2021 ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified in an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Attempts to contain it there failed, allowing the virus to spread to other areas of Asia and later worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020. As of 10 March 2023, the pandemic had caused more than 676 million cases and 6.88 million confirmed deaths, making it one of the deadliest in history.

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 and has a geographic area of 1,905 square kilometres (736 sq mi). Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara Prefecture to the southeast, and Wakayama Prefecture to the south.

Hirofumi Yoshimura is a Japanese politician currently serving as the Governor of Osaka Prefecture. He assumed office in April 2019. He has been described as a conservative.

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 million in the 2020 census, it is also the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, which is the second-largest metropolitan area in Japan and the 10th largest urban area in the world with more than 19 million inhabitants.

Ichirō Matsui is a Japanese businessman and politician who is the current mayor of Osaka, leader of the Osaka Restoration Association (ORA) and one of the presidents of Nippon Ishin no Kai alongside Nobuyuki Baba.

The 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay was held from 12 March 2020 and ended on 23 July 2021. After being lit in Olympia, Greece, the torch was handed over to the Olympic shooting Gold medallist Anna Korakaki, who became the relay originating Olympian woman of the 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay. It was then transported to Athens on 19 March by official airliner Japan Airlines. The Japanese leg began in Fukushima, and is scheduled to end in Tokyo's New National Stadium, the main venue of the 2020 Olympics. It makes a tour of Japanese cities, including all 47 prefecture capitals. The torch is even scheduled to go to two remote island groups which are part of Tokyo. The end of the relay was the finale of the 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony on 23 July 2021. Toyota, NTT, ENEOS, Nippon Life, JAL, ANA and Japan Post Holdings are the presenting partners of the relay, with the slogan being "Hope Lights Our Way".

A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state during a natural disaster, civil unrest, armed conflict, medical pandemic or epidemic or other biosecurity risk. Justitium is its equivalent in Roman law—a concept in which the Roman Senate could put forward a final decree that was not subject to dispute yet helped save lives in times of strife.

The free dance (FD) is a segment of an ice dance competition, the second contested. It follows the rhythm dance (RD). Skaters perform "a creative dance program blending dance steps and movements expressing the character/rhythm(s) of the dance music chosen by the couple". Its duration is four minutes for senior ice dancers, and 3.5 minutes for juniors. French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron hold the highest recorded international FD score of 137.09 points.

The 2021 World Figure Skating Championships were held in Stockholm, Sweden from March 22–28, 2021. Figure skaters competed for the title of world champion in men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition was used to determine the entry quotas for each federation at the 2022 World Championships and was the first qualification event for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands, in July 1892, making it one of the oldest international sport federations. The ISU was formed to establish standardized international rules and regulations for the skating disciplines it governs, and to organize international competitions in these disciplines. It is now based in Switzerland.

Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. It is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. The country is sparsely inhabited, with most residing south of the 55th parallel in urban areas. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Gabrielle Daleman is a Canadian figure skater. She is a 2018 Olympic gold medallist in the team event, the 2017 World bronze medallist, 2017 Four Continents silver medallist, 2014 CS Autumn Classic champion, and two-time Canadian national champion. She represented Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Alison Schumacher is a Canadian figure skater who competes in women's singles. She is the 2020 Canadian national silver medallist. She has represented Canada at four ISU Championships, finishing within the top ten at two World Junior Championships.

Carolane Soucisse is a Canadian ice dancer. With her skating partner, Shane Firus, she is the 2018 Four Continents silver medallist. They have finished third at the 2020 Canadian Championships and represented Canada on the Grand Prix circuit and at the World Championships.

France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. It also includes overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, giving it one of the largest discontiguous exclusive economic zones in the world. Its metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea; overseas territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, the French West Indies, and many islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Its eighteen integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 km2 (248,573 sq mi) and had a total population of over 68 million as of January 2023. France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre; other major urban areas include Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, Bordeaux, and Nice.

Kévin Aymoz is a French figure skater. He is the 2019 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2019 Internationaux de France bronze medalist, the 2019 NHK Trophy silver medalist, the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo bronze medalist, the 2022 Challenger Series Champion and has placed as high as 4th at the European Championships. He is a five-time French national champion.

Adam Siao Him Fa is a French figure skater. He is the 2023 European champion, the 2022 Grand Prix de France champion, the 2022 CS Lombardia Trophy champion, the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy and 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy silver medalist, the 2019 CS Ice Star bronze medalist, and the 2023 French national champion.

Cléo Hamon is a French pair skater. With her former skating partner, Denys Strekalin, she is a two-time French national champion, 2018 Volvo Open Cup champion, and has competed in the final segment at three World Junior Championships (2017–2019).

Denys Strekalin is a Ukrainian-born pair skater who competes for France. With his former skating partner, Cléo Hamon, he is a two-time French national champion, 2018 Volvo Open Cup champion, and has competed in the final segment at three World Junior Championships (2017–2019).

Adelina Zulfatovna Galyavieva is a Russian-French ice dancer. With her former skating partner, Louis Thauron, she is the 2021 French National Champion, the 2018 Bosphorus Cup bronze medalist and made her Grand Prix debut at the 2018 Internationaux de France.

The free dance (FD) is a segment of an ice dance competition, the second contested. It follows the rhythm dance (RD). Skaters perform "a creative dance program blending dance steps and movements expressing the character/rhythm(s) of the dance music chosen by the couple". Its duration is four minutes for senior ice dancers, and 3.5 minutes for juniors. French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron hold the highest recorded international FD score of 137.09 points.

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and shares land boundaries with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country, with a population of over 147 million people. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan.

The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. and its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City.

