How the figure skating world standings work
Figure skating ranks skaters (and pairs and ice dance couples) in the ISU World Standings. Points come from the final placing at an event, and bigger events give more points:
| Event | Winner gets |
|---|---|
| World Championships, Olympic Winter Games | 1300 |
| Grand Prix Final | 1000 |
| European or Four Continents Championships | 850 |
| Grand Prix event | 500 |
| Challenger Series event | 350 |
| Other international competition | 200 |
The standings look at three seasons: this season, last season (both at full value) and the season before (at 70%). Only the best few results of each kind count. The standings decide the draw at ISU events and help pick who skates in the Grand Prix.
A pair or ice dance couple with a new partner starts from zero.
What counts
| Kind of event | Results counted |
|---|---|
| ISU Championships and Olympic Winter Games | Best 1 a season; best 2 over the three seasons |
| Grand Prix and Grand Prix Final | Best 2 a season; best 4 over the three seasons |
| Junior Grand Prix and Final | Best 2 a season; best 4 over the three seasons |
| International competitions, senior (including Challenger Series) and junior | Best 2 a season; best 4 over the three seasons |
The oldest season drops out after the World Championships each season. The standings are updated after each eligible event.
At ISU Championships and the Olympics, only skaters who reach and finish the free skating or free dance get points.
Season weights
| Season | Weight |
|---|---|
| Current season | 100% |
| Last season | 100% |
| The season before | 70% |
The points table
| Place | Worlds / Olympics | Grand Prix Final | Europeans / Four Continents | Junior Worlds | Grand Prix Semi-Final (from 2027/28) | Grand Prix | Junior GP Final | Junior GP | Challenger Series | International | Junior international |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1300 | 1000 | 850 | 600 | 750 | 500 | 450 | 300 | 350 | 200 | 100 |
| 2 | 1150 | 880 | 760 | 540 | 670 | 450 | 400 | 270 | 310 | 150 | 80 |
| 3 | 1020 | 780 | 680 | 490 | 590 | 400 | 360 | 245 | 275 | 100 | 60 |
| 4 | 900 | 700 | 610 | 450 | 510 | 360 | 320 | 220 | 240 | 40 | |
| 5 | 810 | 640 | 550 | 410 | 430 | 320 | 280 | 200 | 210 | 20 | |
| 6 | 740 | 600 | 500 | 370 | 350 | 280 | 250 | 180 | 185 | ||
| 8 | 630 | 420 | 310 | 200 | 140 | 150 | |||||
| 10 | 530 | 340 | 250 | 100 | |||||||
| 15 | 290 | 180 | 120 | ||||||||
| 20 | 130 | 100 | 70 | ||||||||
| 24 | 100 | 70 | 50 |
Points are paid down to 24th at the championships, 8th at a Grand Prix and 10th at a Junior Grand Prix. At the Challenger Series, men's and women's events pay to 8th, pairs to 5th and ice dance to 6th.
When a smaller competition counts
A Challenger Series or international competition counts only if enough skaters finish the first segment:
| Discipline | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Men, women | 8 skaters from 4 ISU members |
| Pairs | 5 couples from 3 members |
| Ice dance | 6 couples from 4 members |
The technical panel must also come from three different ISU members.
Regional events do not count. The ISU names the Asian Winter Games, the Nordics, the Universiade, the European Youth Olympic Festival and Olympic qualifying competitions as examples. An Indian skater's result at the Asian Winter Games therefore gives no World Standings points.
Two lists
- ISU World Standings (overall): seniors and juniors together.
- ISU World Standings Junior: junior events only, used for the draw at the Junior World Championships.
A worked example
Made up to show the arithmetic. A skater's results over three seasons:
| Season | Result | Points | Weight | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two seasons ago | 12th at Worlds | 430 | 70% | 301 |
| Last season | 10th at Four Continents | 340 | 100% | 340 |
| Last season | 3rd at a Challenger Series | 275 | 100% | 275 |
| This season | 5th at a Grand Prix | 320 | 100% | 320 |
Total: 301 + 340 + 275 + 320 = 1,236. The two championship results are both counted because the limit is one a season and two over the three seasons.
Where the document disagrees with itself
- Paragraph 3.1.6 refers to "paragraph 4.1.1 to 4.1.5" for the championships, but they are listed as 3.1.1 to 3.1.5.
- Paragraph 2.5.2 points to "paragraph 5, Table of Point Distribution", but the table is paragraph 4.
- Under 3.4 the sub-items are numbered 4.4.1 and 4.4.2, and they refer to "paragraphs 3.5.1 and 3.5.3", which are the season weights (and 3.5.3 does not exist). This explainer reads the restriction as the minimum field in paragraph 2.5.
Variations
| Ranking | Covered here |
|---|---|
| Men, women, pairs, ice dance | Yes |
| Junior standings | Yes (which events count) |
| Season's world ranking | No |
| Speed skating, short track | No (separate ISU rules) |