ISU

In 2019/20 Speed Skating will be faster than it has ever been. The season builds up to a climax at the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships on the fastest ice on earth in Salt Lake City in February. The six world records during last season's ISU World Cup Speed Skating finals at the Utah Olympic Oval, were just a prelude to what's yet to come.

Sven Kramer's (NED) preparations for the new Speed Skating season were hampered by a bike accident in Inzell in October. The reigning ISU European Allround Speed Skating Champion suffered a bone bruise in his right knee.

The ISU is pleased to announce that all ISU Events, from the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, ISU World Cup Speed Skating, ISU World Cup Short Track Series and ISU Championships will be live streamed on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel as of season 2019/20.

Simen Spieler Nilssen may miss the first World Cup races of the Speed Skating season in November. The 26-year-old Norwegian got injured in a cycling accident together with teammate Sverre Lunde Pedersen in Inzell, Germany, in September.

The clap skate caused a Speed Skating revolution in 1997. In the 1997/98 Speed Skating season nine out of ten world records in both the men's and women's events were broken thanks to the innovation. But it wasn't as new an idea as it seemed to be. The first patent for a clap skate was granted to one Charles Corneby in England in 1884, but somehow the idea was never put into practice in international competition.

Getting to the top is not easy, staying there is even more difficult. After winning Olympic 500m Speed Skating gold, the ISU World Sprint Speed Skating Championships title and the 500m as well as the overall ISU World Cup Speed Skating in 2018 Håvard Lorentzen (NOR) was struggling to get back to winning ways last season. 

Norway and the Netherlands dominated Speed Skating in the 1970s, but the most significant innovator in the sport during that era came from Switzerland. Franz Krienbühl (SUI) was the first to enter the Speed Skating rink in a one-piece skin suit in 1974. 

The ISU is releasing the competition rules & formats, entry quotas & details and all general information for the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating 2019/20.

The ISU is releasing the competition rules & formats, entry quotas & details and all general information for the ISU World Cup Speed Skating 2019/20.

Ard Schenk (NED) completed the 1500m in 1 minute and 58.7 seconds. It may not sound very fast compared to the current world record of 1.40,17, but on the outdoor ice of Davos, Switzerland, back in 1971, the Dutchman was the first to break the two-minute barrier in Speed Skating history.

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.

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

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

While Europe is suffering from the August heat, Bart Swings (BEL) is already looking forward to the winter. After having won three world titles and seven medals in total at the World Roller Games in Barcelona, the Belgian skating champion switched from wheels to blades by the end of July already.

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.