The 2021 ISU World Team Trophy is an international figure skating competition that was held from April 15–18, 2021 in Osaka, Japan.
The top six International Skating Union members were invited to compete in a team format with points awarded based on skaters' placement.
[5] In line with the tightened restrictions, both Yoshimura and Osaka City Mayor Ichirō Matsui called for the cancellation of the 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay leg scheduled to begin in Osaka City on April 14, one day before the World Team Trophy.
[6] The eventual cancellation of the public torch relay leg, coupled with record-setting case numbers in Osaka, raised questions about whether the World Team Trophy should proceed as scheduled.
[8] On April 7, Governor Yoshimura declared a medical state of emergency in the prefecture following record numbers of COVID cases in the region.