Speed Skating Canada – Ottawa, August 22, 2018 – Speed Skating Canada today unveiled its 2018-2019 national competitions calendar for both short track and long track. The schedule highlights important changes to the competition structure for the Canadian speed skating program.

Starting this season, short track and long track athletes will have one main competition to qualify for the 2018-2019 ISU World Cup and World Championship events, each taking place this fall.

The Canadian Short Track Championships will be held September 21-23 in Montreal. Calgary will host the Canadian Single Distance Championships in long track October 20-23. An additional spot for each event on the long track World Cup and World Championship team will be available through a skate off held during Canada Cup #2 in January 2019.

Two new competitions were added to the national calendar this season. The Canadian Winter Invitational, to be held January 11-13 in Montreal, will bring together the best Canadian short track skaters and competitors from other countries, in a strategic effort to increase international competition for the athletes. Place Bell in Laval will also present the Junior Qualifier November 16-18. This new competition is designed to help athletes transition to the high-performance calendar.

“We believe that this new structure will allow our athletes to achieve more podium results at international competitions,” explained Shawn Holman, Speed Skating Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “By providing athletes with a more consistent competition schedule throughout each individual season and across all four years of a quadrennial, we give them the opportunity to optimize their training and hit peak performance in time for World Cups, World Championships and, ultimately, the Olympic Games.”

A total of 15 national competitions will be held during the 2018-2019 season, in addition to the short track and long track events at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, AB. The Maurice-Richard Arena in Montreal will host three of these events while Calgary’s Olympic Oval will host six national competitions.

“We value our long-standing relationships with our training centres in Montreal and Calgary, who deliver not only a large number of our national events but do so with such passion and high quality,” said David Morrison, Manager, Coach, Athlete and Competitions at Speed Skating Canada. “It’s also incredibly exciting to see competitions taking place in other cities, where host clubs are helping to strengthen the sport of speed skating across the country.”

The Peace Wapiti Speed Skating Club in Grande Prairie, AB, will host a national-level speed skating competition for the first time this season. Four other cities play host to competitions as part of this year’s schedule: Sherbrooke, QC; Fort St. John, BC; Winnipeg, MB; and Campbellton, NB.

Speed Skating Canada’s 2018-2019 National Competitions Calendar

Event	Sport	Date	Location
Canadian Short Track Championships	Short track	September 21-23, 2018	Montreal, QC
Canadian Single Distance Championships	Long track	October 20-23, 2018	Calgary, AB
Junior Qualifier	Short track	November 16-18, 2018	Laval, QC
Canada Cup #1	Long track	December 7-9, 2018	Fort St. John, BC
Canadian Junior Short Track Championships	Short track	December 14-16, 2018	Calgary, AB
Canadian Junior Long Track Championships / Canada Cup #2	Long track	January 4-6, 2019	Calgary, AB
Canadian Winter Invitational	Short track	January 11-13, 2019	Montreal, QC
Canada Cup #3	Long track	January 25-27, 2019	Calgary, AB
Canadian Open National Qualifier	Short track	February 1-3, 2019	Montreal, QC
Canadian Age Class Long Track Championships	Long track	February 9-10, 2019	Winnipeg, MB
Canada Winter Games	Short track / Long track	February 16-22, 2019	Red Deer, AB
Canadian Senior Selections	Short track	March 8-10, 2019	Calgary, AB
Canada Cup #4 / Olympic Oval Finale	Long track	March 14-17, 2019	Calgary, AB
Canadian Junior Selections	Short track	March 15-17, 2019	Sherbrooke, QC
Canada West Short Track Championships	Short track	March 23-24, 2019	Grande Prairie, AB
Canada East Short Track Championships	Short track	March 30-31, 2019	Campbellton, NB

More information can be found on Speed Skating Canada’s website: www.speedskating.ca.

About Speed Skating Canada
Speed Skating Canada (SSC) is the governing body for long track and short track speed skating in Canada. Founded in 1887, SSC is comprised of 13 provincial and territorial associations. Speed Skating Canada is committed to Challenge and Inspire Canada to Thrive through the power of Speed Skating. SSC recognizes and values its outstanding volunteers who give freely of their time and expertise. It also celebrates the 63 Olympic medals won by Canadian athletes since 1932, as well as the coaches, officials and other dedicated individuals who helped them on their journey.www.speedskating.ca

Speed Skating Canada would like to thank its sponsors: 

Premium partner: Intact Insurance

Funding partners: Government of Canada (Sport Canada), Own The Podium, Canadian Olympic Committee

Official On-Ice High Performance Apparel: Li-Ning

Official Suppliers: Auclair, USANA

Official Technical Equipment Supplier: Nagano Skate

Sport Development Partners: Winsport Canada, Calgary’s Olympic Oval, University of Calgary, Institut national du sport du Québec, Government of Quebec, Canadian Sport Institute-Calgary, City of Montreal, Quebec City, Excellence sportive Québec-Lévis

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