The Olympic Oval's Annual Report for the 2024-2025 Season.
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 values represent our team of people and on which The Fastest Ice in the World™ is built.
The 2024/2025 season was another milestone year for the Olympic Oval — and the perfect time to declare: We’re Still Going Strong.
From record-breaking performances to packed public skating days, we saw continued growth across every corner of our facility. We increased the number of athletes and coaches training at the Oval, while refining our collaborative coaching model to better serve their evolving needs. We awarded more athlete bursary funding than ever before and continued to strengthen our ties with the University of Calgary through Active Living programs and groundbreaking research that keeps our community healthier and stronger.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Oval team, we successfully hosted both national and international events — including the ISU World Cup #3 that featured two world records and three track records. Our team made it possible to deliver world-class experiences, even as we continue to operate within aging infrastructure. Their resilience and passion cannot be overstated. They faced every challenge head-on, with excellence as their minimum standard.
This year also marked another proud achievement: the Olympic Oval’s 4th year as an ISU Center of Excellence. This designation opens new doors for developing skating nations to train affordably at one of the best speed skating venues in the world, supported by elite coaching and innovative technologies we’re proud to be sharing with the global skating community.
We were thrilled to welcome record-setting public participation and the largest Long Track World Cup attendance since the early 2000s. Our fans, friends, and supporters — both local and international — continue to show up, cheer loud, and believe in our mission. Thank you.
To our partners and sponsors, we are sincerely grateful. Your confidence in our facility and programs makes this all possible. We value your belief in us and are excited to continue growing alongside you.
Of course, challenges remain. We are actively working with our partners and stakeholders to secure sustainable funding that will allow us to meet both our immediate renovation needs and our long-term goals. We’ve come a long way — but now is the moment to invest in what’s next, ensuring we can continue delivering at this level for years to come.
Together, we’ve proven that the Oval is more than a facility — it’s a world-class destination, a community hub, and a launchpad for future champions.
Here’s to another unforgettable year — and to what comes next.
Mark Messer
Director, Olympic Oval
From January 24–26, 2025, the Olympic Oval ignited with speed and adrenaline as it hosted the ISU World Cup Speed Skating—where the world's fastest athletes raced on Calgary’s legendary ice.
Canada struck GOLD in the Women’s Team Sprint, thrilling the home crowd. Italy’s Davide Ghiotto shattered the 10,000m world record with 12:25.69. Team USA followed with a blazing world record in the Men’s Team Sprint at 1:16.98. And Jordan Stolz stamped his name in the books with a new Oval Track Record in the 1500m at 1:41.22. Records fell fast—because this is The Fastest Ice in the World™.
In our fourth season as an ISU Centre of Excellence (2022–2026), the Oval continued to lead globally in speed skating. We hosted ISU events, welcomed skaters from 8 countries, and supported international internships, training, and collaboration for athletes and coaches.
An ISU Centre of Excellence (CoE) is a recognized entity by the International Skating Union that offers a world-class environment for the development of skating. It provides top-tier facilities, coaching, training programs, and services—alongside a strong focus on research and innovation. The CoE supports both high-performance and long-term development for Skaters, Coaches, Officials, and experts, while fostering collaboration with multiple ISU Members.
Learn about each department in the Olympic Oval during the 2024/2025 season - Operations, Administration, Partner Development and Guest Relations, High-Performance Programs, Innovation, and Competitions and Sales.
The Operations Team is vital to the Olympic Oval’s success—ensuring quality, efficiency, and safety. We maintain world-class ice, run the refrigeration plant, and handle all operational needs, including custodial duties, mechanical upkeep, and preventative maintenance across the facility.
Operations was able to work on several maintenance projects throughout the year including a significant compressor replacement project.
Partner Development & Guest Relations combines marketing,
communications, and the Guest Relations team.
Community events took centre stage with Ice-Out, public skating, and new hits like the 2024 Alley-oop Basketball Tournament, drawing 10,000+ guests. Family Day welcomed nearly 3,000, while Pride Skate, Halloween, the Holiday Market & Skate, and Skate with Santa drew thousands more. We also launched the Jayman Built Monday Night Toonie Skate, bringing in a new sponsor and more weekly fun.
