The 2026-27 figure skating season has been slowly ramping up, but with the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating starting fans can expect some truly exciting competitions. Following the 2026 Olympic Games, the current figure skating landscape looks a little different.
Usually, many skaters retire after the Olympics, however out of the 18 medalists only 3 skaters have retired. 4-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto announced her retirement after winning the silver medal in the 2026 Olympic women’s event. Fellow Japanese skaters Riku Miura and Ryuchi Kihara stepped away from the sport after winning the pairs event at the Olympics.
Some skaters have decided to sit out for the 2026-27 season. Notably the viral Olympic champion , Alysa Liu will not be competing this year to pursue other opportunities. As well 4-time Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama will take a year off for self-reflection. Ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier have been competing together for 15 years and have gone to 3 Olympic Games, but they aren’t quite ready to hang up the skates, unfortunately they will be sitting out of the Grand Prix series.
While some fans might be missing these familiar faces, it opens up the opportunity for some unexpected figure skaters to rise up and take some medals. We might see some skaters from smaller figure skating federations experience success. Like Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium, who won the bronze medal at the world championships in march. Or perhaps younger skaters who were in juniors last season might be able to make an impact. There are lots of eyes on 4-time junior world champion Mao Shimada, who can do some of the most difficult jumps possible at only 17 years old.
This season will be way different than the last 4. Because since March 1, 2022, all Russian and Belarussian skaters were banned from competing at international events because of the attacks against Ukraine. Last season the International Olympic Committee allowed AIN or Individual Neutral Athletes to compete at the Olympics. Those are athletes from Russia and Belarus that have been “neutral” towards the war against Ukraine. The International Skating Union decided to allow AINs to compete in the 2026-27 season. The Russian skaters have a reputation of being very strong and successful skaters. Fan favourite Alexandra Ignatova (formerly Trusova) has just been given a Grand Prix assignment. Ignatova gave birth to first son in August 2025, and came back to competitive skating in January of this year. She won the Denis Ten Memorial competition earlier this month. It’s likely that Russian skaters will continue to dominate events this year.
This season is shaping up to be very unique, with the amount of exceptional skaters choosing to compete. It’s almost impossible to know who will end up on the podium. The Grand Prix series starts October 23rd in Angers, France. Fans can watch the events on ISU’s YouTube. For more information on the Figure Skating Grand Prix, check out ISU’s Page about the series.
Photo Credits:
Header: Natalya Karpeka
Other images: Alexandra Huber
