2020 Shiseido Cup of China

With Skate Canada 2020 having been cancelled, Cup of China was the second Grand Prix of 2020 after Skate America, with a week off in between.

Due to the travel restrictions in China, this event was no real Grand Prix, but a national event of China including Hong Kong. No skaters or judges were allowed to come from abroad and no non-Chinese skaters train in China. Like in 2019, it was not organized in Beijing because the rink in the capital is still being renovated for the Olympic Games of 2022. Instead it took place again in the huge city of Chongqing, around 1,000 miles southwest of Beijing.

In the Western world, many people may not have ever heard of Chongqing even though it is a city with more than 30 million people, with tourist highlights like ship cruises on the Yangtze River through the Three Rivers Canyons. The skyline of the city is extremely modern and offers many thousands of colorful and glittering lights at night. Every climate protector will get furious when he sees that. The new rink with about 10,000 seats is within a huge center called “Hua Xi Sport and Cultural Center.“ The main sponsor is the Japanese cosmetic enterprise Shiseido which was well visible in the kiss and cry corner. There were no spectators, only a live stream although China has more or less beaten the virus. Skaters and coaches did not wear masks and sat next to each other in the kiss and cry area.

China does not have many top skaters who are good enough for international competitions. Therefore there was only one group in each of the four competitions instead of two groups at the other Grand Prix.