1994 Royal Bank Canadian Figure Skating Championships

The 1994 Royal Bank Canadian Figure Skating Championships was held in Edmonton in order to prepare the city for hosting the 1996 World Figure Skating Championships. Though usually held in smaller cities and venues, the Canadian Figure Skating Association and the local organizing committee for the World Championships agreed that holding Canada's figure skating championships in Edmonton, the city and the organizing committee would gain practical experience and some insight into hosting a major figure skating event. The 1994 Canadian Championships was essentially a practice run for the 1996 World Championships. Nevertheless, despite being slightly overshadowed by the world event still two years away, the Canadian Championships generated a great deal of enthusiasm and momentum for the Canadian team during an Olympic year. Competition was intense with Elvis Stojko challenging Kurt Browning for the Canadian men's championship and with the woman's championship largely an open competition. 1994 was also a growth year for international figure skating in general. The controversy that developed following the US Figure Skating Championships had increased the profile of North American figure skating, and there was also considerable excitement in Canada about the prospects of either Browning or Stojko potentially winning the Olympic championship. With the increasing attention on figure skating, the 1994 Royal Bank Canadian Figure Skating Championships was largely considered to be the most successful Canadian championships to date. With a half a million dollar profit and record crowds, Edmonton and the local organizing committee demonstrated that they were nearly ready to host the world in 1996.