Montreal, Laval, Quebec City and Calgary set to welcome the world’s best speed skaters next season

Credit: Dave Holland, Speed Skating Canada

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OTTAWA, ON – Canadians in four different cities will get the chance to watch the country’s top speed skaters in action during the 2023-24 season, as the International Skating Union (ISU) announced its World Cup and Championship calendar on Wednesday. A total of five events have been allotted to Speed Skating Canada and its hosting partners, including Patinage de vitesse Québec.

• ISU World Cup Short Track – October 20-22, 2023 (Montreal, QC)
• ISU World Cup Short Track – October 27-29, 2023 (Montreal, QC)
• ISU Four Continents Short Track Championships – November 3-5, 2023 (Laval, QC)
• ISU World Cup Speed Skating – February 2-4, 2024 (Quebec City, QC)
• ISU World Speed Skating Championships – February 15-18, 2024 (Calgary, AB)

The 2023-24 calendar includes a number of firsts for international competition held in Canada. Three back-to-back events in the greater Montreal area will kick-start the season, ending with the inaugural ISU speed skating races at the Place Bell in Laval. Quebec City will play host to its first World Cup at the Centre de glaces Intact Assurance, after successfully welcoming the ISU Four Continents Speed Skating Championships in December 2022.
 
Canada will also host the ISU World Speed Skating Championships in the Olympic single distance format for the first time since 2009, when the test event for the 2010 Vancouver Games was held at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Fans in Calgary last welcomed the competition in 1998 and will now have the opportunity to once again witness the season’s premier long track event at that city’s Olympic venue in February 2024.  

In addition to unveiling the calendar for the upcoming 2023-24 season on Wednesday, the ISU announced a long-term approach to event planning through the next four years. Speed Skating Canada is on track to host a total of fourteen international competitions through the 2026-27 season, including the ISU World Short Track Championships to be held in Montreal following the 2026 Olympic Games. A full list of events allotted to Canada can be found below.

“The 2023-24 season will be a busy – but incredibly exciting – year for hosting international speed skating events in Canada. We will set some amazing precedents, from three consecutive competitions on Canadian soil, to inaugural hosting opportunities for two of our newest venues. It’s an honour to be entrusted by the International Skating Union to deliver world-class events for our participants and spectators. We look forward to collaborating with Patinage de vitesse Quebec and our hosting partners to welcome the world’s top speed skaters to Canada next season!”

Nicole Espenant, Director, Business & Member Development, Speed Skating Canada

“Now more than ever, Quebec is making its mark on the international speed skating scene! Next season will make history, as Montreal and Laval welcome three consecutive short track events in the fall, and as the Centre de glaces Intact Assurance in Quebec City hosts its first World Cup Speed Skating next winter. Our Organizing Committees are ready to rise to these big challenges! Thank you to the International Skating Union and Speed Skating Canada for their confidence.”

Robert Dubreuil, Director General, Patinage de vitesse Québec

Season 2023-24
  October 20-22, 2023
 ISU World Cup Short Track #1
 Montreal
 October 27-29, 2023
 ISU World Cup Short Track #2
 Montreal
 November 3-5,
2023
 ISU Four Continents Short Track
Speed Skating Championships 2024
 Laval
 February 2-4, 2024
 ISU World Cup Speed Skating #6
 Québec City
 February 15-18, 2024ISU World Speed Skating
Championships Single Distances 2024Calgary

Season 2024-25
October 25-27, 2024	ISU World Cup Short Track #1	Montreal
January 24-26, 2025	ISU World Cup Speed Skating #3	Calgary
February 27 – March 2, 2025	ISU World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2025	Calgary

Season 2025-26
October 10-12, 2025	ISU Four Continents Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2026	Montreal
October 16-19, 2025	ISU World Cup Short Track #1 (OWG Qual. Event)	Montreal
November 21-23, 2025	ISU World Cup Speed Skating #2 (OWG Qual. Event)	Calgary
March 13-15, 2026	ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2026	Montreal

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Season 2026-27
November 6-8, 2026	ISU World Cup Short Track #2	Venue TBC
February 5-7, 2027	ISU World Cup Speed Skating #6	Venue TBC

MEDIA CONTACTS
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
communications@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630

François-Olivier Roberge
Patinage de vitesse Québec
foroberge@fpvq.org
418-576-5800