Season opens with ISU Junior GP

The 2019-20 figure skating season kicks off with the first leg of the ISU Junior Grand Prix series on Thursday in Courchevel, France.

This marks the 23rd edition of the ISU Junior GP, which debuted in 1997.

The series provides skaters aged 13-19(21 for male ice dance and pair skating partners) with the opportunity to compete at a high international level.

More than 300 competitors from over 50 ISU members are expected to participate in this year's series, which includes other stops in Lake Placid, New York (Aug 29-31); Riga, Latvia (Sept 5-7); Chelyabinsk, Russia (Sept 12-14); Gdansk, Poland (Sept 19-21); Zagreb, Croatia (Sept 26-28); Egna, Italy (Oct 3-5) and the ISU Junior GP Final in Turin, Italy (Dec 5-8).

Russia's two-time world junior pairs medalists Polina Kostiukovich and Dmitrii Ialin, ISU Junior Grand Prix champion Stephen Gogolev of Canada, and 2018 ISU Junior Grand Prix silver medalist Petr Gumennik of Russia are all taking part in the new season's series, while newcomers such as US champion Alysa Liu are eager to leave their mark on the circuit.

The top six skaters and couples in each discipline qualify for the final by earning points according to their placements.

Xinhua