ISU

Last season, the Belgian Short Track Speed Skating squad benefited from what might seem like the skating equivalent of winning the lottery. In an unorthodox partnership with a country that is often considered a fierce sporting rival, the Netherlands, the decision was made to effectively merge the two nations’ squads.

Short Track Speed Skating might be considered one of the newer Winter sports –the first edition of its World Championships took place in 1976, and the sport was added to the Olympic program officially in 1992 – but people have actually been enjoying the thrills and spills of the event for well over a century.

The ISU herewith informs its Members that based on recent contacts with the company Icederby Europe, the ISU in principle has agreed that Icederby conducts a Test Run for 1 Lap Time Trials and Mass Start Skating Races on the 220 meters track at the Thialf arena in Heerenveen on September 7, 2019.

It was no surprise when, in May of this year, China’s four-time Olympic champion Wang Meng was given the responsibility of leading her country’s national Speed Skating squads to glory in the Beijing 2022 Games.

The ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating 2019/20 is announced.

Summer is not over yet. There is still time to participate in the #SkatingSummer campaign and share your passion!

For a moment at the 2019 ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, it looked like Ren Ziwei, the 22-year-old Chinese skater, was going to win one of the oddest gold medals in the sport since Steven Bradbury took the 2002 Olympic title in the men’s 1000m due to a pile-up.

The International Skating Union (ISU) has published the International Speed Skating & Short Track Speed Skating Competitions for the season 2019/20.

Not many Olympic champions have a Hollywood film made about their lives. But not many Olympic champions have a story to tell quite like that of Steven Bradbury. The Australian has packed more than most into his 45 years.

Every season the ISU invites its Members to send applications to host events as part of the Challenger Series. For the season 2019/20 two applications from Asia were received, Taipei and Hong Kong, to host an event as part of the Series. During its meeting last March, the ISU Council decided to include the event proposed by the Chinese Taipei Skating Union to be held in Taipei City mostly due to more suitable dates.

There is bad news for Choi Min Jeong’s opponents next season. “I am feeling great at the moment,” says the quietly-spoken Republic of Korea skater from her training base in Seoul. “I’m currently doing a lot of core training and running. I’m really looking forward to the next season.”

Even in a season crammed full of spectacular highlights, the race in which the Hungarian Men’s 5000m Relay team smashed the world record after 45 laps of thrilling competition stands out as a perfect illustration of Short Track Speed Skating at its very best.

Marianne St-Gelais was a bright light in the world of Short Track Speed Skating, and not just because she was so fast. The Quebec skater was undeniably competitive – and sometimes looked unbeatable over 500m, her favorite distance – and also incredibly popular. In the world of sport, many athletes like to look unreadable, wearing a serious ‘game face’ at all times. Not St-Gelais: she was always laughing, joking and making others have a good time, too.

The winter season is over and it’s time for some summer vibes! It's so simple to join the campaign: just snap a pic, record a video, tag us and use #SkatingSummer.

The ISU Council decided to provisionally allot the following ISU Championships for the seasons 2020/21 and 2021/22. The allotments of all other Championships are kept pending until the next scheduled ISU Council meeting in October 2019 and further information regarding the decisions of the Council in Rome, will be published at a later date.