Learn About Sports

To find out more about the thrills and spills of short track speed skating visit http://www.speedskating.ca.

The site has more information on the sport and the contact information for your Provincial speed skating organization, which will be able to put you in touch with the speed skating club closest to you.

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In addition to racing on a smaller ice surface; the major difference is that in Short Track, skaters compete against each other while in Long track they are racing against the clock.

Thus, success in short track skating depends a lot on a racer's strategic skill and it is often the smartest, not necessarily the fastest, skater who wins.

Another difference is that in short track speed skating multiple racers compete at the same time. The skaters explode from the start with a running motion, and can reach speeds of 50 Km per hour as they race around the tight-turns of the short track.

Passing is allowed anywhere, but competitors must NOT interfere with other racers while overtaking and the skater in front is not allowed to slow down the progress of his rivals by using his arms or body to block them

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It’s hard to believe that Short Track speed skating first started as a way to practice for the more traditional long track Speed Skating.

Short Track Skating was added as a demonstration sport to the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary. Four years later Short Track became a full medal sport at the 16th Winter Games in Albertville.

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