That's not quite true, because of the minimum technical scores. The worst skaters at Worlds, or even Euros/4Cs/Olympics with lower minimums, will not be in the same league as the medalists, but they will have achieved a minimum level of competence far beyond barely standing on skates. No need to be hyperbolic.
Individual JGPs are different, but only the best juniors make it to the final.
So what would an "open" competition structure look like? What did you have in mind?
Maybe something like an expanded Grand Prix, either with many more two-warmup-group competitions over many more weeks, or only a few more but double their size.
Would there be any limit to the number events an individual skater could enter? Or how many skaters from the same country could be entered in the same event?
Have skaters enter as individuals rather than representing countries? Who would pay the entry fees and expenses for each in that case?
Would there be funding sources to offer prize money not only to the medalists but income for competitors who make these events watchable even if they don't win, to fund their ability to train at the top level and improve toward medalworthy standard?
Use some formula taking into both placements and actual scores to determine the top 24 or 30 skaters of the season, irrespective of national origin, who would then qualify for Worlds?
Or maybe it make sense to expand the Grand Prix in some similar way to the point that the GPF with the best 24 skaters of the season would be the culmination and most prestigious event of the season.
But also have worldwide and/or continental events that any federation can participate in if they have at least one skater who meets a minimum standard?
There still need to be national federations to grow the sport at a domestic level before there will be any skaters at all who are ready to compete on a world stage. The question is who determines who can compete internationally, what opportunities are available for international competitors, and who pays for it all.
If skaters competed purely as individuals at the elite level, not representing their federations and therefore not providing bragging rights to their home countries, there would be much less incentive for national organizations to fund travel to competitions, much less to fund training. If "Russia" didn't get a benefit from seeing top skaters announced as representing Russia and seeing a Russian flag during the medal ceremonies, I think it's a lot less likely that Russian skaters would have access to the resources that allow them to train to a dominant level.
Because of the way the Olympics is structured for all sports, there would still be limits on the number of Olympic entries per country.
Individual JGPs are different, but only the best juniors make it to the final.
So what would an "open" competition structure look like? What did you have in mind?
Maybe something like an expanded Grand Prix, either with many more two-warmup-group competitions over many more weeks, or only a few more but double their size.
Would there be any limit to the number events an individual skater could enter? Or how many skaters from the same country could be entered in the same event?
Have skaters enter as individuals rather than representing countries? Who would pay the entry fees and expenses for each in that case?
Would there be funding sources to offer prize money not only to the medalists but income for competitors who make these events watchable even if they don't win, to fund their ability to train at the top level and improve toward medalworthy standard?
Use some formula taking into both placements and actual scores to determine the top 24 or 30 skaters of the season, irrespective of national origin, who would then qualify for Worlds?
Or maybe it make sense to expand the Grand Prix in some similar way to the point that the GPF with the best 24 skaters of the season would be the culmination and most prestigious event of the season.
But also have worldwide and/or continental events that any federation can participate in if they have at least one skater who meets a minimum standard?
There still need to be national federations to grow the sport at a domestic level before there will be any skaters at all who are ready to compete on a world stage. The question is who determines who can compete internationally, what opportunities are available for international competitors, and who pays for it all.
If skaters competed purely as individuals at the elite level, not representing their federations and therefore not providing bragging rights to their home countries, there would be much less incentive for national organizations to fund travel to competitions, much less to fund training. If "Russia" didn't get a benefit from seeing top skaters announced as representing Russia and seeing a Russian flag during the medal ceremonies, I think it's a lot less likely that Russian skaters would have access to the resources that allow them to train to a dominant level.
Because of the way the Olympics is structured for all sports, there would still be limits on the number of Olympic entries per country.