Key facts
- Beijing will host the ISU Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track, and Synchronized Skating World Championships in 2028.
- The ISU Skating Awards will also be held in Beijing as part of the BEIJING28 event.
- This is the first time all ISU World Championships will be consolidated into a single city.
- The event aims to create a city-wide festival celebrating skating culture.
- Venues from Beijing's 2008 and 2022 Olympic Games will be used.
Beijing has been selected to host a groundbreaking new event in 2028, consolidating all four International Skating Union (ISU) World Championships—figure skating, speed skating, short track, and synchronized skating—along with the ISU Skating Awards, into a single city for the first time in the organization's history. The event, dubbed BEIJING28, aims to create a landmark celebration of skating, uniting athletes, fans, partners, and stakeholders across all disciplines.
ISU President Jae Youl Kim described BEIJING28 as a "bold vision for the future of skating," emphasizing the unprecedented opportunity for all facets of the sport to converge on one stage. This unified championship will serve as a significant cultural moment, extending beyond the competition arenas into a city-wide festival atmosphere, leveraging Beijing's legacy as a dual Olympic city.
The event is scheduled to take place between the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games and the 2030 French Alps Winter Games. Specific dates for 2028 have not yet been announced. The competitions will utilize Beijing's existing Olympic venues, including the National Indoor Stadium, Capital Indoor Stadium, and the National Speed Skating Oval, highlighting the enduring legacy of the city's Olympic infrastructure and its commitment to winter sports development.
This initiative follows trends in other sports federations, such as freestyle skiing, snowboarding, and cycling, which have also combined their world championships to create larger, more impactful events. The ISU also announced changes to its Figure Skating Grand Prix Series, introducing semifinals starting in 2027.