Speed skating rink

A speed skating rink (or speed skating oval) is an ice rink (but also a sport venue) 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. [ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules] - Rule 203

At international competitions, the track must be 400 metres long, with a warm-up lane at least 4 metres wide inside the competition lanes.[1] For Olympic competitions, the track must also be enclosed within a building.[2]

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.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5]

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,[6] Ice Palace Krylatskoye,[7] and Medeu.[8] The 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.[9][10] 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.[11] 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
Main article: List of indoor speed skating rinks

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.[12]

CountryCityTrack nameElevation (m)Finished
BelarusMinskMinsk Arena2092010
CanadaCalgaryOlympic Oval11051987
CanadaFort St. JohnPomeroy Sport Centre6712009
CanadaRichmondRichmond Olympic Oval42008*
ChinaChangchunJilin Provincial Speed Skating Rink2102005
ChinaDaqingDaqing Stadium1492005
ChinaHarbinHeilongjiang Indoor Rink1411995
ChinaQiqiharIndoor Icerink1462007
ChinaShenyangBayi Speed Skating Oval481999
ChinaÜrümqiXinjiang Ice Sport Centre17102015
GermanyBerlinSportforum Hohenschönhausen341985
GermanyErfurtGunda Niemann-Stirnemann Halle2142001
GermanyInzellMax Aicher Arena6902011
ItalyTorinoOval Lingotto2332005
JapanNaganoM-Wave3461996
JapanObihiroMeiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval792009
KazakhstanAstanaAlau Ice Palace3482011
NetherlandsBredaKunstijsbaan Breda52001
NetherlandsDrontenLeisure World Ice Center-31998
NetherlandsEnschedeIJsbaan Twente272008
NetherlandsGroningenKardinge01993
NetherlandsHeerenveenThialf01986
NetherlandsHoornDe Westfries02006
NetherlandsTilburgIreen Wüst IJsbaan132009
NetherlandsLeeuwardenElfstedenhal02015
NorwayBotngård, BjugnFosenhallen82007
NorwayHamarVikingskipet1251992
NorwayStavangerSørmarka Arena482010
PolandTomaszów MazowieckiIce Arena Tomaszów Mazowiecki1532017
RussiaChelyabinskUralskaya Molniya2222005
RussiaKolomnaSpeed Skating Centre1202006
RussiaMoscowIce Palace Krylatskoye1272004
RussiaSochiAdler Arena Skating Center52012
South KoreaGangneungGangneung Oval262015
South KoreaSeoulTaereung Indoor Ice Rink632000
SwedenGothenburgRudhallen402002
USAWest Allis, MilwaukeePettit National Ice Center2161993
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.[12]

CountryCityTrack nameAltitude (meters)FinishedOther
AustriaInnsbruckOlympia Eisstadion5861963Winter Olympics 1964 and 1976
CanadaHalifaxEmera Oval302011
CanadaQuébec CityAnneau Gaétan-Boucher1031972Artificial ice in 1985, now closed, conversion to an indoor oval which now as know the « Centre de glaces » for autumn 2020
CanadaWinnipegSusan Auch Oval2341979Natural ice
FinlandHelsinkiOulunkylän Liikuntapuisto391977
FinlandSeinäjokiJääurheilukeskus441952
HungaryBudapestVárosligeti Műjégpálya1151968
ItalyBaselga di PinéIce Rink Piné9981985Winter Olympics 2026, to expand for indoor configuration.
ItalyCollalboArena Ritten11731989
KazakhstanAlmatyMedeu16911951Artificial ice in 1972, Included in the defeated bid for 2014 and 2022 Winter Olympics in Almaty.
NetherlandsAmsterdamJaap Eden IJsbaan-51961
NetherlandsDeventerDe Scheg61992Semi-covered
NetherlandsThe HagueDe Uithof01989Semi-covered
NetherlandsHaarlemIJsbaan Kennemerland01977Semi-covered
NetherlandsUtrechtDe Vechtsebanen-21970Semi-covered
NorwayOsloFrogner stadion421914Artificial ice in 2010
NorwayOsloValle Hovin921966Included in the cancelled bid for 2022 Winter Olympics in Oslo and Lillehammer.
PolandWarsawTor Stegny821979
PolandZakopaneTor Cos9321956Included in the cancelled bid for 2022 Winter Olympics in Krakow.
SwitzerlandDavosEisstadion Davos15601894Natural ice, Included in the cancelled bid for 2022 Winter Olympics in Kanton of Graubünden.
USALake PlacidJames B. Sheffield Olympic Skating Rink5681977Winter Olympics 1980, Winter Universiade 2023.
USARosevilleJohn Rose Minnesota Oval2761993Refrigerated Ice
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References
  1. ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 205
  2. ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 206
  3. ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 228
  4. ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 226
  5. ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 204
  6. bandyforbundet.no
  7. image at rsport.ru
  8. image at on.kz
  9. Beijing unveils design of speed skating venue for Olympics
  11. kuzbassbandyclub.ru
  12. Speed Skating News

See also
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