Chinese figure skater Zhang Ruiyang competes at the Chinese National Figure Skating Championships 2024/2025 on Januray 19, 2025. Photo: VCG

Chinese skaters are set to vie for spots for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the ISU (International Skating Union) Skate To Milano Figure Skating Qualifier to be held in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. 

A total of 112 athletes from around the world will compete for 17 Olympic berths in the men's singles, women's singles, pair skating and ice dance, including top skaters such as two-time worlds medalist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium and 2023 European women's singles champion Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia, according to a press release sent to the Global Times by the organizers.

Zhang Ruiyang, who won gold at the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy in the Philippines in August, will participate in the women's singles. Last season's ISU Junior Grand Prix Final champions Zhang Jiaxuan and Huang Yihang, as well as ice dance veteran duo Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu, will compete in pair skating and ice dance respectively. In the men's singles, China has already secured a berth for the Winter Olympics, so no skaters will participate in this event, said the organizers.

"As a young skater who only recently moved up to the senior level, Zhang Ruiyang is showing growing stability in her set of jumps despite still being in the middle of her development. That said, her limited international experience is evident, and in terms of jump difficulty she still trails behind several of the other star figure skaters like [Loena] Hendrickx. But she has a chance of obtaining a spot," Beijing-based sports commentator Wang Dazhao told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

The competition held at Beijing's National Indoor Stadium will serve as the final opportunity for international skaters to secure qualification spots in individual events for the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.

Wang noted that though this qualifier will decide whether China's women's singles can secure a berth at the Winter Olympics, what matters more is the development of the next generation. 

"Take 12-year-old Liu Yuxuan, still in the junior ranks as an example. After training abroad, she became the first Chinese women's singles skater to land a quadruple salchow jump. She has excellent physical attributes and strong skating skills, and if she continues to progress, she could reach results reminiscent of China's first Olympic figure skating medalist Chen Lu," Wang said.

In ice dance, Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu remain the leading pair for China. "Though their wealth of experience remains an asset, they are no longer in peak condition, as injuries have taken a toll," said Wang.

In pairs skating, with the absence of Olympic champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, Zhang Jiaxuan and Huang Yihang have chance to fight for a spot. 

"They were pulled up from the junior ranks and are steadily maturing. Their performance will depend on how boldly they seize this opportunity," Wang added.

Ren Hongguo, president of the Chinese Figure Skating Association, told the reporters that this qualifying event holds great significance for China, as the athletes have been ­training intensively with the goal of delivering their best ­performances in the competition and securing berths for the Winter Olympics.

Such a high-level international event in Beijing, the "dual Olympic city," is not only an important stage for Chinese figure skating to showcase its competitive strength and organizational capabilities to the world, but also a demonstration of China's integration into the global ice and snow sports landscape and its commitment to deepening exchange and cooperation, said Ren. 

Fan Yabing, an official with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, said that this elite event will serve as a catalyst to ignite greater enthusiasm and passion for ice and snow sports, thereby consolidating and expanding the remarkable achievement of "engaging 300 million people in winter sports."

The qualifier is just one of the international winter sports events scheduled to take place in the capital. In January, the ISU Four Continents Championships 2026, which is seen as a "preview battle" for the coming Winter Olympics, will be held in Beijing. A month earlier, in December, Beijing's Shougang Park will host the FIS Snowboard and Freeski Big Air World Cup.