A speed skating rink (or speed skating oval) is an ice rink in which a speed skating competition is held.

The rink

A standard long track speed skating track is, according to the regulations of the International Skating Union (ISU), a double-laned track with two curved ends each of 180°, in which the radius of the inner curve is not less than 25 metres and not more than 26 metres. The width of the competition lanes is 4 metres. At the opposite straight of the finishing line, there is a crossing area, where the skaters must change lane.[1]

At international competitions, the track must be 400 metres long, with a warm-up lane at least 4 metres wide inside the competition lanes.[2] For Olympic competitions, the track must also be enclosed within a building.[3]

The design and dimensions of a speed skating track have remained more or less unchanged since the foundation of ISU in 1892.

The speed skating track is also used for the sports of Icetrack cycling and Ice speedway

Measurement and demarcation

The dimensions of a standard speed skating rink

The measurement of the track is made half a meter into the lane.[4] The total length of the track is the distance a competitor skates each lap, i.e. the length of two straights, one inner curve and one outer curve, in addition to the extra distance skated when changing lanes in the cross-over area, which on a standard track equals 7 centimeters.

  • A 400 m track with inner radius 25.0 m has 113.57 m long straights
  • A 400 m track with inner radius 25.5 m has 112.00 m long straights
  • A 400 m track with inner radius 26.0 m has 110.43 m long straights

The demarcation of the competition lanes are made by painted lines in the ice (or a set of painted marks) and movable blocks of rubber. On outdoor tracks, snow may also be used for demarcation of the competition lanes.[5]

Alternative speed skating tracks

Although ISU regulations state that minimum measures for a standard speed skating track, alternative track lengths may be used for competition. The minimum requirements are track length on 200 meters, radius of inner curve of 15  meters and width of the competition lanes 2 meters.[6]

Short track speed skating tracks have a length of 111.111 metres (364.54 ft). The rink is 60 metres (200 ft) long by 30 metres (98 ft) wide, which is the same size as an international-sized ice hockey rink.

Combination with other sports

Medeu is also suitable for bandy

Many speed skating venues have ice hockey rinks or no ice area at all inside the oval. A few are suitable also for bandy, like Hamar Olympic Hall,[7] Ice Palace Krylatskoye,[8] and Medeu.[9] The Beijing National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China, which is in the process of being built for the 2022 Winter Olympics, is also designed appropriately for that sport.[10][11] There is a growing cooperation between International Skating Union and Federation of International Bandy, since both have an interest in more indoor venues with large ice surfaces being built.[12] In Norway there is an agreement in place, stating that an indoor arena intended primarily for either bandy or long track speed skating, shall have ice surface for the other sport as well.

Indoor speed skating tracks

Below is a complete list of the indoor 400 m speed skating tracks around the world. The data presented are retrieved from the online database Speed Skating News.[13]

CountryCityTrack nameElevation (m)Finished
Belarus BelarusMinskMinsk Arena2092010
Canada CanadaCalgaryOlympic Oval11051987
Canada CanadaFort St. JohnPomeroy Sport Centre6712009
Canada CanadaRichmondRichmond Olympic Oval42008*
China ChinaChangchunJilin Provincial Speed Skating Rink2102005
China ChinaDaqingDaqing Stadium1492005
China ChinaHarbinHeilongjiang Indoor Rink1411995
China ChinaQiqiharIndoor Icerink1462007
China ChinaShenyangBayi Speed Skating Oval481999
China ChinaÜrümqiXinjiang Ice Sport Centre17102015
Germany GermanyBerlinSportforum Hohenschönhausen341985
Germany GermanyErfurtGunda Niemann-Stirnemann Halle2142001
Germany GermanyInzellMax Aicher Arena6902011
Italy ItalyTorinoOval Lingotto2332005
Japan JapanNaganoM-Wave3461996
Japan JapanObihiroMeiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval792009
Kazakhstan KazakhstanAstanaAlau Ice Palace3482011
Netherlands NetherlandsBredaKunstijsbaan Breda52001
Netherlands NetherlandsDrontenLeisure World Ice Center-31998
Netherlands NetherlandsEnschedeIJsbaan Twente272008
Netherlands NetherlandsGroningenKardinge01993
Netherlands NetherlandsHeerenveenThialf01986
Netherlands NetherlandsHoornDe Westfries02006
Netherlands NetherlandsTilburgIreen Wüst IJsbaan132009
Netherlands NetherlandsLeeuwardenElfstedenhal02015
Norway NorwayBotngård, BjugnFosenhallen82007
Norway NorwayHamarVikingskipet1251992
Norway NorwayStavangerSørmarka Arena482010
Poland PolandTomaszów MazowieckiIce Arena Tomaszów Mazowiecki1532017
Russia RussiaChelyabinskUralskaya Molniya2222005
Russia RussiaKolomnaSpeed Skating Centre1202006
Russia RussiaMoscowIce Palace Krylatskoye1272004
Russia RussiaSochiAdler Arena Skating Center52012
Russia Russia Irkutsk Ice Palace Baikal 420 2020
Russia Russia Kemerovo Ice Palace Kuzbass 2021
South Korea South KoreaGangneungGangneung Oval262015
South Korea South KoreaSeoulTaereung Indoor Ice Rink632000
Sweden SwedenGothenburgRudhallen402002
United States USAWest Allis, MilwaukeePettit National Ice Center2161993
United States USAKearns, Salt Lake CityUtah Olympic Oval14232000
  • Note: The Richmond Olympic Oval was dismantled upon completion of the 2010 Winter Olympics and is no longer used for speed skating. However, if the need arises the speed skating rink can be reinstalled.

