Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance at the senior and junior levels, although not every discipline may be held every year due to a lack of participants. Alain Giletti currently holds the record for winning the most French Championship titles in men's singles (with ten), while Andrée Brunet (née Joly) holds the record in women's singles (also with ten). Andrée Brunet also holds the record in pair skating with her husband Pierre Brunet (with eleven), while Jean-Paul Guhel holds the record in ice dance (with nine), although these were not all won with the same partner.
History
Ice skating was first popularized in France during the mid-19th century, when the French could often be seen skating along the canals of Versailles, the Glacière de Gentilly, the Lac d'Enghien, the Ourcq Canal, the ponds of Villette, and the lakes at the Bois de Boulogne. The first skating club in Paris, the Cercle des patineurs, was founded in 1865, and the first artificial ice rink, the Pôle Nord on the Avenue de Clichy, in 1892. France's second ice rink, the Palais de Glace, was constructed from 1893 to 1894 along the Champs-Élysées in Paris, and allowed for figure skating, speed skating, and ice hockey. The French Federation of Ice Sports (French: Fédération Française des Sports de Glace) – originally known as the Union des Fédérations Françaises des Sports de Glace – was founded in 1903 to oversee all winter sports in France except for skiing. In 1908, the organization was renamed the Fédération Française des Sports d'Hiver, and it oversaw figure skating, ice dance, speed skating, bobsleigh, curling, and ice hockey. The first official figure skating championship event for men was held in 1908 in Chamonix. It featured special figures and free skating; Louis Magnus was the winner. A separate event for women was held the next year in Paris; Yvonne Lacroix won the event. Championships in pair skating debuted in 1911, and ice dance in 1948.
No competitions were held from 1915 to 1919 due to World War I, nor from 1940 to 1941 and from 1943 to 1945 owing to the German occupation of France during World War II. After the liberation of France in 1945, championships returned, and have since been held without interruption. The 2021 French Championships, originally scheduled to be held in December 2020, were at first cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but were later reinstated and held in February 2021 in Vaujany.
↑"Patinage"[Skating]. Gil Blas (in French). 19 January 1909. p.4. Retrieved 20 July 2025– via RetroNews.
↑"Patinage"[Skating]. La Liberté (in French). 22 February 1910. p.3. Retrieved 12 July 2025– via RetroNews.
↑"Le championnat de France de figures"[Figures championships of France]. Excelsior (in French). 9 January 1911. p.10. Retrieved 12 July 2025– via RetroNews.
↑"Skating". Le XIXè Siècle (in French). 11 January 1912. p.2. Retrieved 12 July 2025– via RetroNews.
↑"Patinage"[Skating]. Le XIXè Siècle (in French). 13 January 1913. p.3. Retrieved 12 July 2025– via RetroNews.
↑Vaughn Sullivan, Jane (March 1963). "1963 French Championships"(PDF). Skating. Vol.40, no.3. p.20. Archived(PDF) from the original on 26 January 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
12"Newsmakers"(PDF). Skating. Vol.42, no.4. April 1965. p.11. Archived(PDF) from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
1234Berlot, Jean-Christophe (February 1985). "Ice Abroad"(PDF). Skating. Vol.62, no.2. pp.30–31. Archived(PDF) from the original on 4 March 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
1234Berlot, Jean-Christophe (February 1988). "Ice Abroad"(PDF). Skating. Vol.65, no.2. pp.7, 15. Archived(PDF) from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
12"Ice Abroad"(PDF). Skating. Vol.68, no.5. May 1991. p.24. Archived(PDF) from the original on 4 March 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
1234Berlot, Jean-Christophe (April 1994). "French National Championships"(PDF). Skating. Vol.71, no.4. pp.48–50. Archived(PDF) from the original on 24 February 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
↑"Un peu partout"[A little everywhere]. La Patrie (in French). 9 January 1923. p.3. Retrieved 12 July 2025– via RetroNews.
↑"Resultats des réunions de dimanche"[Results from Sunday's meetings]. L'Homme libre (in French). 4 March 1924. p.4. Retrieved 12 July 2025– via RetroNews.
↑"Échos sportifs"[Sports echoes]. L'Écho de Paris (in French). 21 March 1911. Archived from the original on 12 October 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025– via Old News.
Billouin, Alain (1999). Le livre d'or du patinage[The Golden Book of Skating] (in French). Paris: Éditions Solar. ISBN2-263-02953-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
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