Ilia Malinin, Sakamoto Kaori lead stacked fields at 2024 Skate Canada International - Preview, competition dates, and how to watch

For the first time in 20 years, Skate Canada International returns to Halifax, Nova Scotia, for the 2024 edition.

The Atlantic Ocean coastal regional hub last hosted the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series stop in Canada in 2004, and this year's event features not one, not two, but four reigning world champions in its standout field.

Reigning world champ Ilia Malinin headlines the men's event and is the lone male in the field to do back-to-back events to open the Grand Prix season, having competed - and won - Skate America this last weekend.

Three-time and reigning women's world gold medallist Sakamoto Kaori leads the women, while home hopes Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps (pictured above) look to carry their momentum from Worlds last season in Montreal, where they claimed an emotional title in front of the Montreal crowd.

Another Canadian duo, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, are favoured in ice dance, the reigning world silver medallists having won this event in its last four stagings dating back to 2019.

Skate Canada is the second of six Grand Prix competitions that provide skaters with the opportunity to advance to December’s elite Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France.

With competition set to get underway on Friday (25 October), here’s a look at the stars set to compete and how to watch the action live.

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2024 Skate Canada International: Stars to watch

Nothing is a given for Malinin in Halifax. The 2023 world silver medallist Cha Jun-hwan leads a host of challengers on the men's side. Malinin's veteran teammate, two-time Olympian Jason Brown, returns to the Grand Prix Series for the first time since 2021.

Two clean skates from Brown could put him in contention for the podium, and he'll pressure Malinin and Cha to execute on their planned quadruple jumps.

2023 Skate Canada champion Yamamoto Sota returns to the scene of his first Grand Prix win, while his Japanese teammate Sato Shun is also dangerous.

There is plenty of intrigue around the women's event, too, with the Grand Prix return of another American in 19-year-old Alysa Liu. Liu retired from skating in April of 2022 following her Olympic debut and then bronze-medal performance at Worlds, but announced a comeback in March after two years away.

Her true form will be tested against Sakamoto, as well as a long list of podium contenders, including Watanabe Rinka (the 2022 champion at this event); Kimmy Repond, who was fifth at Worlds in March; Yoshida Hana, Kim Yelim, and Elyce Lin-Gracey, a 17-year-old American who won the Nebelhorn Trophy Challenger Series title to open the season.

Home hopes Kaya Ruiter and Madeline Schizas will look for breakthrough performances in Halifax.

Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps will see their chief challengers in Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel of Germany, while Gilles/Poirier's Canadian teammates Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha always impress.

2024 Skate Canada International: Competition dates

The 2024 edition of the ISU Grand Prix series event takes place from 25-27 October.

2024 Skate Canada International: How to watch

Fans in the U.S. can watch all the action from Skate America live on NBC’s streaming service Peacock. The events will be available for 72 hours following the end of each competition.

Canadian fans can catch the action streaming on the Skate Canada website, while you can find a list of other key territories – and their subsequent broadcasters – here:

• Australia - SBS
• Brazil - ESPN
• Canada - CBC
• People’s Republic of China - CCTV
• France, Great Britain - Eurosport
• Finland - YLE
• Germany - ARD; ZDF
• Italy - Rai
• Japan - Fuji
• Mexico - Sky Mexico

For full tune-in information, see the ISU’s “Where to Watch” page here.

ISU also provides live streaming on its YouTube account, though many territories are geo-blocked.