In another blow to South Bay sports, U.S. Figure Skating Championships move from San Jose to Las Vegas

In another blow to South Bay sports, U.S. Figure Skating Championships move from San Jose to Las VegasPhoto via U.S. Figure Skating
Laila Weir
Published on November 10, 2020

San Jose is losing another major sporting event it was slated to host, with U.S. Figure Skating announcing Monday it will move its January championships to Las Vegas.

The event will follow a bubble format piloted in Las Vegas during U.S. Figure Skating’s first event of the 2020 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, which has been dramatically reformatted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Spectators will not be allowed.

San Jose’s SAP Center will host the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships instead.

“While certainly disappointed, we understand the difficult but necessary decision made by U.S. Figure Skating,” said San Jose Sports Authority Executive Director John Poch in a news release. “As always, the care and safety of the athletes, staff and fans is our top priority.”

In October, Las Vegas’s Orleans Arena hosted figure-skating event Skate America. U.S. Figure Skating President Anne Cammett said the championships will draw on and streamline that event’s operational plan to create a bubble environment.

“We are … confident that the proven bubble concept we will implement at the Orleans Arena will ensure the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships are a successful event for all competitors, coaches and officials,” Cammett said.

“This has been a season unlike any other, and we’re appreciative of our local organizers and the skating community in San Jose for their willingness to be flexible during these challenging times,” the U.S. Figure Skating President also said.

The San Jose Sports Authority told ABC7 News that the skating championship is the 13th sports event it's lost since the pandemic sparked massive shutdowns last March. 

“SAP Center at San Jose was prepared to safely and successfully host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January 2021,” stated the president of San Jose’s Sharks Sports & Entertainment and SAP Center, Jonathan Becher. “While we are disappointed to wait, we are excited to host the Championship in 2023 and showcase the City of San Jose and SAP Center to a national audience.”

The 2021 Figure Skating Championships will take place at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas from Jan. 11–21, 2021, with championship-level competition on Jan. 11–17 and junior-level competition Jan. 19–21. The event will be broadcast on NBC, NBCSN and Peacock Premium. Refunds will be issued to all existing ticket holders to the original form of payment or by check to the address on file for them, according to U.S. Figure Skating. Ticket holders whose information has changed should contact SAP Center at [email protected].