For more information about Short Track in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, please check here

It’s fast, furious and fun… if you’re new to Short Track Speed Skating, you’re in for a treat!

The history of Short Track

People have been participating in mass start skating events for well over a century – including a race at the Lake Placid 1932 Olympic Winter Games as a demonstration sport. But Short Track only had its first ‘official’ World Championship in 1976, and was only added to the Olympic programme in 1992 after being a demonstration sport at Calgary 1988.

It has since become a crowd-pleasing element of the Olympics, with Republic of Korea its predominant team, followed by People’s Republic of China, Canada, USA, Netherlands and Italy.

18-year-old sensation Rin Jongun hopes to extend Korea's dominance of Short Track at the Olympic Games © ISU

Short Track today 

Men and women compete in three different individual events – the 500m, 1000m and 1500m. There is also a men’s 5000m relay, a women’s 3000m relay, and the more recently introduced Mixed Team relay. These events are contested at the ISU World Championships and ISU European Championships, as well as the Olympic Games. Short Track has its own regular season, the ISU Short Track World Tour.

The competition format 

The basic rules are simple: racers start together when the gun is fired, go anticlockwise around a 111.12m oval – and the first skater over the line wins.

Skaters await the starting gun at the beginning of a Short Track race © ISU

Crashes and falls are common, and athletes can be penalised for fouls or ‘advanced’ to the next round if they are impeded. Fouls are usually making contact with another racer or cutting in front of them and blocking unfairly. A team of on- and off-ice officials decide on penalties, and the decisions are explained on the big screen.

Crashes and falls are common in Short Track, and officials always take a careful look at any incident © ISU

Heats, quarter-finals and semi-finals narrow down the field until A and B finals are contested. The fastest racers in the semi-finals make the A final: the first three racers in that take gold, silver and bronze.

The slower racers from the semis contest the B final. Occasionally, if there are several disqualifications in the A final (meaning there aren’t three finishers), B finalists can find themselves promoted to the medals.

Relays see four racers from each nation on the ice. They each skate a couple of laps and then ‘tag’ their teammate to continue the race – usually by giving them a shove forward.

The push is a key component of the Short Track relays which can sometimes seem chaotic affairs © ISU

The Mixed Relay was introduced for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and has been a great success. It works just like the regular relays, but with two men and two women on each team.

Short Track facts for fans... 

• Milano Cortina 2026 will be the 10th time Short Track has appeared at the Olympic Winter Games.
• Republic of Korea have led the way over the years, winning 26 gold medals – ahead of China win 12 golds and Canada with 10.
• Canada have been the leading team for the last two seasons, winning the ISU Team Crystal Globe in both 2024/25 and 2025/26. Courtney Sarault (CAN) is the current women’s champion while William Dandjinou (CAN) is the current men’s Crystal Globe holder.

Canadians Courtney Sarault and William Dandjinou won ISU Crystal Globes for their success on the Short Track World Tour © ISU