The International Skating Union Grand Prix Series kicks off this coming weekend with the Trophée Eric Bompard event in Paris, France. The road to Vancouver begins as some of the best figure skating athletes unveil their new programs and establish their placement on the world scene.
The city of lights is the perfect backdrop to begin our coverage of the new skating season. Skatebuzz will be live streaming the event in its entirety. This is the first time Canadian audiences will have the opportunity to see every skater perform short programs, free programs, dance events and the gala. Through our Skate TV portal, you will experience the event as though you are in Paris. Join us on October 16 – 18 and start off the season with Skatebuzz.
Trophée Eric Bompard has a lineup that will get people talking. In the Ladies event, reigning World Champion Yu-Na Kim is poised to display her new James Bond short program and is up against a roaster of competitors eager to show their stuff. Triple axel queen Mao Asada, Caroline Zhang from the United States and Carolina Kostner from Italy round out the event.
BREAKING NEWS: Sasha Cohen has withdrawn from the Trophée Eric Bompard event. She was diagnosed with tendonitis in her right calf and has been advised to slow her training down over the next few weeks. Cohen is confident she will be ready for the Skate America event in Lake Placid on November 12 – 15.
In the Men’s event, Brian Joubert aims to wow his home country with his gigantic quadruple jumps. He will be challenged by Nobunari Oda from Japan, Tomas Verner from the Czech Republic and Ryan Bradley from the United States. Canada’s sole competitor in the event is the guitar playing and car loving Vaughn Chipeur.
Trophée Eric Bompard also showcases the current World Pair Champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy from Germany. Canada’s Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison are prepared to take on the challenge with new programs that will surely create a breathtaking and dramatic moment on the ice.
World medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir lead the Ice Dance event. They have risen quickly to the top of the world standings and look to start the season off right in Paris. Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat from France have the crowd on their side with their home country advantage.
The Senior Grand Prix of figure skating comprises of six events in six different countries: Trophée EricBompard (Paris, France), Rostelecom Cup (Moscow, Russia), Cup of China (Beijing, China), NHK Trophy (Nagano, Japan), Skate America (Lake Placid, USA) and Skate Canada (Kitchener, Canada). The top six skaters in each discipline are eligible to compete in the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, taking place in Tokyo, Japan.
Trophée Eric Bompard List of Competitors:
Men
Vaughn Chipeur (CAN)
Chao Yang (CHN)
Tomas Verner (CZE)
Brian Joubert (FRA)
Yannick Ponsero (FRA)
Alban Preaubert (FRA)
Peter Liebers (GER)
Nobunari Oda (JPN)
Sergei Voronov (RUS)
Javier Fernandez (ESP)
Ryan Bradley (USA)
Adam Rippon (USA)
Ladies
Candice Didier (FRA)
Gwendoline Didier (FRA)
Elene Gedevanishvili (GEO)
Carolina Kostner (ITA)
Mao Asada (JPN)
Yukari Nakano (JPN)
Anna Jurkiewicz (POL)
Yu-Na Kim (KOR)
Alexe Gilles (USA)
Caroline Zhang (USA)
Pairs
Jessica Dubé/Bryce Davison (CAN)
Huibo Dong/Yiming Wu (CHN)
Adeline Canac/Maximin Coia (FRA)
Vanessa James/Yannick Bonheur (FRA)
Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (GER)
Maria Mukhortova/Maxim Trankov (RUS)
Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir (USA)
Rena Inoue/John Baldwin (USA)
Ice Dance
Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (CAN)
Zoe Blanc/Pierre-Loup Bouquet (FRA)
Pernelle Carron/Lloyd Jones (FRA)
Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat (FRA)
Sinead Kerr/John Kerr (GBR)
Kristina Gorshkova/Vitali Butikov (RUS)
Ekaterina Rubleva/Ivan Shefer (RUS)
Madison Hubbell/Keiffer Hubbell (USA)
Kimberly Navarro/Brent Bommentre (USA)
Emily Samuelson/Evan Bates (USA)
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