The best skaters in Europe take to the ice in Estonia this week as Tallinn hosts the European Figure Skating Championships for the third time.

When is it on?

The ISU European Figure Skating Championships begin Wednesday, 29 January with the pairs short programme and conclude Sunday, 2 February with the exhibition gala.

Who is skating?

Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA) was forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final last month due to injury. If he is back to full fitness, he must be considered the favourite to claim a third consecutive European title. Kevin Aymoz (FRA) did end up being the sole French entrant in the Grand Prix Final in his hometown and he will be in Tallinn to try and win his first European medal. Several former European medallists are seeking to reach the podium again this year. Chief among them will be hometown boy Aleksandr Selevko (EST) who took silver last year in Kaunas, Lithuania. He will be joined by his brother Mihhail Selevko (EST). Immediately after winning bronze at last year’s Europeans Matteo Rizzo (ITA) underwent hip surgery and is currently on the comeback trail. 2022 silver medallist Daniel Grassl (ITA) is back at Europeans after sitting out last season. 2022 bronze medallist Deniss Vasiljevs (LAT) and 2023 bronze medallist Lukas Brischgi (SUI) will try to vie for the rostrum.

The absence of Loena Hendrickx (BEL) provides an opportunity for a number of European women to earn gold. Anastasiia Gubanova (GEO) is the only former European champion in the field having won in 2023 when the event took place in Espoo, Finland. With the withdrawal of her compatriot, last year’s bronze medallist Nina Pinzarrone (BEL) will be carrying the hopes of Belgium on her shoulders, while 2023 bronze medallist Kimmy Repond (SUI) will be doing the same for Switzerland. Lara Naki Gutmann (ITA) has the highest total season best of all the European women in Tallinn. The loudest cheers will no doubt be reserved for local favourite Niina Petrokina (EST).

Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin (GER) will be out for redemption after completely finishing outside the medals in the pairs event last year. They are in superb form this season having won their second Grand Prix Final title in a row last month in Grenoble. 2023 gold medallists Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii (ITA) are the only returning pair champions and like the Germans they will be striving to put their own subpar performance from last year behind them. Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (GEO) edged out the Italians for the bronze medal at this season’s Grand Prix Final and will surely be in the fight for the title in Tallinn. Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini (ITA) will be attempting to extend their current streak of European top three finishes to three.

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (ITA) did not have the best start to the Grand Prix series when they wound up second at the Grand Prix de France in November. They bounced back to win at Cup of China and took second place at the Grand Prix Final and are the provisional favourites to earn a third European ice dance title. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (GBR) will be hot on the heels of the Italians and have had their most successful season so far with two Grand Prix victories and third place at the Grand Prix Final. While the first two places on the podium appear to be set in stone, the third spot looks to be up for grabs between a number of teams. Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud (FRA) took their first Grand Prix title at Grand Prix de France enabling them to qualify for the Grand Prix Final at home. Neither the 2023 bronze medallists Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis (FIN) nor 2024 bronze medallists Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU) will have home advantage this time round, but their performances this season suggest they will be there or thereabouts. Watch out also for the meteoric rise of Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck (ESP).

Everything you need to know (and some things you did not) about the skaters, the competition schedule and results can be viewed here.

When is the skating on?

Early morning till after in North America, lunchtime till evening in Europe and evening and through the night in Asia. The times listed for the European Championships are local and if you want to know what the time difference is between where you are and Tallinn then this link is your friend.

Where can I watch the pretty skaters?

This season’s ISU European Figure Skating Championships can be viewed on the Skating ISU YouTube channel. Geographic restrictions may apply.

What are the hashtags?

#EuroFigure #FigureSkating