Absence of Russian, Chinese athletes sets table for figure skating worlds like no other

Between Russian skaters being banned from international competition due to the invasion of Ukraine, China not entering any skaters and a slew of other withdrawals, the 2022 world figure skating championships will be like none we've ever seen. 

"At every world championship following an Olympics there's top skaters missing," said Dylan Moscovitch, the retired Olympic pairs skater and co-host of CBC Sports' That Figure Skating Show. "But the fact the Russian team won't be there will be something to remember. It's a unique time in figure skating for sure.

"This is the most up-for-grabs world championship that I can remember."

The championships are March 21-27 in Montpellier, France. Three of four Olympic champions from last month's Beijing Games are not competing, and none of the reigning world champions will take the ice either.

The women's and pairs events will be the most affected by the absences of the Russian and Chinese skaters. 

In pairs, Russia and China are easily the top teams in the world. Olympic silver medallist Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, plus bronze medallists Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov, won't be allowed to compete. There will also be no Chinese skaters entered, most notably the Olympic champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong.

That means the pairs event will be without the top-five Olympic teams, opening up an opportunity for American teams like Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier as well as Japanese pair Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara.

In ice dance, the absence of reigning world champions Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katasalapov, and their teammates Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin will leave a big gap in the top five, giving the top American teams plus Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul