Speed Skating Discussion | Qualification to Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 Road to Milano Cortina 2026

[SalamAkhi 330]

Liu  fell 8 minutes in, a hard fall it seems which prevented the race from going on. The three skaters (Lorello  Bosker  and Trebouta ) will get a rerun tonight. 

As the Netherlands and Italy already have two guys in qualifying spots this is not a disaster for them. But Trebouta will now start another 10000 with 15 laps in the legs, alone in his pair, aiming for 12'49 to qualify. We'll never know what he would have done in those last laps but he was on pace to at least approach this time. 

[Topicmaster1010 5,348]

Olympic Quotas after World Cup 3/4

 

Men

 

Nation	500m	1000m	1500m	5000m	10000m	MS	TP	Max. Quota	Proj. Quota
Austria		1	2	1		1		5	2
Belgium		1	1	1	1	2		6	2
Canada	3	2	2	1	1	2		7	7
China	3	2	3	1		2	x	8	8
Czechia			1	1	1	1		4	1
Denmark						1		1	1
Estonia	1	1						2	1
France			1	1	1	2	x	6	4
Germany		3	3	3		2	x	7	7
Hungary		1	1					2	1
Italy	1	1	1	3	2	2	x	8	6
Japan	3	3	3	1		1	x	7	7
Kazakhstan	1							1	1
Netherlands	3	3	3	3	2	2	x	9	9
Norway	3	1	3	3	2	1	x	8	7
Poland	3	3	1		1			6	4
South Korea	3	2				2		4	4
Spain	1	1						2	1
Switzerland						1		1	1
United States	3	3	3	1	1	2	x	8	7
20 Nations	28	28	28	20	12	24	8	102	81

Women

 

Nation	500m	1000m	1500m	3000m	5000m	MS	TP	Max. Quota	Proj. Quota
Austria	1	1	1	1		1		5	2
Belgium		1	1	1	1	2	x	7	3
Canada	3	3	3	3	2	2	x	8	8
China	3	3	3	1	1	2	x	8	8
Czechia		1	2	1	1			4	2
Denmark	1	1	1					3	1
France				1				1	1
Germany	1	1	1	1	1	2	x	8	6
Great Britain		1	1					2	1
Italy	1	1	1	1	1	1		6	3
Japan	3	3	3	1		2	x	7	7
Kazakhstan	2	2	2	2	1	1	x	8	4
Netherlands	3	3	3	3	2	2	x	9	9
Neutral Athletes				2	1	1		3	3
Norway	1		1	1	1	1		5	3
Poland	3	2	1					5	5
Portugal						1		1	1
South Korea	3	2	1			2		5	5
Switzerland		1	1	1		2		5	2
Taiwan	1							1	1
United States	2	2	2			2	x	6	5
21 Nations	28	28	28	20	12	24	8	107	80

 

[intoronto 6,408]

New addition of  

 

Sadly the quota cuts have reduced the overall amount of countries competing.

[SalamAkhi 330]

What do you mean by "expected" quota ? How many skaters the NOC will eventually register ? 

[erw 85]

expected is because 4th world cup should be included.

 

[Topicmaster1010 5,348]

31 minutes ago, SalamAkhi said:

What do you mean by "expected" quota ? How many skaters the NOC will eventually register ? 

How many of the quotas the NOC's will accept. Did a quick calculation based on which athletes are qualified by ranking or time or included in the team pursuit. So for example, even though the Czech Republic has 4 total male quotas, only one athlete will be selected because Jilek will skate all the events.

[SalamAkhi 330]

10 minutes ago, Topicmaster1010 said:

How many of the quotas the NOC's will accept. Did a quick calculation based on which athletes are qualified by ranking or time or included in the team pursuit. So for example, even though the Czech Republic has 4 total male quotas, only one athlete will be selected because Jilek will skate all the events.

I don't see most of the NOC sleeping on (so many) substitutes. France will definitely select 5 guys for the sake of the team pursuit (even if one of them will probably not start any event) and as a "reward" (as Trebouta maybe missed a 10k ticket through misfortune). Belgium will take 3 guys (Vosté 1000/1500, Swings 5k/10k/MS and Médard MS). And thanks to additional quotas Austria for example will most likely get a second starter in the wMS, who won't be Herzog, so Molnar would get a berth too. 

[heywoodu 16,004]

On 12/6/2025 at 1:41 AM, SalamAkhi said:

Violette Braun  6'57 over 5000m is the best ever u20 time at sea-level. She's now very close to clinching a spot at the Olympics in the 3000m, which would be the first time a Frenchwoman qualified since 1988. What is more impressive is that 14 months ago, her name was absent of any speed skating database, as she had never started a race on ice of her life. 

Whatever the rules and qualifying procedures, if you're skating 6:57 at sea level, you so much deserve to be in the Olympics...hopefully she makes it.

[heywoodu 16,004]

Gonna be interesting Olympic qualifiers again in the Netherlands. Only 9 spots available per gender, we'll have 5 days of anxiously filling in the 'matrix' table  As almost every speed skater says, more intense than the Olympics itself and every skater absolutely hates it, Fun for people to watch though.

 

I do think they should have made some rule like 'if you win three World Cups in a single distance before the OQT, you get a spot', but they didn't and obviously you can't just add that now.

[SalamAkhi 330]

12 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

Whatever the rules and qualifying procedures, if you're skating 6:57 at sea level, you so much deserve to be in the Olympics...hopefully she makes it.

In the 5000 she probably won't (first alternate at the moment). 

 

 

10 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

Gonna be interesting Olympic qualifiers again in the Netherlands. Only 9 spots available per gender, we'll have 5 days of anxiously filling in the 'matrix' table  As almost every speed skater says, more intense than the Olympics itself and every skater absolutely hates it, Fun for people to watch though.

 

I do think they should have made some rule like 'if you win three World Cups in a single distance before the OQT, you get a spot', but they didn't and obviously you can't just add that now.

What are the chances of the matrix "prioritizing" a mTP squad ?