion Elizaveta Tutkamysheva (RUS) and World bronze medalists Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje (CAN).
The Lexus Cup of China is the third event and will return to Beijing November 6 to 8. Mao Asada returns to the Grand Prix after sitting out the post-Olympic season and will be joined by World Champion Javier Fernandez (ESP), World bronze medalist Elena Radionova (RUS), Sui/Han, European Champions Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov (RUS) and Chock/Bates.
The series continues with the Trophée Bompard in Bordeaux (FRA) November 13- 15 with World Ice Dance Champions Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron (FRA), Volosozhar/Trankov, Chan, Ten and Tuktamysheva.
Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, November 20 to 22 is the next stop, headlined by Fernandez, Stolbova/Klimov, Radionova and 2014 World Ice Dance Champions Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte (ITA).
The last spots for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final will be decided in Nagano at NHK Trophy November 27 to 29. Top contenders include Asada, Hanyu, World silver medalist Satoko Miyahara (JPN), Papadakis/Cizeron and 2013 European Ice Dance Champions Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev (RUS), who missed the past season due to injury. In the Pairs event, Duhamel/Radford will face Voloszhar/Trankov.
130 skaters/couples from 27 ISU Members have been invited and few host country spots are still open. The number of entries for each event is 12 Ladies, 12 Men, 8 Pairs and 8 Ice Dance couples. The top 6 qualifiers in each discipline will proceed to the Final in Barcelona, Spain, December 10 to 13, 2015.
The skaters are seeded and invited to the six Grand Prix of Figure Skating events based on the results of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2015. Skaters/couples who have placed 1 to 6 in each of the four categories are seeded and assigned to two events. Skaters/ couples who have placed 7-12 at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships are selected for two ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events, and skaters with a top 24 high seasons best score as well as those placed in the top 24 of the World Standings can also be invited. If available medalists from the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships and the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final gold medalists can also be selected.
In order for a skater/couple to be eligible to compete at a Grand Prix event, a minimum total score or minimum technical score must have been achieved in the previous or current season in an ISU event (GP, JGP, Championships, World Team Trophy or selected international competitions). Exceptions apply to host country skaters, previously ranked skaters or split ranked couples who return with new partners.
Competitors collect points in their Grand Prix events towards the qualification for the Grand Prix Final. The global prize money for the Grand Prix Final is US $ 272,000 and the prize money is awarded to winners and placed skaters/couples as follows:
1st place US $ 18,000
2nd place US $ 13,000
3rd place US $ 9,000
4th place US $ 3,000
5th place US $ 2,000
The points are awarded as follows:
1st place 15 points
2nd place 13 points
3rd place 11 points
4th place 9 points
5th place 7 points
6th place 5 points
7th place 4 points
8th place 3 points
Pairs and Ice Dancers collect points up to 6th place. For full entry lists of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2015/16.