Speedskating has appeared in every Winter Olympics since the inaugural Games in 1924. On the other hand, short track speedskating was introduced in 1932 but was discontinued and did not reappear until the 1988 Games. Historically, the Netherlands and Norway have had the most success in speedskating with South Korea, China and Canada dominating short track. Apolo Ohno is widely recognized as Team USA’s most successful short-track skater.
Learn more about speedskating and short-track events at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Where and when will speedskating and short track speedskating take place in 2026?
Speedskating and short-track events will run from Feb. 7 to Feb. 21 at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium and Milano Ice Skating Arena, respectively.
What are the differences between speedskating and short track speedskating?
The primary difference between speedskating and short track is the length of the track, with the short track measuring about 111m and the speedskating track being 400m long. When it comes to equipment, short-track skates are more rigid with smaller blades to allow for tighter, more controlled turns. Speedskating boots require more flexibility and larger blades due to the track featuring wider turns and longer straights. Speedskaters are also generally taller than short-track athletes, and the long tracks have lanes while the short tracks do not.
What are the different events in speedskating and short track speedskating?
There will be 14 speedskating events in the 2026 Winter Olympics: seven men’s events and seven women’s events.
Men: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, mass start and team pursuit
Women: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, mass start and team pursuit
There will be nine short track speedskating events in the 2026 Winter Olympics: four men’s events, four women’s events and one mixed team event.
Men: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m team relay
Women: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m team relay
Mixed: 2000m relay
What are the differences in race format between speedskating and short-track events?
Speedskating: For the most part, only two athletes race at a time during speedskating events, the only exception being the mass start. For the rest of the speedskating events, each athlete races once against the clock in a time trial format, and the skater with the fastest time among all qualifiers is declared the winner. Skaters are also required to change lanes throughout the races to ensure fairness. In the traditional speedskating events, athletes begin in either an even or staggered start.
In the mass start event, 12 athletes race in each semifinal and 16 in the final. Athletes complete 16 laps and earn points throughout to determine ranks, though the top three to complete the race earn medals. The team pursuit is a different type of speedskating race involving two teams of three skaters racing in tandem. There are three rounds and races are single elimination with the quickest team moving on.
Short Track: In short-track races, four to six athletes compete at the same time, and the quickest finishers progress to later rounds. Athletes must wear helmets during short-track races, and there is much more strategy involved given the amount of people skating at once. All individual races begin in a mass start.
The mixed team relay involves teams of four skaters each racing a quarter of the total distance of the race at a time. The exchange takes place by one skater pushing the next to continue the race.
Who has qualified to compete for Team USA in Milan?
Speedskating: Brittany Bowe, Erin Jackson, Casey Dawson, Conor McDermott-Mostowy, Cooper McLeod, Jordan Stolz, Giorgia Birkeland, Mia Manganello, Greta Myers, Sarah Warren, Ethan Cepuran, Emery Lehman, Zach Stoppelmoor
Short Track: Eunice Lee, Julie Letai, Kamryn Lute, Kristen Santos-Griswold, Corinne Stoddard, Clayton DeClemente, Andrew Heo, Brandon Kim
Check out the ESPN Olympics hub page for more information on the 2026 Winter Olympics.
