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The 2022 World Figure Skating Championships will take place in Montpellier from Wednesday, 23 March till Sunday, 27 March. It is the first time the Championships have been held in Montpellier, and the first time in France since 2012.

The five-day event comes hot off the heels of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing - and numerous skaters from those Games will be competing, although there are some big absentees.

Russian Olympic Committee picked up five medals at the Games, but their athletes - and ones from Belarus - are unable to compete in the Championships because of the nation's invasion of Ukraine.

That means the women's singles gold medallist Anna Shcherbakova and second-placed Alexandra Trusova are both absent. The men's champion Nathan Chen, from USA, is also missing with an injury.

There are medallists in action though, with Japan's Kaori Sakamoto, who won bronze in Beijing, in the women's competition, while second and third-placed Yuma Kagiyama and Shoma Uno will compete in the men's.

Great Britain are represented in all free skate disciplines too with Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson aiming to improve on their 10th place finish at the Games in the ice dance. They are joined by Lilah's sister Sasha and George Waddell.

Graham Newberry goes in the men's competition, while Natasha McKay lines up in the women's. Zoe Jones and Christopher Boyadji are also in the pairs.

Image source, Getty Images

´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer

Coverage of all the free skate events at the 2022 World Figure Skating Championships will be available to watch live on the ´óÏó´«Ã½, and on demand for 30 days.

Full coverage details:

Sunday, 27 March

14:00-16:00 - Highlights, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two & ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer (repeated on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Red Button 19:30-21:30)

16:00-18:30 - Gala, ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer and the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport website & app

Monday, 28 March

18:00-20:30 - Gala (repeat), Red Button

´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport

How do I start?

If you're a beginner you can check out - a 10-stage programme to help get you started.

But what is it?

There's figure skating and speed skating - sports you may have seen at the Winter Olympics. But skating doesn't have to be competitive. You can put on a pair of skates (which you can hire at rinks) and start gliding across the ice. It's best to make sure you can skate in a straight line before you attempt jumps and turns.

Is it for me?

Ice skating is for anybody and easy to learn, whether you just want a bit of fun with friends or are serious about joining a team.

What to expect when I get there?

• If you haven't skated before, you might be scared of taking a fall on the ice. But don't worry, most people will take a tumble at some point and you'll be surprised at how quickly your balance will improve.
• There's an emphasis on quick foot movement and supple knees, so you'll also improve your flexibility.
• The focus on lower-body movement will help build leg muscles.
• Concentration is key, so ice skating can be mentally stimulating.
• You can start young - is a training programme for pre-school children to enjoy.
• is an organisation that is striving to make ice skating accessible, and they have devised a scoring system that allows disadvantaged skaters to compete alongside able-bodied competitors.