Three-time world champion Mao Asada has entered this year's International Skating Union Grand Prix series, an informed source said Saturday.
Mao announced on May 18 that she would resume competing this year after sitting out the 2014-15 season. The lineups for this year's Grand Prix events will be decided at an ISU meeting that starts Monday in Geneva.
Under last year's rules, she would be eligible to participate in up to two Grand Prix events since she is returning to competition having finished in the top six at a world championships in the previous 10 years.
Before making her announcement, Mao has been practicing her trademark triple axel and high-difficulty combinations.
"I feel my technique has been improving," Mao said at an event at the end of May.
The first event on this year's series is Skate America in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from Oct. 22-25. The series concludes with the NHK Trophy, which will be held at Nagano's Big Hat from Nov. 27-29. The top six scorers over the course of the series will qualify for December's Grand Prix Finals in Barcelona.
Including her four Finals championships, Mao's 14 victories on the Grand Prix circuit are the most by a Japanese skater.