[ICE TIME] Exhibition Galas are Canceled for Skate Canada and Finlandia Trophy

Disheartening news arrived on August 22 with Ice Time's confirmation of the cancellation of the Exhibition Galas at Skate Canada and the Finlandia Trophy for the upcoming Grand Prix season.

Skate Canada will be held this season in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from October 25-27. Meanwhile, the Finlandia Trophy is set for November 15-17 in Helsinki.

A longtime staple of the GP circuit, the galas give fans a chance to watch their favorite skaters show off their non-competitive skills in an entertaining environment. Some supporters even like the galas more than the rigorous technical content required in competitions.

In response to a request for comment on the cancellation of their gala, Skate Canada's director of communications Karine Bedard wrote in an email to Ice Time, "We are running the competition over three days instead of two, so we had to remove the gala as there will be events on Sunday as well."

Salla Makela, the executive director of the Finnish Figure Skating Association, provided a detailed explanation of her federation's move to stop holding the gala.

"There are several reasons why we no longer have this," Makela replied to Ice Time's email. "First, the gala did not attract a large audience. Second, we wanted to shorten the competition days to create a more family-friendly schedule.

"Third, we want to give the audience the opportunity to return home between competition days to help them save on costs."

Are Canceled Exhibition Galas a Sign of a Deeper Issue?

The move to drop the two galas comes on the heels of the sudden decision to cancel the annual preseason Japan Open held at Saitama Super Arena each October and could make one ask what is going on.

While there may be people on both sides of the issue of staging the galas, one has to wonder if these apparent cost-cutting moves are actually a sign of a deeper problem in the sport, namely the lack of the superstars of years past.

In the last two years, skating has seen the likes of Yuzuru Hanyu, Nathan Chen and Shoma Uno all retire from competition. Also, we are now heading into the third straight season without Russian skaters competing on the international stage.

That is a lot of star power that has been lost, and stars are the draw that help sell tickets and bring attention to the sport.

Ice Time did not receive a reply to a request for comment from International Skating Union President Jae Youl Kim on the cancellation of the galas and whether it is a cause for concern.

Kaori Sakamoto Says 2026 Olympics Will Be Her Last

In a recent interview with Nikkan Sports at a Japan team training camp in Italy, three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto said the 2026 Olympics will be the final one for her.

"Physically, I am reaching my limit," the 24-year-old Sakamoto was quoted as saying in comments translated and posted in English on fs-gossips.com. "While I am still considered young by general standards, and it seems feasible to continue in my mid-twenties, considering I started competing on the world stage around the age of 13, my decline is becoming visible."

Added Sakamoto, "I don't think I'll be there for the following Winter Olympics [in 2030]. If I think about the next four years, I won't be able to concentrate on the present and will neglect it. I want to consider the Milan Olympics as my last."

Junior Grand Prix Season Set to Start

The seven-stop JGP circuit will get underway this week (August 28-31) in Riga, Latvia. World junior champion Mao Shimada will be the headliner for the competition. She will be joined by training partner Ikura Kushida.

Shunsuke Nakamura and Sena Takahashi will take the ice for the Hinomaru in the men's event. Sumire Yoshida and Ibuki Ogahara will compete in ice dance, but Japan will not send a pairs team to the Latvian capital.

In other JGP news, US junior championship silver medalist Taira Shinohara will make his JGP debut at the event in Bangkok, Thailand (September 11-14).

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Author: Jack Gallagher

The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.