The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships (4CC) is an annual figure skating competition. The International Skating Union established it in 1999 to provide skaters representing non-European countries with a similar competition to the much older European Figure Skating Championships. The event's name refers to Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania (four of the continents represented in the Olympic rings, omitting Europe). Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Historically, the 4CC has been dominated by just four countries – Canada, China, Japan, and the United States, which have won a combined 225 out of 228 possible medals. Kazakhstan, South Korea, and Uzbekistan are the only other countries to have placed in the 4CC, winning one gold medal each.
Qualifying
Skaters must belong to a non-European member nation of the ISU. Each member country may enter three skaters or teams in each discipline. National governing bodies select their entries according to their own criteria. As with the other senior ISU Championships, eligible skaters must be older than fifteen before July 1 of the previous year.
The following countries are eligible to send skaters to the competition: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, North Korea, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, United States, and Uzbekistan.