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 , was founded in 1865, and the first artificial ice rink, the on the
Avenue de Clichy, in 1892. France's second ice rink, the , 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 () – originally known as the – was founded in 1903 to oversee all winter sports in France except for skiing. In 1908, the organization was renamed the , 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. 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. ==Senior medalists==