ALMATY – Almaty will host the sixth Denis Ten Memorial Challenge, an international figure skating tournament of the ISU Challenger Series, at the Halyk Arena from Oct. 1 to 4.
Photo credit: Denis Ten Memorial Challenge
This year’s competition is expected to feature a powerful lineup, including athletes who are considered frontrunners for medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, reported the Denis Ten Foundation press service on Sept. 4.
Kazakhstan will be represented by its leading skaters, Sofia Samodelkina and Mikhail Shaidorov, alongside a full national roster. According to the International Skating Union (ISU), the men’s event will bring together high-profile contenders such as Nika Egadze of Georgia, South Korea’s Cha Junhwan, and the United States’ Olympian Jason Brown, among others.
In the women’s singles, Samodelkina is expected to face stiff competition from Canada’s Madeline Schizas and South Korea’s Lee Hae-in, ranked 16th and 23rd in the ISU world standings.
The tournament will conclude on Oct. 4 with a gala show titled “Dreaming of the Olympics”. The gala will unite tournament participants with global stars, including Jason Brown, Cha Junhwan, and two-time Olympic champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov.
The Denis Ten Memorial Challenge is held annually in honor of Kazakhstan’s late Olympic bronze medalist Denis Ten, who left a lasting legacy in the world of figure skating.
