More than 90,000 spectators watched competitors from 36 countries at the 2016 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, which got underway March 28 and came to a close April 3 at the Delaware North-owned-and-operated TD Garden in Boston.
In June 2013, the International Skating Union (ISU) awarded U.S. Figure Skating and The Skating Club 
of Boston the rights to host the ISU World Figure Skating Championships – the largest annual skating competition in the world. The ISU is the international governing body for the sport of competitive figure skating, and the world championships is its most prestigious event. This is the first time Boston has hosted the ISU World 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 U.S. Figure Skating Championships,” said Amy Latimer, TD Garden president. “We were thrilled to host the largest figure skating competition in the world and provide a memorable experience for the thousands of visitors who traveled to Boston for this event.”
WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS BY THE NUMBERS
- Attendance: 90,000
- Competitors: 173 (31 men, 38 women, 22 pairs teams, 30 ice dance teams)
- Expected Revenue: The local organizing committee will not release any revenue figures, but they can say that turnout is 20 percent higher than it was in Los Angeles in 2009, the last time it was hosted in the United States.
- TD Garden setup: three days (see time-lapse video here)
- Volunteers: 630
- Officials: 85
- Hotel Rooms: 12,000
- Countries Broadcasting: 27+
- Countries Competing: 36
- Economic impact (according to the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau): $38-$41 million
- There were 350 media credentials issued for reporters from 20 countries
The Opening Ceremony featured a 30-minute performance, including 25 skaters (20 professional skaters and five local skaters, ranging in age from 10-19 from The Skating Club of Boston,) 96 costumes and eight different skating numbers.
PHOTO CAPTION: From left, Patricia St. Peter (past U.S. Figure Skating president), Phyllis Howard (ISU Skating Union council member), Doug Zeghibe (executive director, The Skating Club of Boston) and Amy Latimer (TD Garden president) show off the latest addition to TD Garden’s banner collection.