Save the dates, skating fans. . .but which dates will they be?

A page from the International Skating Union document proposing dramatic changes in figure skating.

  In January, when I revealed in a post on this site that the International Skating Union was weighing changes in figure skating competition rules and formats that would “alter the sport radically,” the least dramatic proposal looked like the one that revised the season schedule.

Part of that revision still drew significant opposition from the ISU’s member federations, especially the most powerful nations in the sport, and sources tell me that has led the ISU to tweak some of the calendar changes that are to become effective in the 2027-28 season.

Those federations whose national championships have taken place in late December or, more to the point, in the first half of January – which means every major figure skating country – pushed back on a calendar that would have them switch their biggest event of the year to February.

The move was designed to accommodate a new Grand Prix format that adds January semifinals to a schedule that previously had just six “regular season” events and a Final.

The old schedule, which remains in effect for this season, had the Final take place the second weekend of December.  The first proposed schedule (for all but Olympic years) has the Final at the beginning of February, with the new semifinals taking place the first two weekends of January.

The ripple effect of that would push nationals into the second week of February; European Championships from mid-January to early March; Four Continents Championships from late January / mid-February to early March; and World Championships from mid/late March to early April.

After discussions at the biennial ISU Congress in June, ISU leaders have decided to leave the first two full weeks of January open for national championships by moving the Grand Prix semifinals to the final two weeks of January.

Sources told me the U.S. Championships, typically held the third week of January (early January in Olympic years), could take place every year at the end of December or the first week of January, depending on the dates of the Grand Prix semis.

An ISU spokesperson answered my email request seeking precise dates for the 2027-28 season by saying, “…we are not yet in a position to provide any further details regarding the 2027/28 calendar, as some elements are still being finalized.”

Under the originally proposed new schedule, the Grand Prix “regular” season would begin the third week of September rather than the third week of October.  Rather than running six consecutive weeks, it would have two-competition blocks in the second half of September, November and December.

The ISU thinks the down time will encourage top skaters to do three “regular” Grand Prix events rather than the current two, which could improve the quality and depth of the fields for each event.

The proposal would cut Grand Prix events in the Olympic year from six to four, two each in September and October, with semifinals in November and the Final in mid-December.

Qualifying for the Final would no longer be based solely on results in Grand Prix events but rather on world rankings based on results at the Grand Prix, World Championships, Grand Prix Final and Challenger Series events covering a rolling two-year period

The rationale for all this, according to the ISU proposal unveiled at the Grand Prix hosts meeting last December, is to “create a season narrative and ‘Road to Final’ storytelling.”  Bumps in the road are not unexpected.