The International Skating Union (ISU) has canceled the Short Track World Tour #2

speed skating event planned for the Utah Olympic Oval this coming Friday through Sunday. The

announcement was made late Friday, as skaters were already competing in the season-opening

event in Montreal, Canada. That same arena will now host the #2 event.

The event was canceled, along with the 4 Continents Short Track Championships that

were also scheduled for the Kearn Oval Nov. 8-9. The ISU said in a statement it was due to a

safety issue at the Kearns Oval, which has hosted world-class events for nearly 20 years.

“The events were moved and canceled based on an ISU decision related to newly

implemented safety padding systems requirements for Short Track speed skating events,” the

ISU statement read. “Following the issuance of updated pad requirements, US Speedskating

and the Utah Olympic Oval ordered a new pad system from an ISU-approved company. The

Utah Olympic Oval was informed by the manufacturer that due to supply chain issues, they

would not meet the delivery deadline.”

The Utah Olympic Oval has been the training site for U.S. Speedskating short and long

track teams since before the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The Oval hosted long track events

for those games, though short track races were held at the Maverik Center. Over the past 15

years, the Oval has hosted 10 World Cup races, numerous national events and this same

combination of an ISU World Cup Short Track and 4 Continents Championships in 2022. The

ISU said in its release that the Oval “has an unblemished safety record and is recognized as an

‘ISU Center for Excellence.’”

Canceling the event so late in the game can create a logistics nightmare, and not just for

the skaters. Fans had purchased tickets and booked flights and hotel accommodations, vendors

had ordered food for athletes and spectators, and transportation companies were set to move

teams in and around the Salt Lake City area for the next two weekends. Now, all of that

changes as the competitors will remain in Montreal for a second straight week.

As of Sunday, organizers were working on a refund program for those who had bought

tickets to the events. The ISU said it is working to see if it can reschedule the 4 Continents

competition for later this year. Following the second event in Montreal, skaters will compete in

Beijing, China Dec. 6-8 and Seoul, Korea Dec. 13-15. The final two events on the Short Track

World Cup Tour will take place in the Netherlands and Italy in February.