Japan is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 14,125 islands covering 377,975 square kilometers (145,937 sq mi); the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.

Italy, officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern and Western Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, it consists of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands; its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical region. Italy shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. It has a territorial exclave in Switzerland, Campione. Italy covers an area of 301,230 km2 (116,310 sq mi), with a population of about 60 million. It is the third-most populous member state of the European Union, the sixth-most populous country in Europe, and the tenth-largest country in the continent by land area. Italy's capital and largest city is Rome.

France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. It also includes overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, giving it one of the largest discontiguous exclusive economic zones in the world. Its metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea; overseas territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, the French West Indies, and many islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Its eighteen integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 km2 (248,573 sq mi) and had a total population of over 68 million as of January 2023. France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre; other major urban areas include Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, Bordeaux, and Nice.

Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. It is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. The country is sparsely inhabited, with most residing south of the 55th parallel in urban areas. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Nathan Wei Chen, is an American figure skater and author. He is the 2022 Olympic champion, a three-time World champion, the 2017 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final champion, a ten-time Grand Prix medalist, a 2022 Olympic silver medalist in the team event, a 2018 Olympic bronze medalist in the team event and a six-time U.S. national champion (2017–22). At the junior level, Chen is the 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, 2013–14 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2014 World Junior bronze medalist, and a six-time Junior Grand Prix medalist.

Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese figure skater and ice show producer. He is a two-time Olympic champion, a two-time World champion, a four-time Grand Prix Final champion (2013–2016), the 2020 Four Continents champion, the 2010 World Junior champion, the 2009–10 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a six-time Japanese national champion. He has also medaled at five other World Championships, taking bronze in 2012 and 2021, and silver in 2015, 2016 and 2019, making him the only male single skater along with Jan Hoffmann to win seven world championship medals in the post-World War II era.

Evgeni Stanislavovich Semenenko is a Russian figure skater. He is the 2021 Skate Canada bronze medalist and the 2023 Russian national champion. He placed in the top eight at the 2021 World Championships. He was the best result of Russia at 2022 Winter Olympics, placing 8th all-around. On the junior level, he is the 2021 Russian junior national champion.

Anna Stanislavovna Shcherbakova is a Russian figure skater and television presenter. She is the 2022 Olympic champion, the 2021 World champion, a two-time European silver medalist, the 2019 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, the 2019 Skate America champion, the 2019 Cup of China champion, the 2021 Internationaux de France champion, the 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia champion, the 2019 CS Lombardia Trophy champion, and a three-time Russian national champion (2019–21). In her senior career, she has finished on the podium in every single competition she has entered.

Elizaveta Sergeyevna Tuktamysheva is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2015 World champion, the 2021 World silver medalist, the 2015 European champion, the 2014–15 Grand Prix Final champion, a 14-time medalist on the Grand Prix series, and the 2013 Russian national champion. On the junior level, she is the 2012 Youth Olympic champion, 2011 World Junior silver medalist, and 2010–11 JGP Final silver medalist. Tuktamysheva is currently the world's 3rd-highest ranked women's singles skater by the International Skating Union following the 2020–21 figure skating season.

Anastasia Viktorovna Mishina is a Russian pair skater. With her skating partner, Aleksandr Galliamov, she is the 2022 Olympic champion in the team event and 2022 Olympic pairs bronze medalist, 2021 World champion, the 2022 European champion, the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a three-time Grand Prix event champion, and the 2022 Russian national champion. She is also the 2019 World Junior champion, the 2018 World Junior bronze medalist, 2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and 2019 Russian national junior champion.

Aleksandr Romanovich Galliamov is a Russian pair skater. With his skating partner, Anastasia Mishina, he is the 2022 Olympic champion in the team event and 2022 Olympic pairs bronze medalist, 2021 World champion, the 2022 European champion, the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a three-time Grand Prix event champion, and the 2022 Russian national champion. He is also the 2019 World Junior champion, the 2018 World Junior bronze medalist, 2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and 2019 Russian national junior champion.

Jason Lawrence Brown is an American figure skater. He is a nine-time Grand Prix medalist, a two-time Four Continents medalist, and the 2015 U.S. national champion. Earlier in his career, he became a two-time World Junior medalist, the 2011 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and the 2010 junior national champion.

Bradie Tennell is an American figure skater. She is a 2018 Olympic team event bronze medalist, the 2020 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2018 CS Autumn Classic champion, the 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb champion, and a two-time U.S. national champion.

Alexa Paige Knierim, née Scimeca is an American pair skater. With her skating partner, Brandon Frazier, she is the 2022 World champion, the 2023 World silver medalist, the 2022 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a two-time U.S. National champion, and a three-time Grand Prix gold medalist. Knierim and Frazier also won the silver medal as part of Team USA at the 2022 Olympic team event.

Brandon Michael Frazier is an American pair skater. With his skating partner, Alexa Knierim, he is the 2022 World champion, the 2023 World silver medalist, the 2022 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a two-time U.S. National champion, and a three-time Grand Prix gold medalist. Knierim and Frazier also won the silver medal as part of Team USA at the 2022 Olympic team event.

Kaitlin Hawayek is an American ice dancer. With her skating partner, Jean-Luc Baker, she is the 2018 Four Continents champion, the 2018 NHK Trophy champion, and a four-time U.S. national bronze medalist (2019–22).

Jean-Luc Baker is a British-American ice dancer. With his skating partner, Kaitlin Hawayek, he is the 2018 Four Continents champion, the 2018 NHK Trophy champion, and a four-time U.S. national bronze medalist (2019–22).

Japan is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 14,125 islands covering 377,975 square kilometers (145,937 sq mi); the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.