Speed Skating Canada – The first stage will be held Nov. 10-12 in Heerenveen in the Netherlands

Calgary, October 25, 2016 – Speed Skating Canada announced today the teams it will field for the first four ISU World Cup Long Track Speed Skating stages of the season, where skaters will aim to qualify spots in each distance for Canada and also vye to be pre-selected for the 2018 Olympic Games.

Skaters have been nominated following their performances at the Fall World Cup Selections which were held last week at Calgary’s Olympic Oval, while some of them were pre-qualified after finishing among the top-5 in an event at the 2017 ISU World Single Distance Championships.

Stage 1: Heerenveen (Netherlands), Nov. 10-12

At the first World Cup to be held in Heerenveen, in the Netherlands, November 10-12, two 500m races as well as 1000m, 1500m, Mass Start, Team Pursuit and Team Sprint events will be held both for the women and the men, as well as a women’s 3000m and a men’s 5000m. The following skaters will represent Canada:

-BLOEMEN, Ted-Jan (Calgary, AB) – 5000m

-BLONDIN, Ivanie (Ottawa, ON) – 1500m, 3000m, Mass Start

-BOISVERT-LACROIX, Alex (Sherbrooke, QC) – 500m

-DE HAÎTRE, Vincent (Cumberland, ON) – 1000m, 1500m

-DONNELLY, Ben (Oshawa, ON) – 5000m

-DUBREUIL, Laurent (Lévis, QC) – 500m

-DUTTON, William (Humboldt, SK) – 500m

-FIOLA, Christopher (Montréal, QC) – Mass Start

-GÉLINAS-BEAULIEU, Antoine (Sherbrooke, QC) – 1500m, 5000m

-HUDEY, Marsha (White City, SK) – 500m

-IRVINE, Kaylin (Calgary, AB) – 500m, 1000m

-JEAN, Olivier (Lachenaie, QC) – Mass Start

-JUNIO, Gilmore (Calgary, AB) – 500m

-LA RUE, David (Saint-Lambert, QC) – 1000m, 1500m

-McLEAN, Heather (Winnipeg, MB) – 500m, 1000m

-MORRISON, Denny (Fort St. John, B.C.) – 1000m, 1500m

-MORRISON, Keri (Burlington, ON) – Mass Start

-ST-JEAN, Alexandre (Quebec City, QC) – 500m, 1000m

-TUTT, Brianne (Airdrie, AB) – 1000m, 1500m, 3000m

-WEIDEMANN, Isabelle (Ottawa, ON) – 1500m, 3000m

Josie Morrison (Kamloops, B.C.) and Jordan Belchos (Markham, ON) were also added to the roster for the Team Pursuit events.

Stage 2: Stavanger (Norway), Nov. 17-19

In Stavanger, where two 500m races as well as 1000m, 1500m and Team Sprint events will be held both for the women and the men, as well as a women’s 5000m and a men’s 10,000m, the following skaters will represent Canada:

-BELCHOS, Jordan (Markham, ON) – 10,000m

-BLOEMEN, Ted-Jan (Calgary, AB) – 10,000m

-BLONDIN, Ivanie (Ottawa, ON) – 1500m, 5000m

-BOISVERT-LACROIX, Alex (Sherbrooke, QC) – 500m

-CHRIST, Kali (Regina, SK) – 1500m

-DE HAÎTRE, Vincent (Cumberland, ON) – 1000m, 1500m

-DUBREUIL, Laurent (Lévis, QC) – 500m

-DUTTON, William (Humboldt, SK) – 500m

-FISH, Graeme (Moose Jaw, SK) – 10,000m

-GÉLINAS-BEAULIEU, Antoine (Sherbrooke, QC) – 1500m

-HUDEY, Marsha (White City, SK) – 500m

-IRVINE, Kaylin (Calgary, AB) – 500m, 1000m

-JUNIO, Gilmore (Calgary, AB) – 500m

-LA RUE, David (Saint-Lambert, QC) – 1000m, 1500m

-McLEAN, Heather (Winnipeg, MB) – 500m, 1000m

-MORRISON, Denny (Fort St. John, B.C.) – 1000m, 1500m

-SPENCE, Victoria (Kamloops, B.C.) – 5000m

-ST-JEAN, Alexandre (Quebec City, QC) – 500m, 1000m

-TUTT, Brianne (Airdrie, AB) – 1000m, 1500m

-WEIDEMANN, Isabelle (Ottawa, ON) – 1500m, 5000m

Stage 3: Calgary (Canada), Dec. 1-3

In Calgary, where the 500m, 1000m, 1500m, Mass Start, Team Pursuit and Team Sprint events will be held both for the women and the men, as well as a women’s 3000m and a men’s 5000m, the following skaters will represent Canada. Tickets are also available now at: https://oval.ucalgary.ca/worldcup. 

