https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Figure_Skating_Championships

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_European_Figure_Skating_Championships

The 2020 European Figure Skating Championships will be held in Graz, Austria, from 20–26 January 2020 Medals will be awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance. The competition will determine the entry quotas for each federation at the 2021 European Championships.

Single skating

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_skating

Pair skating

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair_skating

Ice dance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_dance

EuroFigure 2020

https://www.graz2020.com/en

A cross-cultural Happening

https://www.graz2020.com/news-details/entries-volunteers

The official entry list for #EuroFigure 2020 is out. Now we know the final key figures: 32 Ladies, 35 Men, 19 Pair and 27 Ice Dance teams will show their Short Programs and Rhythm Dances at Graz. 33 countries will participate.

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron will be the only reigning European Champions coming to Austria. Javier Fernández, seven-time European Champion from Spain, ended his active career after winning the Minsk-Europeans last year. Sofia Samodurowa, Champion at the Ladies’ event in Minsk, ended up on ninth place at the latest Russian Nationals, therefore was not selected for Graz. Alina Zagitova, Olympic Champion 2018 in Pyeongchang, is not participating after she announced a break from competitive figure skating in December 2019 as well as Vanessa James / Morgan Ciprès, the 2019-Pair-skating-Champs from France.

More than 200 volunteers from all over the world will come to Graz to finally carry out the ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2020. Even volunteers from Nigeria, Peru and South Korea will be part of upcoming #EuroFigure. Facing this stunning dedication Carmen Kiefer, CEO of “Skate Austria Event Corporation”, wants to express her gratitude: “We are excited to soon welcome you all in Styria. An important event of this size could never be held without persons dedicated to our wonderful sport. On behalf of the Austrian Figure Skating Federation I would like to thank you. Your passion and commitment to figure skating is the major foundation to turn these Championships into an unforgettable event. ”

Picture up: 4-times World and 5-time European Ice Dance Champs G. Papadakis und G. Cizeron will compete in Graz. (c) ISU / Joseep Martinson.

About EuroFigure 2020

Exactly 20 years after the last ISU European Figure Skating Championships® held in Austria (Vienna 2000), Graz (Styria/Steiermark) turns itself into the capital of European Figure Skating, where the continent’s best skaters are going to compete for the desired Championship Titles. From January 20 to 26 2019 Austria’s second largest city will be welcoming 170 athletes from 33 countries.

At this point the Organizing Committee of the event would like to express its gratitude for the support offered by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Public Services and Sports, the Federal State Government of Styria and foremost the City of Graz. Without this generous patronage an important event of this size could never be hold.

Next Destination: Graz 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36tuZG5yaus&feature=emb_title

Digging for gold in the Dolomites

https://www.graz2020.com/news-details/digging-for-gold

February 1956. In a small Italian village, high up in the Dolomite Alps. These were the time and place of Sissy Schwarz’s greatest victory: She and Kurt Oppelt won the gold medal in the Pair Skating event of the Winter Olympic Games (WOG) in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The 1956-gold-medal was the only one for Austria in Pair Skating after World War II until the present day. The 2 talented young athletes were already working on a promising career in Single Skating, especially their excellent free skating abilities attracted attention. After the end of Eva Pawlik’s era as a competitive skater when she won the Olympic silver medal in 1948, a gap in high-level figure skating arose and grew. Less Austrian skaters of this time like Helmut Seibt were able to rival with athletes from many other countries, esp. from the US and Great Britain.But the former President of the Austrian Figure Skating Federation, Mister Grünauer, felt absolutely confident to end this misery and made a smart move: He knew that neither Schwarz nor Oppelt were able to succeed in Single Skating at the next WOG, he convinced them to team up in 1951. They ended up on ninth place at the Oslo-Games in 1952. From there on they became better and better - and got better marks and also better placements form season to season.  

The new formed team earned 2 silver medals at Europeans 1954 and one year later at Worlds. Sissy was still just 19 years old when they went to Cortina for their 2^nd Olympic attempt. The target was clear, they wanted to take the gold medail. The Austrian top-couple of the 1950s showed a breathtaking Free Program to a music piece of famous Austrian composer Franz von Suppé. The performance turned Cortina’s ice rink into a magic winter wonderland. This excellent routine made the impossible possible. The Austrian top-couple even overrun their biggest rivals, the reigning World Champions Francis Dafoe and Norris Bowden from Canada. But wait, there is still more: They got the European Title in Paris as well a 3^rd gold medal at Worlds in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) in the same year.

After four successful years at the Wiener Eisrevue Kurt Oppelt moved to the US and started to work at the University of Pennsylvania. He married in the early 1970s and never came back to Austria for longer. Kurt Oppelt died 2015 with the age of 83 years. Sissy Schwarz-Bollenberger (as she was named after her marriage with an attorney) still lives with her family in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria.  

Figure Skating is coming home!

https://www.graz2020.com/austria-s-skating-story

These roots reach back to the second half of the 19^th century with the Wiener Eislaufverein (Viennese Skating Club) developing and bringing out amazing talents and thus obtaining international reputation. Starting from the first European Championships in 1891 Austrian skaters were regularly taking top spots with Eduard Engelmann winning the gold medal in 1892 and 1894.

Austria has a long and rich figure skating history. The achievements of Austrian skaters as well as their technical and artistic innovations are acknowledged as groundbreaking for the most populare Winter Olympic discipline. Therefore, in January 2020 we invite the European Figure Skating elite, their coaches, teams, families, officials, fans and everyone who loves artistic sports, to Graz for the ISU European Figure Skating Championships®. Then we will not only celebrate the new generation but also reminisce about the Austrian roots of this unique sport.

 First Artificial Ice Rink in Austria

After his retirement from competitive skating Engelmann stunned the world with a brilliant invention: The first artificial skating rink opened its doors 1909. This novelty gained advantage for Austrian skaters, because from now on they could practice a much longer periode of time each year. Just a few years later the next step was done to extend the lead of Austrian athletes in competitive figure skating: Europe’s largest artificial ice rink was built in Vienna. The huge skating sureface of 4.000 square meter was opened in 1912.

The 1930s were the time of Karl Schaefer, probably Austria’s most successful Figure Skater ever. He earned an impressive amount of European- and World-Titles as well as two Olympic gold medals. After WWII he founded the precursor of the “Wiener Eisrevue”, one of the first figure skating entertainement shows.

Wiener Eisrevue conquers the World

Being tremendously popular in the 1950s and 60s Wiener Eisrevue generated international attention. Its appearances even in the US and in Northern Africa were crucial to change the global image of Austria in the aftermath of WWII. The show was highly responsible that the small Cenral European country could be recognized again as heartland of music and dance. Eva Pawlik was the rising star of the show's starting time. The European Champion of 1949 was famous for her pair-performances, mainly with husband Rudi Seeliger.