Since opening its doors on September 27, 1987, the Olympic Oval has stood as a Centre of Excellence—championing high-performance sport, fueling the spirit of the University of Calgary, and serving the heart of our community.
The Olympic Oval is a legacy facility of the 1988 Olympic Games. It is a place where Olympic dreams come true and athletes are put in a position to achieve their personal best. An important and integral part of the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology; the Oval is a speed-skating facility, a research facility for UCalgary kinesiology scholars, a training facility for varsity athletes and a public facility to serve the University community.
The Olympic Oval is a world-class speed skating and high performance sports facility dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and health and wellness for all.
Together with our partners, we will drive the mission of Canadian athlete podium performances.
Passion, Quality, Honesty, Respect, and Enjoyment. These are the values that represent our team of people and on which The Fastest Ice in the World™ is built.
From the establishment of the Olympic Oval in ’88, UCalgary has long been the incubator of elite sport in Calgary. Champions Catriona Le May Doan, Hayley Wickenheiser, and Denny Morrison have all honed their competitive edge here.
With 26 Olympic medalists, 37 Olympic medals, hundreds of Olympians and over 300 World Records, the Oval still holds onto its trademark — The Fastest Ice in the World™.
After unsuccessful attempts in 1964, 1968 and 1972, Calgary was named the host of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games. The city and university are completely transformed by the Olympics, which leaves lasting marks on the landscape and culture.
The XV Olympic Winter Games took place from February 13-28. Most of the events took place in buildings and venues we now know as legacy facilities in Calgary. This includes the Olympic Oval, parts of the UCalgary campus (which was used for training and as the athlete's village), Canada Olympic Park, Olympic Plaza, Saddledome, and the Canmore Nordic Centre.
The Olympic Oval was built for the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games. However, it's more than just a Speed Skating venue — it is also a high-performance training facility for Dinos athletics and non-varsity high-performance sport.
Long track speed skating is considered the fastest human-powered sport in the sport, with skaters reaching speeds of more than 60 km/hr. All long track speed skating events take place on a 400m oval and are timed to the hundredth of a second (0.01).
Short track speed skating takes place on a 111.12m oval which is marked on an international-sized ice rink. The smaller oval means there are tighter turns and shorter straightaways than in long track. There are nine events on the Olympic program.
Basketball, Field Hockey, Golf, Hockey, Soccer, Swimming, Track & Field, Volleyball, and Wrestling
Basketball, Football, Golf, Hockey, Rugby, Soccer, Swimming, Track & Field, Volleyball, and Wrestling
The Olympic Oval is Canada's Medal Factory. It is the training home to 26 Olympic Medalists (34 Long Track and 5 Short Track) with a combined take-home of 39 Olympic medals since Calgary's 1988 Winter Olympic Games. No other facility in Canada has this Olympic reputation for high-performance excellence. Athletes qualify for such distinction after training at the Olympic Oval for over one year.
Year | Host City | Athlete | Sport | Medal | Event | Relive the |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | Lillehammer | Susan | Long Track | Silver | Women's | |
1998 | Nagano | Derrick Campbell | Short Track | Gold | Men's 5,000m | |
1998 | Nagano | Catriona | Long Track | Gold | Women’s | |
1998 | Nagano | Jeremy Wotherspoon | Long Track | Silver | Men’s | |
1998 | Nagano | Susan | Long Track | Silver | Women’s | |
1998 | Nagano | Tania Vicent | Short Track | Bronze | Women’s | |
1998 | Nagano | Catriona | Long Track | Bronze | Women’s | |
1998 | Nagano | Kevin | Long Track | Bronze | Men’s | |
