Ottawa, ON (Jan. 5, 2026) – The country’s top skaters will be in Gatineau, Quebec this week for the 2026 Canadian National Skating Championships, taking place Jan. 5–11, 2026 at Centre Slush Puppie. More than 300 junior and senior athletes will compete for national titles in men’s, women’s, pair, ice dance, and synchronized skating.

The National Championships are expected to be highly competitive, as the 2025 champions look to defend their titles while a strong field of contenders skate for a coveted spot on the national podium. The event will culminate on Sunday with the selection of Team Canada’s figure skating athletes that will compete at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games taking place in February.

The ice dance event will be headlined by World silver medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, who will seek their fifth national title in Gatineau. National silver medallists Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha will also be looking for a podium finish after earning two medals on the Grand Prix circuit this year.

In the pair event, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps will strive for a fourth national title. They will be joined by Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier, who recently earned bronze at Skate America, as well as national silver medallists Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud. The pair event will also see the senior national debut of Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medallists Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov.

Two-time men’s national champion Roman Sadovsky will go head-to-head with Finlandia Trophy bronze medallist Stephen Gogolev for the fifth time this season in the men’s event. In the women’s field, Madeline Schizas will look to defend her title as she faces Sara-Maude Dupuis, who recently became the first Canadian woman to land a triple axel in international competition.

The senior synchro competition will showcase 2024 World Champions Les Suprêmes, as well as national silver medallists Nova and bronze medallists Nexxice. All three teams will also be represented in the junior category.

The junior competition will also feature many standout athletes, including Skate Canada Challenge gold medallist and 2025 Canadian Junior Women’s Champion Lia Cho. Junior Grand Prix Finalists Layla Veillon and Alexander Brandys as well as Julia Quattrocchi and Étienne Lacasse will also be on hand, aiming for the top step of the podium respectively in the ice dance and pair events.

Junior athletes will kick off the competition on Tuesday, Jan. 6, while senior competitions will run from Friday to Sunday.

Single session tickets for all competition days are currently on sale here. For more information about the event including the schedule, entries and starting orders, click here.