Short track speed skating

In short track four to six skaters race together on a small 111-metre ice track; overtaking, tactics and collisions make it extremely tense. Olympic events are the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 metres and relays.

History

Short track arose in North America in the early twentieth century. It was a demonstration sport at Calgary 1988 and has been a full Olympic sport since 1992. South Korea, China, Canada and the Netherlands lead the sport.

Major competitions

The Olympic Games, the ISU World Championships, the World Tour and the European Championships.

Short track in the Turkic world

Hungary's men won the 5,000 m relay at PyeongChang 2018, giving their country its first ever Winter Olympic gold. The team included the brothers Shaolin Sándor Liu and Shaoang Liu; Shaoang Liu also won the 500 m for Hungary at Beijing 2022. Skaters from Kazakhstan and Türkiye also compete on the World Tour and at the Olympics.