MONTREAL, QUEBEC – The journey towards Milano-Cortina 2026 starts this weekend for Canada’s top short track speed skaters, who kick-off their season with the 2025 Canadian Short Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance, which runs August 23, 24, 27, 30 and 31 at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal.
This season’s Canadian Short Track Championships will see the country’s top 20 skaters per gender category vying to be crowned the overall national champion. The results from this competition are used to help select the team that will represent Canada on the ISU Short Track World Tour and at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano-Cortina.
What does the schedule look like?
This grueling five day competition will see skaters complete each of the three individual distances (500m, 1000m, 1500m) three separate times. The detailed schedule with daily start and end times can be accessed on Sportity.
- Saturday, August 23: 500m-1 and 1500m-1
- Sunday, August 24: 1000m-1 and 1500m-2
- Wednesday, August 27: 500m-2 and 1000m-2
- Saturday, August 30: 1000m-3
- Sunday, August 31: 1500m-3 and 500m-3
How can I watch the races?
The entire competition will be live streamed to national and international audiences on CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports digital platforms, as well as on Speed Skating Canada’s YouTube channel. You can also access seeding lists and live results on Sportity.
How does it all work?
Skaters will earn points based on their position in each of the nine events, which will be used to calculate their distance ranking and overall ranking at the end of the competition. Using those rankings, along with International Performance Podium Points earned during the 2024-25 season, six male and six female skaters will be selected to the Special Olympic Qualification Competitions Racing Pool. The members of the SOQC Racing Pool will represent Canada at the ISU Short Track World Tour stops this fall in Montreal (October 9-12 and 16-19), Gdansk, Poland (November 20-23) and Dordrecht, Netherlands (November 27-30).
Their performances on the international stage will be used to secure Olympic quota spots for Canada, as well as to determine which skaters will be selected for the Milano-Cortina 2026 team. All team selections will be made in accordance with the criteria established in the 2026 Short Track Olympic Selection Policies and Procedures.
Which athletes will be participating?
The following is the list of participants that will lace up their skates at the 2025 Canadian Short Track Championships presented by Intact Insurance:
Women
- BACHAND, Ann-Sophie (QC)
- BLAIS, Danaé (QC)
- BOIVIN, Annie Kim (QC)
- BOIVIN, Mila (QC)
- BOUTIN, Kim (QC)
- BRUNELLE, Florence (QC)
- CHARLONG, Courtney (NB)
- DJOUAHER, Myriam (QC)
- DOAK, Rikki (NB)
- EAVES, Mikka (AB)
- GAGNON, Claudia (QC)
- GUÉRARD, Océane (QC)
- JEAN-BAPTISTE, Victoria (QC)
- LECLERC, Émanuelle (QC)
- MACDOUGALL, Hannah (NB)
- McGILL, Aaralyn (ON)
- PAGÉ, Kiera (QC)
- QI, MIAO (QC)
- SARAULT, Courtney (NB)
- WILLE, Sarah-Eve (QC)
Men
- BERGERON, Justin (QC)
- BUREAU, Samuel (QC)
- CHARTRAND, Victor (QC)
- COURTEMANCHE, Jérôme (QC)
- DANDJINOU, William (QC)
- DAUDELIN, Philippe (QC)
- DUBOIS, Steven (QC)
- DUBUC-BILODEAU, Alexis (QC)
- FREITAG, Matthew (ON)
- GAGNON-LAMARCHE, Antoine (QC)
- JONES, Gabriel (QC)
- LAOUN, Maxime (QC)
- LAW, Adam (ON)
- MIGNER, Alexandre (QC)
- PELLETIER, Mathieu (QC)
- PIERRE-GILLES, Jordan (QC)
- ROUSSEL, Félix (QC)
- ROY-LAFRANCE, Victor (QC)
- SOHIER, William (QC)
- VALLIÈRES, Nathan (QC)
CONTACT:
Alain Brouillette
Speed Skating Canada
communications@speedskating.ca
613-601-2630