World Figure Skating Championships Coming to TD Garden

Chock and Bates. / Photo courtesy World Figure Skating Championships

Nearly 200 of the world’s elite figure skaters representing more than 30 countries will converge on TD Garden this spring, all vying for gold in the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships. It is the first time Boston has hosted the event.

Potentially representing the U.S. will be Gracie Gold—who was born in Newton, before moving to Springfield, Missouri—Jason Brown, Ashley Wagner, and World Silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates. They’ll likely face tough competition in Olympic champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia, and Yazuru Hanyu of Japan.

“Boston is such a great figure skating town and we are excited to show it off to the world,” Doug Zeghibe, executive director of the Skating Club of Boston, said in a release. “Figure skating is one of the most popular sports in the world and this competition will showcase its top athletes in its most exciting competition.”

In June 2013, the International Skating Union (ISU), the international governing body for competitive figure skating, awarded U.S. Figure Skating and the Skating Club of Boston the rights to host the world championships, which will be held from March 28 through April 3. It is the sport’s most prestigious event, and the largest annual skating competition in the world. Last year, TD Garden hosted the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

“We are very proud of the world class events we’ve held at TD Garden over the last two decades, including the 2014 and 2001 US Figure Skating Championships,” TD Garden president Amy Latimer said. “We are thrilled to host the largest figure skating competition in the world and provide a memorable experience for the thousands of visitors who will travel to Boston for this event.”

Tickets for the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships go on sale to the general public December 4 at 11 a.m.