Other major speed skating tracks

In the table below, some of the world's major outdoor speed skating tracks still in use are listed. This is not a complete list of speed skating venues, but lists most of the outdoor tracks used for world cup competitions and championships the past years. The data in the table are retrieved from the Speed Skating News database.[13]

CountryCityTrack nameAltitude (meters)FinishedOther
Austria AustriaInnsbruckOlympia Eisstadion5861963Winter Olympics 1964 and 1976
Canada CanadaHalifaxEmera Oval302011
Canada CanadaQuébec CityAnneau Gaétan-Boucher1031972Artificial ice in 1985, now closed, converted to an indoor oval. The building complex is now as know the « Centre de Glaces » for autumn 2021. This oval is now covered and should be on the indoor list as of Fall(?) 2022. The name of the 400 m ice track hasn't changed.
Canada CanadaWinnipegSusan Auch Oval2341979Natural ice
Finland FinlandHelsinkiOulunkylän Liikuntapuisto391977
Finland FinlandSeinäjokiJääurheilukeskus441952
Hungary HungaryBudapestVárosligeti Műjégpálya1151968
Italy ItalyBaselga di PinéIce Rink Piné9981985Winter Olympics 2026, to expand for indoor configuration.
Italy ItalyCollalboArena Ritten11731989
Kazakhstan KazakhstanAlmatyMedeu16911951Artificial ice in 1972, Included in the defeated bid for 2014 and 2022 Winter Olympics in Almaty.
Netherlands NetherlandsAmsterdamJaap Eden IJsbaan-51961
Netherlands NetherlandsDeventerDe Scheg61992Semi-covered
Netherlands NetherlandsThe HagueDe Uithof01989Semi-covered
Netherlands NetherlandsHaarlemIJsbaan Kennemerland01977Semi-covered
Netherlands NetherlandsUtrechtDe Vechtsebanen-21970Semi-covered
Norway NorwayOsloFrogner stadion421914Artificial ice in 2010
Norway NorwayOsloValle Hovin921966Included in the cancelled bid for 2022 Winter Olympics in Oslo and Lillehammer.
Poland PolandWarsawTor Stegny821979
Poland PolandZakopaneTor Cos9321956Included in the cancelled bid for 2022 Winter Olympics in Krakow.
Switzerland SwitzerlandDavosEisstadion Davos15601894Natural ice, Included in the cancelled bid for 2022 Winter Olympics in Kanton of Graubünden.
United States USALake PlacidJames B. Sheffield Olympic Skating Rink5681977Winter Olympics 1980, Winter Universiade 2023.
United States USARosevilleJohn Rose Minnesota Oval2761993Refrigerated Ice

References

  1. ↑ [ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules] - Rule 203
  2. ↑ ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 205
  3. ↑ ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 206
  4. ↑ ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 228
  5. ↑ ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 226
  6. ↑ ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 204
  7. ↑ bandyforbundet.no
  8. ↑ image at rsport.ru
  9. ↑ image at on.kz, via Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ Beijing unveils design of speed skating venue for Olympics
  11. ↑ "Сайт любителей русского хоккея — www.kuzbassbandyclub.ru".
  12. ↑ kuzbassbandyclub.ru
  13. 1 2 Speed Skating News

See also

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