Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na, will meet her archrival Mao Asada of Japan in the first Grand Prix event of the new season. The International Skating Union (ISU) announced the schedule of the 2009-2010 ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Series on Sunday, with Kim invited to compete in the first and the fifth events. The first event, the Troph?e Eric Bompard, will be held from Oct. 16 to 19 in Paris, and the fifth event, Skate America, will be held from Nov. 13 to 16 in Lake Placid, in New York. It will be Kim's first appearance in Paris since she made her senior debut in 2006.

This Grand Prix series is especially important because skaters will have their new programs evaluated ahead of the Olympic Games. The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver.

In the Troph?e Eric Bompard, Kim will face 2008 World Champion and Grand Prix Final Champion Asada, 2008 World silver medalist Carolina Kostner of Italy, 2009 World Junior silver medalist Caroline Zhang of the United States, and 2006 Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen of the United States, who is returning to the ice after a three-year break. Kim, currently training in Toronto, said through her management agency, "I will prepare a lot for the first event, as there are so many strong skaters competing."

The ISU holds a total of six Grand Prix events in a season, inviting the world's top skaters to compete. Twelve single skaters and six pairs and ice dancing teams compete. Each participant can compete in a maximum of two events, with the top six skaters qualifying for the Grand Prix Final to be held in Tokyo from Dec. 3 to 6 this year. Kim has finished on the podium in every Grand Prix competition she has entered so far. Kim has had five first-place finishes and one third-place finish in the Grand Prix series, as well as winning the Grand Prix Final twice, and finishing second once.