Speed skating

A sport and form of ice skating in which competitors race each other on especially-designed skates.

Speed skating is usually conducted (at least at international level) on artificially-constructed oval ice rinks. There are two types of track. Long track racing occurs on an oval track of approximately 400 metres in length, with two lanes. Competitors must cross over in the middle of each lap (the skier in the outside lane has right-of-way if the skiers arrive at the same time) so each skater travels an identical distance of approximately 500 metres per lap. Each skater is timed, and awarded points according to their time, divided by the distance covered in the event. Skaters compete over four different distances (500,, 1500, 3000, 5000 metres for women, and 500, 1500, 5000, and 10,000 metres for men), and the points for each event tallied. The overall winner is the skater with the fewest points from their four races. Is this how it works at the Olympics???

stuff about short track

stuff about skates