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Late January in Salt Lake City: World Cup weekend fills the stands at the Utah Olympic Oval with club kids in team jackets and parents with cowbells, all there to watch the world’s best. The next morning, some of those same kids will race a club meet on that oval. Speed skating has a clear ladder from the local rink to the Olympics, and a handful of organizations run it. Here’s who’s who in speed skating organizations: the International Skating Union, US Speedskating and its clubs, the World Cup and World Tour, the Olympics, and the inline side of the sport, as of the 2026-27 season.
Who runs what: the quick map
| Organization | What it does |
|---|---|
| International Skating Union (ISU) | World governing body for long track, short track and figure skating; writes the rules; runs the World Cup, World Tour and World Championships. |
| US Speedskating | US governing body for ice speed skating; memberships, clubs, national championships, national teams and US Olympic team selection. |
| Local clubs | Just over 60 ice speed skating clubs in the US; practices, coaching, club and regional meets. |
| Learn to Skate USA | Beginner skating classes endorsed by US Speedskating, U.S. Figure Skating and USA Hockey. |
| World Skate and USA Roller Sports | Inline speed skating, worldwide and in the US. |
| International Olympic Committee | Owns the Olympic Winter Games and Youth Olympic Games, where the ISU runs the skating events. |
The International Skating Union (ISU)
Founded in 1892 in Scheveningen, in the Netherlands, the ISU is the oldest international winter sport federation. It’s based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and had 102 member federations as of January 2026. The ISU writes the Sports Rules for speed skating and short track (the 2026 editions took effect in June 2026), approves helmets and safety standards, and organizes the international season. Our speed skating rules guide explains the rules in plain words.
ISU Speed Skating World Cup (long track)
The World Cup is the long track season-long series. In 2026/27 it has six stops: Beijing (November 13–15, 2026), Obihiro in Japan (November 20–22), Heerenveen in the Netherlands (December 4–6), Stavanger in Norway (December 11–13), Salt Lake City (January 29–31, 2027) and Calgary (February 5–7, 2027). World Cup mass starts use the same scoring as the Olympics.
ISU Short Track World Tour
Short track’s top series is the ISU Short Track World Tour, in its third season in 2026/27 with seven events. It opens in Vancouver on October 23–25, 2026, then heads to Montreal, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing and Tilburg in the Netherlands. The World Tour has a season-long penalty count: skaters who collect 3, 5 or 7 sanctions lose entries in their best distances at the next event.
World Championships and junior events
Each discipline crowns world champions every year. In 2026/27 the ISU Speed Skating World Championships are in Beijing and the ISU Short Track World Championships in Seoul. Long track Worlds can include single distances, team events, and allround and sprint titles decided over several distances. There are also European Championships and Four Continents Championships. For younger athletes, Junior World Cups run through the season and finish with the World Junior Championships, in Baselga di Piné, Italy, for long track and Astana, Kazakhstan, for short track in early 2027.
The Olympics and Youth Olympics
Long track has been an Olympic sport since the first Winter Games in 1924, when Charles Jewtraw of Lake Placid won the 500 m, the first US Winter Olympic gold. Short track joined in 1992. Today’s program has 14 long track events (six individual races and team pursuit for each gender) and 9 short track events (three individual distances for each gender, two relays and the mixed team relay). Short track Olympic spots are earned through ISU World Tour results in the fall before the Games, and each nation can enter at most ten short track skaters.
At Milano Cortina 2026, Jordan Stolz won the 500 m and 1000 m and took silver in the 1500 m; Mia Manganello won bronze in the mass start, Team USA’s first medal in that event; and Corinne Stoddard won bronze in the short track 1500 m. US Speedskating counts 97 Olympic medals, more than any other US winter sport, including Eric Heiden’s five golds in 1980, Bonnie Blair’s six medals and Apolo Anton Ohno’s eight, the most of any US Winter Olympian. Speed skating is also on the Youth Olympic Games program, a goal for top juniors.
