In 2030, Olympic speed skating will also have to rely on a temporary track

A title is a title, says Marijke Gruenaud. The two-time mass start world champion doesn’t care where she wins. That the 2030 Winter Olympics will be held on temporary ice, on an ice rink that disappears after the most important sporting event: that is exactly the case.

Turin, Vancouver, Sochi, PyeongChang, and Beijing; Of the five venues where the past five Winter Olympics have been held, the Beijing Ice Rink remains the only one permanently used for competitions. Even in 2026, twenty years after Turin, there will be no new jobs. In two years, skating will take place in the Milan Congress Hall.

With the IOC’s unofficial allocation of the French Alps to the Winter Games, it appears that a temporary facility will be chosen again in 2030. According to the French the world There are no plans to build a new stadium. The establishment of a temporary hall in the Mediterranean city of Nice is being considered.

Jordan Stolz, the 19-year-old American multiple world champion, initially reacted as purposefully as Groeneaud. “If I took a temporary job organizing the event, it would work.” The most important thing is that the ice conditions are the same for everyone. However, both skaters quickly returned to Stavanger, where they are competing in their third World Cup competition of the season.

No date

“It’s unfortunate,” says 24-year-old Gronwood. “Building a track from scratch also costs something, wouldn’t it be better to build a good track that can stick around?” She thinks this is good for the international development of skiing. Stolz, after being asked if France has a 400-metre track: “No?” Oh. Then they should leave her alone. If you want to organize the Olympic Games, the ice rink is part of that.

Erin Schouten, three-time Olympic champion in Beijing, agrees. Her return to the Chinese track two weeks ago was not an athletic success; She disappointed in the World Cup competition by finishing eighth in the 3000 metres. “But it’s nice to be back in the place where I became a champion. I thought it was really special to see the same places, but now with different glasses, because the blinders were off.

The 31-year-old skater is aware of the track’s history, even if it was written well before her time. Schouten cites Salt Lake City, home of the 2002 Olympics, and Calgary in 1988. The international rink returns there almost every season. “Those are the jobs you teach; Something important happened here in the past. “We are now in Stavanger, which is a beautiful track, but here it is different than the track, which has a special history.”

She believes that a country like France in particular should not have temporary jobs. “You want the step at which people start skating to be smaller.” And maybe this way you can also make this step smaller for people from Spain. They must now all go to Inzell, or to Holland. But I also realize that gaming costs must remain low, and we are looking at cheaper and more sustainable options. But if the sport has to become more global, having a temporary job is unfortunate.

Skateboarding culture

France does not have a rich, long-standing history. This may be difficult for the Dutch to understand, believes Alexis Contin. The Frenchman and multiple World Cup mass start medalist stopped skating in 2018. During his time as an athlete, he looked in awe at the array of ice rinks in the Netherlands. “That’s why it’s always great for us to go to the Netherlands,” he says.

Building a permanent hall involves high costs. “Look at Milan,” says Quentin. The original plan to cover the Baselga Outer Track was abandoned earlier this year. Costs have become very high. “But I see where we come from, how we had to struggle for money and we know that we don’t have a skating culture yet. Even having a temporary job would be a good development for the sport in our country.

Anyway, long track skating in France is developing. Since this season, the branch has been part of the Figure Skating Federation, separate from figure skating and short track speed skating. Quentin: “They want to combine both areas and encourage them more often. You can see the effect already: there are more French people attending World Cup matches this season. Finally there is a French pursuit team again. Then there is the possibility of 2030. Everything It goes together well.