speed skating rink

{{Short description|Ice rink designed for speed skating}}

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.

[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.ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 205 For Olympic competitions, the track must also be enclosed within a building.ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 206

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 =

File:Speedskating rink 400 meters with dimensions.svg

The measurement of the track is made half a meter into the lane.ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 228 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.ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 226

=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.ISU Special Regulations and Technical Rules - Rule 204

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

File:Bandy in Medeu Kazakhstan.JPG 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,[http://arkiv.bandyforbundet.no/bandy/bilder/bandytrening.jpg bandyforbundet.no] Ice Palace Krylatskoye,[https://web.archive.org/web/20160807140042/https://cdn1.img.rsport.ru/images/90185/92/901859281.jpg image at rsport.ru, via Wayback Machine] and Medeu.[https://web.archive.org/web/20160306064734if_/http://www.on.kz/userdata/10152/blogpost_photos/3246678c82a4e2a4fa3ce90a304d4ac8.JPG image at on.kz, via Wayback Machine] The Beijing National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China, which was built for the 2022 Winter Olympics, is also designed appropriately for that sport.[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-04/27/content_29104802.htm Beijing unveils design of speed skating venue for Olympics]{{cite web | url=https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.kuzbassbandyclub.ru/mainnews/archive/3698 | title=Сайт любителей русского хоккея — www.kuzbassbandyclub.ru }} 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.[https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.kuzbassbandyclub.ru/mainnews/archive/3698 kuzbassbandyclub.ru] 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|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.[http://www.speedskatingnews.info Speed Skating News]

class="wikitable sortable"
CountryCityTrack nameElevation (m)Finished
{{flagicon|Belarus}} BelarusMinskMinsk Arena2092010
{{flagicon|Canada}} CanadaCalgaryOlympic Oval11051987
{{flagicon|Canada}} CanadaFort St. JohnPomeroy Sport Centre6712009
{{flagicon|Canada}} CanadaRichmondRichmond Olympic Oval42008*
{{flagicon|China}} ChinaChangchunJilin Provincial Speed Skating Rink2102005
{{flagicon|China}} ChinaDaqingDaqing Stadium1492005
{{flagicon|China}} ChinaHarbinHeilongjiang Indoor Rink1411995
{{flagicon|China}} ChinaQiqiharIndoor Icerink1462007
{{flagicon|China}} ChinaShenyangBayi Speed Skating Oval481999
{{flagicon|China}} ChinaÜrümqiXinjiang Ice Sport Centre17102015
{{flagicon|Germany}} GermanyBerlinSportforum Hohenschönhausen341985
{{flagicon|Germany}} GermanyErfurtGunda Niemann-Stirnemann Halle2142001
{{flagicon|Germany}} GermanyInzellMax Aicher Arena6902011
{{flagicon|Italy}} ItalyTorinoOval Lingotto2332005
{{flagicon|Japan}} JapanNaganoM-Wave3461996
{{flagicon|Japan}} JapanObihiroMeiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval792009
{{flagicon|Kazakhstan}} KazakhstanAstanaAlau Ice Palace3482011
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsRotterdamSchaatsbaan Rotterdam-22013
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsDrontenLeisure World Ice Center-31998
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsEnschedeIJsbaan Twente272008
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsGroningenKardinge01993
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsHeerenveenThialf01986
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsHoornDe Westfries02006
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsTilburgIreen Wüst IJsbaan132009
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsLeeuwardenElfstedenhal02015
{{flagicon|Norway}} NorwayBotngård, Bjugn MunicipalityFosenhallen82007
{{flagicon|Norway}} NorwayHamarVikingskipet1251992
{{flagicon|Norway}} NorwayStavangerSørmarka Arena482010
{{flagicon|Poland}} PolandTomaszów MazowieckiIce Arena Tomaszów Mazowiecki1532017
{{flagicon|Russia}} RussiaChelyabinskUralskaya Molniya2222005
{{flagicon|Russia}} RussiaKolomnaSpeed Skating Centre1202006
{{flagicon|Russia}} RussiaMoscowIce Palace Krylatskoye1272004
{{flagicon|Russia}} RussiaSochiAdler Arena Skating Center52012
{{flagicon|Russia}} Russia

