Montpellier was announced as the host in June 2019.[2] It is the first time that Montpellier has ever hosted the World Championships, and the first time that France has hosted since 2012.
Background
The tournament was notable for several high-profile absences. On March 1, 2022, the ISU banned figure skaters and officials from Russia and Belarus from attending all international competitions due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. World champions in three of the four disciplines (as well as several other medalists) were barred from competing as a result.[3] The Chinese Skating Association opted not to send any skaters to the competition.[4]
Controversy
During the men's short program on March 24, one judge received backlash from fans and the media for voting that Ukrainian skater Ivan Shmuratko had committed a "costume/prop violation" for wearing the Ukrainian national team's training clothes rather than his costume.[5] Shmuratko did not receive a deduction due to a majority of judges' votes being required, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation for his performance.[6]
On the same day, one day prior to the rhythm dance, the ISU rejected Ukrainian ice dancers Oleksandra Nazarova and Maksym Nikitin's proposed program set to music by Ukrainian artists that included a 15-second snippet of a speech by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian language calling for peace; the ISU cited the speech portion of the program as "propaganda".[7] Following intervention by their federation, Nazarova and Nikitin were allowed to compete using a version featuring only music, and like teammate Shmuratko, they also wore the colors of the Ukrainian national team rather than their costumes and received a standing ovation.[7][8] Despite limited training time leading up to the event, they said that they wanted to perform the new program set to "1944" by Jamala and the Ukrainian folk song "Oi u luzi chervona kalyna" performed by Andriy Khlyvnyuk of BoomBox to "express what they are living through."[9] After the rhythm dance, Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation president Mikhail Makarov issued an appeal to ISU president Jan Dijkema and National Olympic Committee of Ukraine president Sergey Bubka asking for help in understanding the rationale behind the ISU's decision.[7] Nazarova and Nikitin later withdrew from the free dance, feeling that performing their upbeat Moulin Rouge! program was inappropriate in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.[10]
Qualification
Age and minimum TES requirements
Skaters were eligible for the 2022 World Championships if they turned 15 years of age before July 1, 2021, and if they met the minimum technical elements score requirements. The ISU accepted scores if they were obtained at senior-level ISU-recognized international competitions during the ongoing season at least 21 days before the first official practice day of the championships or during the two preceding seasons (adjusted from the traditional one due to the pandemic).[1]
SP/RD and FS/FD scores may be attained at different events.
Number of entries per discipline
Based on the results of the 2021 World Championships, each ISU member nation could field one to three entries per discipline.[11]
Under the Court of Arbitration for Sport ban, Russia could not use its name, flag, or anthem and had to present themselves as a "Neutral Athlete" or "Neutral Team" at any world championships until December 16, 2022.[12] Thus, Russian skaters would have competed under a modified flag of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia (FFKKR) and the name "FSR" at the 2022 World Championships before the ISU banned participation by Russian and Belarusian skaters due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3]
Member nations began announcing their selections in December 2021. The International Skating Union published a complete list of entries on March 2, 2022.[14]
Donovan Carrillo of Mexico withdrew prior to the short program when the luggage with his skates did not arrive in time for the competition.[39]Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea withdrew from the free skate due to boot problems.[40]
Americans Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc, who were in second place after the short program, withdrew after a fall by Cain-Gribble during their free skate which required her to be stretchered from the ice and hospitalized.[41]
Sofiia Holichenko and Artem Darenskyi of Ukraine made the decision to withdraw from the free skate due to a lack of training time following the Olympics and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[42]
Oleksandra Nazarova and Maksym Nikitin of Ukraine withdrew from the free dance for personal reasons.[44] They later told the media that they felt it would be inappropriate to perform their upbeat Moulin Rouge! free dance considering the ongoing war in their home country.[10]
^Jang, Bo-in (March 26, 2022). "피겨 차준환, 부츠 문제로 세계선수권 프리스케이팅 기권" [Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan, withdraws from world championship free skating due to boot problem]. Yonhap News (in Korean).
Shoma Uno
Alexa Knierim / Brandon Frazier
Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron
