Speed skating rink

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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 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.

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 (ot 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]

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.[6]

Country City Track name Elevation Finished
Belarus Belarus Minsk Minsk Arena 209 2010
Canada Canada Calgary Olympic Oval 1105 1987
Canada Canada Fort St. John Pomeroy Sport Centre 671 2009
Canada Canada Richmond Richmond Olympic Oval 4 2008*
China China Changchun Jilin Provincial Speed Skating Rink 210 2005
China China Harbin Heilongjiang Indoor Rink 141 1995
China China Qiqihar Indoor Icerink 146 2007
China China Shenyang Bayi Speed Skating Oval 48 1999
Germany Germany Berlin Sportforum Hohenschönhausen 34 1985
Germany Germany Erfurt Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann Halle 214 2001
Germany Germany Inzell Eisstadion Inzell 690 2011
Italy Italy Torino Oval Lingotto 233 2005
Japan Japan Nagano M-Wave 346 1996
Japan Japan Obihiro Meiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval 79 2009
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Astana Alau Ice Palace 348 2011
Netherlands Netherlands Breda SpaarSelect Kunstijsbaan 5 2001
Netherlands Netherlands Enschede IJsbaan Twente 27 2008
Netherlands Netherlands Groningen Kardinge 0 1993
Netherlands Netherlands Heerenveen Thialf 0 1986
Netherlands Netherlands Tilburg Ireen Wüst IJsbaan 13 2009
Norway Norway Bjugn Fosenhallen 8 2007
Norway Norway Hamar Vikingskipet 125 1992
Norway Norway Stavanger Sørmarka Arena 48 2010
Russia Russia Chelyabinsk Uralskaya Molniya 222 2005
Russia Russia Kolomna Speed Skating Centre 120 2006
Russia Russia Moscow Krylatskoye Skating Hall 127 2004
Russia Russia Sochi Adler Arena Skating Center 5 2012
South Korea South Korea Seoul Taereung Indoor Ice Rink 63 2000
Sweden Sweden Gothenburg Rudhallen 40 2002
United States USA West Allis, Milwaukee Pettit National Ice Center 216 1993
United States USA Kearns, Salt Lake City Utah Olympic Oval 1423 2000
  • 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.[6]

Country City Track name Altitude Finished Other
Austria Austria Innsbruck Olympia Eisstadion 586 1963
Canada Canada Québec City Centre National Gaétan Boucher 103 1978
Finland Finland Helsinki Oulunkylän Liikuntapuisto 39 1977
Finland Finland Seinäjoki Jääurheilukeskus 44 1952
Hungary Hungary Budapest Városligeti Műjégpálya 115 1968
Italy Italy Baselga di Pinè Ice Rink Pinè 998 1985
Italy Italy Collalbo Arena Ritten 1173 1989
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Almaty Medeo 1691 1972 Reopened
Netherlands Netherlands Amsterdam Jaap Eden IJsbaan -5 1961
Netherlands Netherlands Deventer De Scheg 6 1992 Semi-covered
Netherlands Netherlands The Hague De Uithof 0 1989 Semi-covered
Netherlands Netherlands Haarlem IJsbaan Kennemerland 0 1977 Semi-covered
Norway Norway Oslo Frogner stadion 42 1914 Reopened with artificial ice in 2010
Norway Norway Oslo Valle Hovin 92 1966
Poland Poland Warsaw Tor Stegny 82 1979
Poland Poland Zakopane Tor Cos 932 1956
Switzerland Switzerland Davos Eisstadion Davos 1560 1894 Natural ice
United States USA Lake Placid James B. Sheffield Olympic Skating Rink 568 1977
United States USA Roseville John Rose Minnesota Oval 276 1993

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. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Speed Skating News

Gallery

See also

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