ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2023: Dates, TV and Live-Stream Schedule
The 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championships will take place from March 21-25 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, with multiple contenders looking to win gold in front of their home country.
Uno Shoma (men's singles) and Sakamoto Kaori (women's singles) will look to defend the championships they won in France last year.
The Japanese pairing of Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi round out the aspiring champions with a home-ice advantage. They will look to bring home the country's first championship in the pairs program.
Last year, they finished in second place as the American pairing of Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier took home gold.
With no Olympics this year, the world championships serve as one of the biggest events on the figure skating calendar.
Here's everything you need to know to catch the action and prepare for the international event.
Broadcast Schedule
All times ET.
Tuesday, March 21
Pairs' Short, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., Peacock
Wednesday, March 22
Women's Short, 2:45 a.m.-8 a.m., Peacock
Women's Short, 6-8 a.m., USA
Pairs' Free, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., Peacock
Thursday, March 23
Men's Short, 2:45 a.m.-8 a.m., Peacock
Men's Short, 6-8 a.m., USA
Pairs' Free, 8-10 a.m., USA (delayed TV broadcast)
Rhythm Dance, 10 p.m.-3:30 a.m., Peacock
Friday, March 24
Women's Free, 4:15 a.m.-8:30 a.m., Peacock
Women's Free, 6:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m., USA
Free Dance, 11:30 p.m.-3 a.m., Peacock
Saturday, March 25
Men's Free, 4:15 a.m.-8:30 a.m., Peacock
Men's Free, 6:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m., USA
Highlights, 8 p.m.-10 p.m., NBC
Live stream on Peacock.
Men's and Women's Singles
Japan had a nice showing in the ISU Grand Prix in December and could once again shine in Saitama. Shoma Uno took first place, and his fellow countryman Sota Yamamoto was right behind him in second place.
Uno will once again be a heavy favorite to win the event. He's ranked No. 1 in the world and has been in top form since taking a bronze medal in the 2022 Olympics.
Coming off a win at the ultra-competitive nationals, he's the man to beat.
He should see some stiff competition, though. Ilia Malinin is the United State champion and is the first skater to land a quadruple axel. Fellow United States skater Jason Brown is excited to see what he is going to do in the near future.
"What I can say is he is beyond out of this world, and U.S. figure skating is so lucky to have such a bright future with Ilia," Brown said, per Scott M. Reid of the Orange County Register.
World No. 3 and European champion Adam Siao Him Fa can't be discounted, either. He put in a great short program to take a commanding lead there. He should be in the mix at Saitama.
On the women's side, Sakamoto Kaori will be the home favorite, but there's plenty of competition.
Friend, training partner and fellow Japan team member Mai Mihara is another contender, and the pair could claim a 1-2 finish in the women's programs. She took first in the Grand Prix and Four Continents this season.
Loena Hendrickx should be a force as well. The 23-year-old Belgian skater earned a silver at last year's World Championships and is coming off another silver at the Europeans. She continues to show great form and grace into her 20s, which isn't always the easiest in figure skating.
"I really admire skaters who perform at the age of 20 or above," she said, per Nick McCarvel of Olympics.com. "I know [from my experience] it's really hard when you get older. It's mentally so hard—and physically, as well. Everything needs more time to come back after a[n injury] break. Or mentally, it's so much harder because you really overthink things. You think about every bad thing that can happen."
Her motivation and recent form should give her the opportunity to challenge her Japanese counterparts.
Pairs
Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi are the aspiring gold medalists and hometown hopefuls, but they will face a tough challenge from the Candian pairing of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier and a talented field of teams.
Gilles and Porter have been skating together for 11 years and took home gold at the Grand Prix Finals. After so many years, they cite competition and a talented group of competitors as the thing that keeps them motivated.
"I think that it's just motivating more than anything," Poirier said about the deep field, per Nick McCarvel of Olympics.com. "I think it's just really made our experience so rich and so special. I don't think we really see a deep field as a negative in any way. I think it's something that inspires us."
The American pairing of Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier come into the competition as reigning world champions but with plenty of questions after skipping the Four Continents because their coach has been dealing with a health issue, per NBCSport's Nick Zaccardi.
It should truly be a wide-open competition that brings the best out of some gifted teams in Saitama.