The city previously welcomed the sport's best young talent in 2001, 2008, 2009 and 2014 and will host 186 skaters from 45 countries this time around.

Men's contenders at the Arena Armeec included American Alexei Krasnozhon, the Russian-born winner of this year's ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Japanese city Nagoya.

His season's best is 236.5 points but his compartiot Camden Pulkinen, the silver medallist in Nagoya, will also be a threat.

Russian 13-year-old Alexandra Trusova will look to add the world title to her Junior Grand Prix Final gold in the women's event.

Her team-mate Alena Kostornaia won silver in Nagoya and is considered Trusova's main threat.

In the pairs competition, Australia's reigning champions and Junior Grand Prix Final winners Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya and Harley Windsor have moved up to senior level to leave a wide open field.

Nagoya bronze medallists Daria Pavliuchenko and Denis Khodykin of Russia have been tipped to star with their season's best of 172.94.

However, China's reigning World Championship bronze medallists Yumeng Gao and Zhong Xie are another pair hoping to impress.

There will be a battle between Russian and American duos in the ice dance competition with Russia's Nagoya winners Anastasia Skoptcova and Kirill Aleshin going up against the duo they beat into second place in the Japanese city, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko.

Competition runs until Saturday (March 10), with the short programme in pairs and ice dance beginning proceedings tomorrow.