Figure skating's Grand Prix Final will reveal Olympic favourites

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The most important figure skating event in the run-up to the Olympics begins Thursday with the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. This is the last time that all of the world's best skaters will gather before the Winter Games in northern Italy. 

Here's what to know:

It's the best of the best.

The Grand Prix of Figure Skating's regular season consists of six events held around the world in October and November. Skaters can compete in up to two of these. They earn points based on where they finish, and those points decide who gets to compete in the Final. Only the top six in each discipline — men's, women's, pairs and ice dance — are invited.

Because skaters (and/or their handlers) can pick and choose which two regular Grand Prix events they enter, we don't always get the greatest matchups throughout the season. But with the best of the best all competing in Japan this week, the Final should give us a pretty good idea of who the top medal contenders will be at the Olympics this February. 

Canada earned two entries.

For the sixth straight time, no Canadian singles skaters qualified for the Final. It wasn't particularly close either: Stephen Gogolev, who won Canada's only individual medal of the season (and the first of his career) with a bronze in Finland two weeks ago, finished 13th in the men's standings. Madeline Schizas was 21st in the women's. They'll compete for Canada's lone entry in each of the Olympic solo events at next month's national championships, but whoever emerges will not have much hope for a medal in Italy.

However, Canada does have two strong