History

The roots of ice skating date back over 1,000 years to the frozen canals and waterways of Scandinavia and the Netherlands when men laced animal bones to their footwear and glided across frozen lakes and rivers.

By the 1600’s, traveling on blades between villages had become a useful and enjoyable means of transportation for the Dutch. Surprisingly, credit for the first pair of all-iron skates goes to a Scotsman who invented them in 1592. The iron blade accelerated the spread of speed skating and in 1642 the Skating Club of Edinburgh was formed. In 1763 the world's first organized speed skating race, which covered a distance of slightly more than 24 kilometres, was held on the Fens in England.

Eventually, the fledgling sport found its way to North America, where a lighter, sharper and longer all-steel blade was first produced in 1850. In 1889, the Dutch organized the first world championship with skaters covering four distances — 500 m, 1,500 m, 5,000 m and 10,000 m. The International Skating Union (ISU) was formed in the Netherlands in 1892. By the end of the century, the sport had attracted a mass following in many parts of the world.

Short-track speedskating originated in Europe near the end of the last century, and by 1906, the first true short-track competitions involving Canada and the United States had taken place. By the 1920s, crowds drawn by the flashing blades, tight corners and the rough-and-tumble nature of the mass starts regularly packed New York's Madison Square Garden to see short-track competitions between the two countries.

Short track developed such a presence in the United States that organizers at the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid ran the speed skating events in pack-style, with as many as five people per heat. Five-time Olympic champion Clas Thunberg of Finland was so outraged that he refused to compete, and the 500m and 1500m was won by Jack Shea of the United States.

By the end of World War II short track had begun to catch on throughout Europe, Australia and the Far East. It was a demonstration sport in 1988 and earned high marks. It was elevated to full Olympic status in Albertville in 1992. Only four events were contested in Albertville (the men's 1,000m, the women's 500m, and the men's and women's relays), but they proved to be a huge success. While European nations dominated the 1992 Games, short-track teams from North America and the Far East claimed all but one of the available medals in 1994.

How It Works (Olympics)

Short track is a discipline of speedskating and is contested in indoor rinks on a 111-meter track, about the size of an international hockey rink. A pack  of four to six skaters race against each other, rather than the clock, making for fast and thrilling races. Winners are determined by order of finish. Falls are not uncommon, but there are strict guidelines on passing an opponent, and pushing and shoving is not allowed. Much like basketball, though, there is battling for position. A competitor can fall without penalty, but it is typically not possible to come back and win after a fall. Because of the small track and sharp turns, the walls of the rink are padded to minimize injuries.

Each nation is permitted six speedskaters, depending on how the individual team did at a qualifying event in the Netherlands in early November. If the team had two skaters finish in the top 20, then the individual team could place four skaters in the Olympics, three of which could participate in any individual event. The host nation, Japan, and seven other teams also qualified for the relay teams and have to use the skaters that qualified from the individual tournament.

Short-track speedskating in the Olympics has preliminary rounds, semifinals and finals, where skaters are grouped into groups of four or six. The top two in each round advance to the next level.

One of the most exciting events is the relay. Each team is made up of four members. The same skater must skate the final two laps, but otherwise team members can trade off at any time in any order. Changeovers can occur anywhere on the course by touch or push. Usually the successor starts picking up speed in the inner zone, then moves onto the track at the right moment to get a push from behind.

Critical Moment: When the starter's gun fires, short-track speedskaters sprint for the small rubber cone marking the first turn. The objective is to take the lead at the first turn and keep it; this causes skaters to fall in behind the leader and have to begin planning passing strategy.

First-turn hazards: Disqualification for charging! Referee stands inside the track watching for violations.

Inside charge: Skater interferes with another skater while passing to the left. Outside charge: Interference while passing to the right.