US Speedskating
US Speedskating is the national governing body for ice speed skating in the US, headquartered at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah’s only 400 m oval. It runs memberships, sanctions meets, certifies coaches and officials, selects national teams and handles athlete safety reporting alongside the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
Memberships
Memberships run July 1 to June 30. For 2026-27 the competitive options are a 1st Year membership ($55, for local and regional races), Club Competitor/Recreational ($80, club and local meets for all ages from children to masters), National Competitor ($140, adds national-level races) and a Family membership ($260). Skaters need a birth certificate or passport page, and adult members need a valid SafeSport certification.
Competitions in the US
- Local and regional meets: run by clubs, open to every level, often grouped by ability rather than age for newcomers.
- Age Group Nationals: the usual first national meet, with titles by age group. In short track the divisions run from Junior E (7–10) through Junior A (17–18), Senior (19–29) and masters.
- AmCup: US Speedskating’s long track national series.
- US Junior Championships, US Championships and Olympic Trials: selection meets for international teams. At the 2026 US Short Track Championships in Kearns in September, Brandon Kim and Kristen Santos-Griswold won the overall titles.
National teams and training centers
The 2026-27 long track national team has 14 athletes, including Jordan Stolz and Erin Jackson, coached by Ryan Shimabukuro and Shani Davis at the Utah Olympic Oval, with Olympic-quality ice through the summer. Short track has its own national team and development teams. Speed skating isn’t an NCAA or high school sport, so the elite pathway runs through clubs, development groups and these national programs rather than college teams.
Clubs: where everyone starts
US Speedskating lists just over 60 ice speed skating clubs, from Alaska to Florida, on its Find a Club map, each with contact details. Clubs run practices, coaching and meets for recreational and competitive skaters; ask whether they lend skates and helmets to beginners. Learn to Skate USA classes are another way in. Families should ask about ice times, coaching certifications, equipment loans and safety rules; our youth speed skating guide has a full checklist.
Inline speed skating
Inline racing has its own structure. World Skate, also based in Lausanne, governs roller sports worldwide and runs events such as the World Skate Marathon Tour. In the US, USA Roller Sports sanctions indoor racing on 100 m ovals and outdoor road and banked-track racing, with separate divisions for quad and inline skates. US Speedskating actively points newcomers without a nearby ice rink to USA Roller Sports clubs; Apolo Ohno, Jen Rodriguez and Eddy Alvarez all started on wheels. Entry-level racing skates like the Bont GT4 (about $350, with 100 or 110 mm wheels depending on size) are a common first pair.
Gear for the season
Whatever level you race, off-ice work and smart load tracking help. A SPRI slide board (about $49) lets you practice the sideways push at home, and a chest-strap heart-rate monitor like the Polar H10 shows how hard intervals really are. See our speed skating gear guide and heart rate monitor guide.
SPRI Slide Board
- 71 x 20 in, 4 lb
- Booties and bag included
- About $49
Bont GT4 Inline Speed Skates
- Heat-moldable carbon composite boot
- 100 or 110 mm wheels by size
- About $350
More: the speed skating hub, the rules, and how other ice sports are organized in our figure skating and ice hockey guides.
Speed skating organizations FAQs
Who governs speed skating?
The International Skating Union governs long track and short track worldwide. In the US, US Speedskating is the national governing body. Inline speed skating falls under World Skate and USA Roller Sports.
How do I join a speed skating club?
Use US Speedskating’s Find a Club map to contact a club near you, or start with Learn to Skate USA classes at a local rink. Most clubs will tell you about trial sessions, loaner gear and which membership you need.
How much does a US Speedskating membership cost?
For 2026-27: $55 for a 1st Year membership, $80 for Club Competitor/Recreational, $140 for National Competitor and $260 for a family. Club fees and ice time are extra.
Is there college speed skating?
Not as an NCAA sport. Skaters who want to keep racing through college usually train with a club or national program, often around the Utah Olympic Oval, while they study.
What is the difference between the World Cup and the World Tour?
The ISU World Cup is long track’s season series (six stops in 2026/27); the ISU Short Track World Tour is short track’s series (seven events). Both lead into separate World Championships.