体坛英语新闻：Detroit to host 2019 US Figure Skating Championships

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Detroit will host the 2019 US Figure Skating Championships in Little Caesars Arena and the Detroit Skating Club, the US Figure Skating announced on Thursday.

The dates of the event are Jan. 19-27, 2019.

"US Figure Skating is excited for the return of the US Championships to Detroit for the first time since 1994," US Figure Skating President Sam Auxier said.

"Detroit and all of Michigan is a skating hotbed that is home to many of our top athletes, both past and present.

"Detroit, highlighted by the newly opened Little Caesars Arena and downtown redevelopment, will be a great host to our athletes, coaches officials and fans from around the country. It will be a wonderful event in one of the great, new venues in our country," Auxier said of the 103-year-old US Championships, which are the nation' s most prestigious figure skating event.

Detroit last hosted the US Championships in 1994 at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit also has been the site of Skate America four times, most recently in 2013.

"Suburban Detroit is the epicenter for world-class figure skating, so we feel the nation's most prestigious figure skating event is coming home," said Kris Smith, director of the Detroit Sports Commission.

The US Championships serve as the final qualifying event to make the US World Figure Skating Team every year and the US Olympic Team every four years. This year's championships will be held in San Jose, California from Jan. 3-7 and will determine the US squad for the Pyeongchang Olympics in February.