-BELCHOS, Jordan (Markham, ON) – 5000m

-BLOEMEN, Ted-Jan (Calgary, AB) – 5000m

-BLONDIN, Ivanie (Ottawa, ON) – 1500m, 3000m, Mass Start

-BOISVERT-LACROIX, Alex (Sherbrooke, QC) – 500m, 1000m

-CHRIST, Kali (Regina, SK) – 1500m

-DE HAÎTRE, Vincent (Cumberland, ON) – 1000m, 1500m

-DONNELLY, Ben (Oshawa, ON) – 1500m, 5000m

-DUBREUIL, Laurent (Lévis, QC) – 500m

-DUTTON, William (Humboldt, SK) – 500m

-FIOLA, Christopher (Montréal, QC) – Mass Start

-FISET, Noémie (Quebec City, QC) – 500m

-GÉLINAS-BEAULIEU, Antoine (Sherbrooke, QC) – 1500m, 5000m

-HUDEY, Marsha (White City, SK) – 500m, 1000m

-IRVINE, Kaylin (Calgary, AB) – 500m, 1000m

-JEAN, Olivier (Lachenaie, QC) – Mass Start

-JUNIO, Gilmore (Calgary, AB) – 500m

-LA RUE, David (Saint-Lambert, QC) – 1000m, 1500m

-McLEAN, Heather (Winnipeg, MB) – 500m, 1000m

-MORRISON, Denny (Fort St. John, B.C.) – 1000m, 1500m, 5000m

-MORRISON, Josie (Kamloops, B.C.) – 3000m

-MORRISON, Keri (Burlington, ON) – 1000m, 1500m, 3000m, Mass Start

-REMPEL, Shannon (Winnipeg, MB) – 500m

-ST-JEAN, Alexandre (Quebec City, QC) – 500m, 1000m

-TUTT, Brianne (Airdrie, AB) – 1000m, 1500m, 3000m

-WEIDEMANN, Isabelle (Ottawa, ON) – 1500m, 3000m

Stage 4: Salt Lake City (U.S.A), Dec. 8-10

In Salt Lake City, where two 500m races as well as 1000m, 1500m and Team Pursuit events will be held both for the women and the men, as well as a women’s 3000m and a men’s 5000m, the following skaters will represent Canada:

-BLOEMEN, Ted-Jan (Calgary, AB) – 5000m

-BLONDIN, Ivanie (Ottawa, ON) – 1500m, 3000m, Mass Start

-BOISVERT-LACROIX, Alex (Sherbrooke, QC) – 500m

-CHRIST, Kali (Regina, SK) – 1500m

-DE HAÎTRE, Vincent (Cumberland, ON) – 1000m, 1500m

-DONNELLY, Ben (Oshawa, ON) – 5000m

-DUBREUIL, Laurent (Lévis, QC) – 500m

-DUTTON, William (Humboldt, SK) – 500m

-FIOLA, Christopher (Montréal, QC) – Mass Start

-GÉLINAS-BEAULIEU, Antoine (Sherbrooke, QC) – 1500m, 5000m

-HUDEY, Marsha (White City, SK) – 500m, 1000m

-IRVINE, Kaylin (Calgary, AB) – 500m, 1000m

-JEAN, Olivier (Lachenaie, QC) – Mass Start

-JUNIO, Gilmore (Calgary, AB) – 500m

-LA RUE, David (Saint-Lambert, QC) – 1000m, 1500m

-McLEAN, Heather (Winnipeg, MB) – 500m, 1000m

-MORRISON, Denny (Fort St. John, B.C.) – 1000m, 1500m, 5000m

-MORRISON, Josie (Kamloops, B.C.) – 3000m

-MORRISON, Keri (Burlington, ON) – Mass Start

-REMPEL, Shannon (Winnipeg, MB) – 500m

-ST-JEAN, Alexandre (Quebec City, QC) – 500m, 1000m

-TUTT, Brianne (Airdrie, AB) – 1000m, 1500m, 3000m

-WEIDEMANN, Isabelle (Ottawa, ON) – 1500m, 3000m

All nominations are pending any appeals. Also, final list of skaters and their events will be confirmed the week leading up to each competition.

World Cup objective: qualify spots for Canada

Canadian representatives at the first four World Cups of the season will aim to qualify the maximum number of spots per event at the Olympic Games, i.e. three in the 500m, 1000m, 1500m, women’s 3000m and men’s 5000m, two in the women’s 5000m, men’s 10,000m and mass start, as well as one per gender in team pursuit.

Following the Fall World Cups, the ISU will publish a Special Olympic Qualification Classification which will determine allocated spots per country in each individual distance for the Olympic Games. Most of the spot allocations will be based on overall World Cup ranking and the rest, on times.

A maximum of ten athletes per gender can be selected to the Olympic Team. Athletes will be selected based on achieving the performance standard for the event and on earning the quota spot.

Opportunity to pre-qualify for the Olympic Games

Canadian skaters could also pre-qualify for the Olympic Games by their performances at the Fall World Cups, inasmuch that any athlete who wins a medal in an individual event at a World Cup this Fall and who finishes among the top five based on the Special Olympic Qualification Classification (SOQC) based on points following the first four World Cups will pre-qualify for PyeongChang in this event.

Following their individual podium finishes at the 2017 World Single Distance Championships, Ivanie Blondin, in the 5000m, and Vincent De Haître, in the 1000m, have already pre-qualified for the 2018 Olympic Games, as long as they win a medal in this event and that Canada qualifies a spot in the women’s 5000m and men’s 1000m this fall.

The Canadian team will fill its roster at the 2018 Long Track Team Selections, which will be held January 4-9 at Calgary’s Olympic Oval.

Mass Start

Following Speed Skating Canada’s Fall World Cup Selections, Ivanie Blondin, Christopher Fiola, Olivier Jean and Keri Morrision will vye to personally qualify for the Olympic Games in Mass Start by finishing in the top 16 in the Special Olympic Qualification Classification (SOQC) following the four Fall World Cups. First-place spots would go to Blondin and Jean and the second spots to Fiola and Morrison if each of these four skaters finishes in the top 16 in the SOQC.

The full 2018 Olympic Selection Policies and Processes are available at www.speedskating.ca/2018-og/.

More details are available at Speed Skating Canada’s web site at 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

Long Track Team Sponsor: KIA

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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