Speed Skating at the Winter Olympic Games 2018

[heywoodu 16,468]

World sprint champion Kai Verbij won't start in the 1000m. In his 500m yesterday he needed three starts (because of Ntab's false starts) and in the third one he got a groin injury. He still managed to qualify, but now will be out for a few weeks. The big question is whether or not the Dutch federation will choose him for the Olympic 1000m anyway or not.

[dcro 10,211]

Geez.

 

Hopefully now he'll realize that it would be best for everyone is he represents Senegal...

[NearPup 4,188]

13 minutes ago, dcro said:

Geez.

 

Hopefully now he'll realize that it would be best for everyone is he represents Senegal...

By ISU rules I don’t believe he can unless an ice rink is built in Senegal.

[heywoodu 16,468]

5 minutes ago, Nate River said:

By ISU rules I don’t believe he can unless an ice rink is built in Senegal.

A country can only participate in international competition when having an ice rink? That sounds hard to believe and rather unfair.. 

Edited December 28, 2017 by heywoodu

[intoronto 6,941]

Does Colombia have an ice rink?

[Gianlu33 6,055]

8 minutes ago, intoronto said:

Does Colombia have an ice rink?

Apparently they have an ice rink in Bogotà

Edited December 28, 2017 by Gianlu33

[hckošice 16,641]

Czech Republic has no speed skating oval. Same for Slovakia, but we obviously do not participate, the Czechs in opposite do and quite well assuming they have no indoor facilities for this sport. Sábliková used to train abroad or on a frozen athletic oval. For example this athletics oval is annually used for the Czech National speed skating championship (people sprinkled it with water before the races).

[hckošice 16,641]

Here how it look. The National Championship in 2009 took place in a frozen pond and yet she still became one of the top stars of the Vancouver Olympics one year later

 

[Dragon 2,082]

This is from the British Championships in 1928

 

[NearPup 4,188]

44 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

A country can only participate in international competition when having an ice rink? That sounds hard to believe and rather unfair.. 

This is listed as a requirement to be admited as an ISU member:

 

in existence in the country one or more actively operating natural or artificial ice rinks of a size adequate to practice the respective ISU sport discipline.

 

Because a member needs to control the sport in their country for at least two years before before being admited as a provisional member it would be almost impossible for Ntab to compete for Senegal in 2022.

Edited December 28, 2017 by NearPup