Japanese figure skating 2025-26 season news & updates

[Karen-W]

Not at all surprising based upon his remarks in the press prior to Worlds.

 

[Wyliefan]

Don't blame him for wanting a rest, but man, I'll miss him.

 

[YukiNieve]

Will seed move up (former 1-4 is now 1-3) for GPS?

 

[kwanfan1818]

Yes, if the rules don't change from last season. Because 1-2 have a choice of GP's, with 3 getting what's left over, it's a more important shift, but it also applies to 4-6. Technically, there is no language about "retirements" for seeded skaters, just that there are vacancies, but for moving up for 7-12 (singles), 7-10 (Pairs, Dance), there is "if retirements" language about the vacancies, although I'm not going back to see if this restriction actual exists, and it's not just a team taking a season or two off.

 

[Karen-W]

Yes, if the rules don't change from last season. Because 1-2 have a choice of GP's, with 3 getting what's left over, it's a more important shift, but it also applies to 4-6. Technically, there is no language about "retirements" for seeded skaters, just that there are vacancies, but for moving up for 7-12 (singles), 7-10 (Pairs, Dance), there is "if retirements" language about the vacancies, although I'm not going back to see if this restriction actual exists, and it's not just a team taking a season or two off.

I don't think it matters. For instance, we had Jason Brown pass on the GP both in 2023 and 2024 even though he was guaranteed 2 GPs based on his Worlds result. The fact that he came back & competed at Worlds in 2024 and 2025 was irrelevant to how the ISU handled his decision to skip the GPs to which he was entitled to be assigned. I presume they'll treat Kagiyama the same way - he's chosen to take a season off and not put himself in the pool for GP selection.

Now, what is going to be interesting is to see HOW the ISU/GP Host Commission address a potential return of Kagiyama in 2027 or later because he's already used up the one "comeback" season he had earned back in 2023 - remember how he wound up taking 2022-23 off because of his injury? I don't know if the ISU/GP Host Commission will consider his results from the past three seasons as resetting the "comeback" clause or the one time he's already used it is, legitimately, the only time he can exercise that clause.

 

[kwanfan1818]

I don't think it matters, either. Like a lot of their documentation and refusal to fix it year after year after it's pointed out to them.

They could change to comeback rule to once a cycle, they could enforce it as is, with JSF assigning him to NHK and him participating in an early CS event, where his score would put him at the top of the alternates list and would be a good re-entry point outside Japan after taking a year off, or they could just ignore their documentation, for which there is precedent.