|Irkutsk

|Ice Palace Baikal

|420

|2020

{{flagicon|Russia}} Russia

|Kemerovo

|Ice Palace Kuzbass

|

|2021

{{flagicon|KOR}} South KoreaGangneungGangneung Oval262015
{{flagicon|KOR}} South KoreaSeoulTaereung Indoor Ice Rink632000
{{flagicon|Sweden}} SwedenGothenburgRudhallen402002
{{flagicon|USA}} USAWest Allis, MilwaukeePettit National Ice Center2161993
{{flagicon|USA}} 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.

class="wikitable sortable"
CountryCityTrack nameAltitude (meters)FinishedOther
{{flagicon|Austria}} AustriaInnsbruckOlympia Eisstadion5861963Winter Olympics 1964 and 1976
{{flagicon|Canada}} CanadaHalifaxEmera Oval302011
{{flagicon|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.
{{flagicon|Canada}} Canada

|Saskatoon

|Clarence Downey Oval

|485

|1947

|Natural ice

{{flagicon|Canada}} CanadaWinnipegSusan Auch Oval2341979Natural ice
{{flagicon|Finland}} FinlandHelsinkiOulunkylän Liikuntapuisto391977
{{flagicon|Finland}} FinlandSeinäjokiJääurheilukeskus441952
{{flagicon|Hungary}} HungaryBudapestVárosligeti Műjégpálya1151968
{{flagicon|Italy}} ItalyBaselga di PinéIce Rink Piné9981985
{{flagicon|Italy}} ItalyCollalboArena Ritten11731989
{{flagicon|Kazakhstan}} KazakhstanAlmatyMedeu16911951Artificial ice in 1972, Included in the defeated bid for 2014 and 2022 Winter Olympics in Almaty.
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsAmsterdamJaap Eden IJsbaan-51961
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsDeventerDe Scheg61992Semi-covered
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsThe HagueDe Uithof01989Semi-covered
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsHaarlemIJsbaan Kennemerland01977Semi-covered
{{flagicon|Netherlands}} NetherlandsUtrechtDe Vechtsebanen-21970Semi-covered
{{flagicon|Norway}} NorwayOsloFrogner stadion421914Artificial ice in 2010
{{flagicon|Norway}} NorwayOsloValle Hovin921966Included in the cancelled bid for 2022 Winter Olympics in Oslo and Lillehammer.
{{flagicon|Poland}} PolandWarsawTor Stegny821979
{{flagicon|Poland}} PolandZakopaneTor Cos9321956Included in the cancelled bid for 2022 Winter Olympics in Krakow.
{{flagicon|Switzerland}} SwitzerlandDavosEisstadion Davos15601894Natural ice, Included in the cancelled bid for 2022 Winter Olympics in Kanton of Graubünden.
{{flagicon|USA}} USALake PlacidJames B. Sheffield Olympic Skating Rink5681977Winter Olympics 1980, Winter Universiade 2023.
{{flagicon|USA}} USARosevilleJohn Rose Minnesota Oval2761993Refrigerated Ice

References

{{reflist}}

Gallery

File:Olympic Oval.jpg|Olympic Oval (Calgary)

File:2010 Winter Olympics, Richmond Olympic Oval.jpg|Richmond Olympic Oval (Vancouver)

File:Vikingskipet Hamar.jpg|Vikingskipet Olympic Arena (Hamar)

File:Sportforum Berlin-Hohenschönhausen.jpg|Sportforum Hohenschönhausen (Berlin)

File:Thialf stadion 2008.jpg|Thialf (Heerenveen)

File:Halifax skating oval.jpg|The Emera Oval in Halifax, Nova Scotia is opened for roller skating in the summertime

See also