Skaters were eligible for the event if they were representing a European member nations of the International Skating Union and had reached the age of 15 before 1 July 2011 in their place of birth. The corresponding competition for non-European skaters was the 2012 Four Continents Championships. National associations selected their entries according to their own criteria but the ISU mandated that their selections achieve a minimum technical elements score (TES) at an international event prior to the European Championships.
Some skaters were required to compete in a preliminary round, while others received a direct entry into the short program, after which the number of entries might be reduced further.[3] If a country had a non-direct entry, its lowest-ranked skater according to the Worlds Standings competed in the preliminary round.
Number of skaters
Discipline
Pre.
Dir.
SP
FS
Men
18
18
28
24
Ladies
23
18
28
24
Pairs
19
16
Ice dance
19
12
20
20
Pre. = Preliminary round; Dir. = Direct entry; SP = Short program; FS = Free skating
In January 2012, the ISU released a statement confirming that Evgeni Plushenko, who did not have a minimum score from the current or previous season, had been allowed to participate in the competition.[4]
2012 was the first time in more than twenty years that Great Britain organized the European Championships.[5]Robin Cousins choreographed the opening ceremony featuring 100 young local skaters and attended by Prince Edward.[5]
Evgeni Plushenko won the preliminary round.[6] The top 11 skaters advanced from the preliminary round to the short program, joining 17 direct entries.[7]Jason Thompson who placed 13th also advanced as the representative of the host country.[7]Artur Gachinski narrowly won the short program ahead of Plushenko.[8] Plushenko won the free skate and took his seventh European title, while Gachinski took the silver and France's Florent Amodio won the bronze.[9]
23 ladies competed in the preliminary round, with the top ten advancing to the short program to join 18 direct entries.[10]Polina Korobeynikova was the winner of the preliminary round.[11] The top three in the short program were Carolina Kostner, Kiira Korpi and Ksenia Makarova.[12] In the free skate, Kostner placed first, followed by Korobeynikova, and Elene Gedevanishvili. Kostner won her fourth European title.[13] Kiira Korpi took silver, her third European medal, and Gedevanishvili won her second bronze.
Russia's Yuko Kavaguti / Alexander Smirnov withdrew as a result of an emergency surgery the previous week to remove Smirnov's appendix and Ksenia Stolbova / Fedor Klimov took their place.[14] No preliminary round was held because there were only 19 teams in total.[7] Germany's Aliona Savchenko / Robin Szolkowy withdrew before the short program due to injury.[15][16] Russia's Tatiana Volosozhar / Maxim Trankov won the short.[17] Germany's Mari Vartmann / Daniel Wende collided with each other while attempting to avoid a French couple during the morning practice before the long programs on 26 January.[18] Volosozhar / Trankov won the free skate to take their first European title, while Vera Bazarova / Yuri Larionov and Stolbova / Klimov took silver and bronze respectively for a Russian sweep of the podium.[19]
