Speed skating

Lore & Background

The origins of speed skating date back over a millennium in the North of Europe, especially Scandinavia and the Netherlands, where the natives added bones to their shoes and used them to travel on frozen rivers, canals and lakes. Later, in Norway, King Eystein Magnusson, later King Eystein I of Norway, boasts of his skills racing on bone skates, so called "ice legs". However, skating and speed skating was not limited to the Netherlands and Scandinavia; in 1592, a Scotsman designed a skate with an iron blade. It was iron-bladed skates that led to the spread of skating and, in particular, speed skating. By 1642, the first known skating club, The Skating Club of Edinburgh, was born, and, in 1763, the first speed skating race known in any detail was held from Wisbech to Whittlesey on the Fens in England for a prize sum of 20 guineas, won by John Lamb of Wisbech. While in the Netherlands, people began touring the waterways connecting the 11 cities of Friesland, a challenge which eventually led to the Elfstedentocht. The first known speed skating competition for women was in Heerenveen, the Netherlands from 1 to 2 February 1805. 130 women competed in a knockout-style competition on a frozen canal in front of a crowd that reportedly numbered 10,000 or more. The winner was Trijntje Pieters Westra, a twenty-year-old farmer's daughter from Poppingawier. By 1851, North Americans had discovered a love of the sport, and the all-steel blade was later developed there. In Norway speed skating also became popular, as there was a huge interest in the 1885 speed skating race at Frognerkilen between Axel Paulsen and Renke van der Zee. The Netherlands came back to the fore in 1889 with the organization of the first world championships. The ISU (International Skating Union) was also born in the Netherlands in 1892. By the start of the 20th century, skating and speed skating had come into its own as a major popular sporting activity.

Reader's Guide

The standard rink for long track is 400 meters long, but tracks of 200, 250 and 333 meters are used occasionally. It is one of two Olympic forms of the sport and the one with the longer history. ISU rules allow some leeway in the size and radius of curves. Short-track speed skating takes place on a smaller rink, normally the size of an ice hockey rink, on a 111.12 m oval track. Distances are shorter than in long-track racing, with the longest Olympic individual race being 1500 meters (the women's relay is 3000 meters and the men's relay 5000 meters). Events are usually held with a knockout format, with the best two in heats of four or five qualifying for the final race, where medals are awarded. Disqualifications and falls are not uncommon. There are variations on the mass-start races. In the regulations of roller sports, eight different types of mass starts are described. Among them are elimination races, where one or more competitors are eliminated at fixed points during the course; simple distance races, which may include preliminary races; endurance races with time limits instead of a fixed distance; points races; and individual pursuits. Races usually have rules about disqualification if an opponent is unfairly hindered; these rules vary between the disciplines. In long track speed skating, almost any infringement on the pairmate is punished, though skaters are permitted to change from the inner to the outer lane out of the final curve if they are not able to hold the inner curve, as long as they are not interfering with the other skater. In mass-start races, skaters will usually be allowed some physical contact. Team races are also held; in long track speed skating, the only team race at the highest level of competition is the team pursuit, though athletics-style relay races are held at children's competitions. Relay races are also held in short track and inline competitions, but here exchanges may take place at any time during the race, though exchanges may be banned during the last couple of laps. Most speed skating races are held on an oval course, but there are exceptions. Oval sizes vary; in short track speed skating, the rink must be an oval of 111.12 metres, while long track speed skating uses a similarly standardized 400 m rink. Inline skating rinks are between 125 and 400 metres, though banked tracks can only be 250 metres long.

Did You Know?

• The Elfstedentocht was organized as a competition in 1909 and has been held at irregular intervals, whenever the ice on the course is deemed good enough.
• Long track world records were first registered in imperial distances and since 1880 in metrical distances.

Ancient Roots and the Birth of a Sport

The story of speed skating stretches back more than a thousand years to the frozen waterways of northern Europe, particularly Scandinavia and the Netherlands. Early inhabitants improvised by attaching animal bones to their footwear, allowing them to glide across frozen rivers, canals, and lakes. In Norway, King Eystein Magnusson—later King Eystein I—famously boasted of his racing prowess on what were called "ice legs," bone skates that gave him an edge over rivals. The sport was not confined to those regions, however. In 1592, a Scotsman designed a skate fitted with an iron blade, and it was precisely this iron-bladed innovation that propelled skating and speed skating into wider circulation across Europe. By 1642, the first known skating club, The Skating Club of Edinburgh, had been established, and in 1763 the earliest speed skating race documented in detail was run from Wisbech to Whittlesey across the English Fens, offering a prize of twenty guineas to the victor, John Lamb of Wisbech.

Standardization and the ISU Framework

The International Skating Union, established in the Netherlands in 1892, holds the distinction of being the first international federation created for any winter sport. Under its governance, long-track speed skating is the discipline officially called simply "speed skating," while short-track is designated "short track skating." The ISU sets precise standards for competition venues: long-track events take place on a 400-meter oval, though tracks of 200, 250, and 333⅓ meters appear occasionally, and the rules permit some flexibility in curve size and radius. Short-track racing is confined to a much tighter 111.12-meter oval, roughly the dimensions of an ice hockey rink. In long-track pair races, nearly any infringement on a rival skater results in disqualification, yet competitors may shift from the inner to the outer lane out of the final curve if they cannot hold the inside, provided they do not impede their opponent. Team competition at the highest level in long track is limited to the team pursuit, while short track features relay events where exchanges can occur at any point during the race, though they may be prohibited in the final laps.

A Global Sport with Deep Regional Roots

Speed skating commands passionate followings in a handful of nations above all others. The Netherlands, Norway, and South Korea are the countries where the sport enjoys the deepest grassroots popularity, and each has produced generations of elite competitors. Beyond those three, top-tier international rinks operate in Canada, the United States, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Belarus, and Poland. The annual World Cup circuit threads through many of these countries, with two dedicated events staged at the Thialf ice hall in Heerenveen, Netherlands—a venue that sits in the heart of the country's skating tradition. The sport's geographic spread is no accident. In the Netherlands, marathon competitions can be held on the natural ice of canals, lakes, and rivers, or on artificially frozen 400-meter tracks where skaters complete a hundred laps. In Scandinavia, the tradition of touring the waterways connecting the eleven cities of Friesland eventually gave rise to the legendary Elfstedentocht. Meanwhile, by 1851 North Americans had embraced the sport, and the all-steel skate blade was later developed there, further diversifying the global skating landscape.

Race Formats and the Spectacle of Competition

The variety of race formats in speed skating creates a rich competitive landscape. In short track, events typically follow a knockout structure: heats of four or five skaters are run, and the two fastest advance to the final, where medals are decided. Falls and disqualifications are common features of these tight, high-speed races on the 111.12-meter oval. The longest individual Olympic distance in short track is 1,500 meters, while relay events extend to 3,000 meters for women and 5,000 meters for men. Long-track speed skating, by contrast, emphasizes head-to-head pair racing over set distances on the 400-meter oval. Mass-start events introduce yet another dimension, with regulations describing eight distinct types, including elimination races where competitors are dropped at fixed intervals, points races, endurance races governed by time limits rather than distance, and individual pursuits. In mass-start formats, a degree of physical contact between skaters is generally tolerated, a stark contrast to the strict non-interference rules of long-track pair events. This diversity of formats ensures that speed skating offers something distinct for every style of competitor and spectator.