2002 | Salt Lake City | Catriona | Long Track | Gold | Women's | |
2002 | Salt Lake City | Tania Vicent | Short Track | Bronze | Women’s | |
2002 | Salt Lake City | Cindy | Long Track | Bronze | Women's | |
2002 | Salt Lake City | Clara | Long Track | Bronze | Women's | |
2006 | Torino | Cindy | Long Track | Gold | Women’s | |
2006 | Torino | Clara | Long Track | Gold | Women’s | |
2006 | Torino | Arne Dankers | Long Track | Silver | Men’s | |
2006 | Torino | Kristina Groves | Long Track | Silver | Women’s | |
2006 | Torino | Cindy | Long Track | Silver | Women’s | |
2006 | Torino | Alanna Kraus | Short Track | Silver | Women’s | |
2006 | Torino | Kristina | Long Track | Silver | Women’s | |
2006 | Torino | Cindy | Long Track | Bronze | Women’s | |
2006 | Torino | Cindy | Long Track | Bronze | Women’s | |
2010 | Vancouver | Christine | Long Track | Gold | Women’s | |
2010 | Vancouver | Mathieu Giroux | Long Track | Gold | Men’s | |
2010 | Vancouver | Kristina | Long Track | Silver | Women’s | |
2010 | Vancouver | Jessica Gregg | Short Track | Silver | Women’s | |
2010 | Vancouver | Kristina | Long Track | Bronze | Women’s | |
2010 | Vancouver | Clara | Long Track | Bronze | Women’s | |
2014 | Sochi | Denny | Long Track | Silver | Men’s | |
2014 | Sochi | Denny | Long Track | Bronze | Men’s | |
2018 | Pyeongchang | Ted-Jan | Long Track | Gold | Men’s | |
2018 | Pyeongchang | Ted-Jan | Long Track | Silver | Men’s | |
2022 | Beijing | Ivanie Blondin | Long Track | Gold | Women’s | |
2022 | Beijing | Isabelle Weidemann | Long Track | Silver | Women’s | |
2022 | Beijing | Isabelle Weidemann | Long Track | Bronze | Women’s | |
2022 | Beijing | Laurent | Long Track | Silver | Men's | |
2022 | Beijing | Ivanie | Long Track | Silver | Women's | |
2026 | Milano Cortina | Valérie | Long Track | Bronze | Women’s | |
| 2026 | Milano Cortina | Laurent Dubreuil | Long Track | Bronze | Men's | |
| 2026 | Milano Cortina | Ivanie Blondin | Long Track | Gold | Women's |
The Olympic Oval has a rich history of record breaking numbers. See why the Oval continues to generate new personal bests with the stats below.
The Olympic Oval, known as The Fastest Ice in the World, has shattered 300+ world records, redefining speed skating excellence.
On January 25, 2005, Italian skater Davide Ghiotto broke the men's 10,000m world record with 12:25.69, surpassing Nils van der Poel's 2022 Olympic time of 12:30.74.
10,000m - January 25, 2025
David Ghiotto, ITA 🇮🇹 (12:25.69)
Team Sprint Men - January 26, 2025
Austin Kleba, Cooper McLeod, and Zach Stopplemoor, USA 🇺🇸 (1:16.98)
Sprint Combination - February 25, 2017
Kai Verbij, NED 🇳🇱 (136.065 pts)
Big Combination - March 2/3, 2019
Patrick Roest, NED 🇳🇱 145.561)
2x500m - March 15, 2008
Jeremy Wotherspoon, CAN 🇨🇦 (68.310)
Small Combination - August 12/13, 2005
Erben Wennemars, NED 🇳🇱 (146.365)
3,000m - November 5, 2005
Eskil Ervik, NOR 🇳🇴 (3:37.28)
Sprint Combination - February 25/26, 2017
Nao Kodaira, JPN 🇯🇵 (146.390 pts)
10,000m - March 15, 2007
Martina Sáblíková, CZE 🇨🇿 (13:48.33)
Small Combination - March 18/19, 2006
Cindy Klassen, CAN 🇨🇦 (154.580 pts)
1,500m - December 3, 2017
Allan Dahl Johansson, NOR (1:43.13)
5,000m - November 13, 2005
Håvard Bøkko, NOR (6:18.93)
Small Combination - March 12/14, 2008
Berden de Vries, NED (148.070)
Big Combination - March 18/19, 2006
Håvard Bøkko, NOR (150.369)
Sprint Combination - January 18/19, 2003
Beorn Nijenhuis, NED (139.750)
500m - September 22, 2017
Kim Min-seon, KOR (37.70)
Sprint combination - January 28/29, 2012
Karolína Erbanová, CZE (152.470)
5000m - March 19, 2006
Martina Sáblíková, CZE (6:50.45)
Small Combination - March 18/19, 2006
Martina Sáblíková, CZE (161.252)
10,000m - March 23, 2006
Martina Sáblíková, CZE (14:08.28)
The Olympic Oval is rich with history and fun facts. See how many you know!
The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part; the important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. To spread these principles is to build up a strong and more valiant and, above all, more scrupulous and more generous humanity.
Pierre de Coubertin
Founder of the modern Olympic Games