April 3, 2024
2024 Alberta Gymnastics Provincial Championships
April 3-7, 2024
Sporting Event
April 18, 2024
Alley-Oop Basketball Tournament Opening Event
April 18-21, 2024
Sporting Event
June 13, 2024
Alley-Oop Basketball Tournament Main Event
June 13-16, 2024
Sporting Event
Aug. 28, 2024
Pride & Glide
August 28, 2024
Public Skating Event
Oct. 27, 2024
Halloween Family Skate
October 27, 2024
Public Skating Event
Oct. 30, 2024
Oval After Dark
October 30, 2024
Public Skating Event
Nov. 23, 2024
Holiday Market & Skate
November 23, 2024
Public Skating Event
Dec. 8, 2024
Skate With Santa
December 8, 2024
Public Skating Event
Feb. 17, 2025
Sport Calgary Family Day
February 17, 2025
Community Event
During the 2024/2025 season, media coverage of the Olympic Oval surged—with 136 stories published across major outlets, marking a 58% increase over last year. From speed skating triumphs and rising athlete profiles to World Cup action, public skating, and headline-worthy events, the Oval remained a standout in the spotlight. It was, once again, a spectacular season of press-worthy moments.
Whether you’re watching world-class athletes compete on the “world’s fastest ice” or cheering on a child as they stop teetering and find their balance in hockey skates, Calgary’s Olympic Oval is an absolute gift to the city, the province and the country.
Designs embody UCalgary’s brand — where bold initiative, personal achievement and success come to life.
The Olympic Oval prepares to Host ISU World Cup # 3.
The Fastest Ice in the World is on borrowed time. Calgary's Olympic Oval is a legacy of the 1988 Winter Games in the city and the oldest of three covered speed skating ovals in Canada.
The Olympic Oval is 38 years old and is on thin ice. We talk to the Oval's Director on what it'll take to fix this aging piece of our Olympic legacy.
Built for the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, the Olympic Oval was meant to last 25 years. Now 37 years later, it's in need of significant repairs.
Jordan Stolz, who is from Kewaskum, Wis., finishes first in the men's 500-metre at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee with a time of 33.91 to establish another track record at his hometown ov
Calgarians faced a brutally frigid Family Day on Monday, despite the lifting of an extreme cold warning.
The Olympic Oval continued to grow its digital footprint in 2024/2025, with increased viewership across all platforms—web, social media, and YouTube streaming. In partnership with the Faculty of Kinesiology, Active Living, and the Outdoor Centre, the Oval focused on boosting content quality, subscriber growth, and overall online engagement.
News coverage surged by 58%, with 136 stories featured across major media outlets.
Ice-Out shattered expectations with a 47% boost in attendance and nearly 22,000 guests.
Our Instagram following grew by 29% as the Oval continued to attract and engage new audiences.
Advertising soared by 93% this season, thanks to 15 advertisers joining the Oval family.
The Olympic Oval extends its heartfelt thanks to all our sponsors, advertisers, and partners from the 2024/2025 season.
Your continued support helps us uphold the spirit of Olympic legacy—fueling excellence, inspiring athletes, and welcoming the community onto the Fastest Ice in the World™.
Government of Canada
Winsport
University of Calgary
International Skating Union
Speed Skating Canada
Speed Skating Alberta
UCalgary Faculty of Kinesiology
Calgary Inclusive Hockey Association
Samsung
Skip the Dishes
Experience Diamond
Sport Calgary
Skate-Tec
Alt Hotels
Hockey Calgary
Calgary Grizzlies
RCMP
University District
LP Events
Best Western VPI
Sport Calgary
Market Wines
Jayman Built
UCalgary School of Pubic Policy
Aloft
Four Points Sheraton
UCalgary
McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health
UCalgary Schulich School of Engineering
Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Comfort Inn & Suites
Tri-Hub Swimwear & Multisport
UCalgary Haskayne School of Business
Rogers Charity Classic
Staybridge Suites
The Great Skate
Nick's Steakhouse
MacDon
Jim and Vicki McClements
The Olympic Oval's programs have grown to more than 108 athletes and employ more than 10-speed skating coaches (full and part-time). Pathway athletes range in performance from the provincial team level to the National Team level. Athletes worldwide continue to train in the Olympic Oval speed skating programs. The short and long track Olympic Oval programs remain leaders in sport development and research. In this program, athletes have had tremendous success in setting world records, winning medals at the Olympics, World Championships, World Cups, and qualifying for National teams.
The Elite Athlete Pathway welcomed 108 athletes for the 2024/2025 season—39 Short Track athletes and 72 Long Track Athletes.
The Olympic Oval has been operating since 1989. It was previously called the Oval Program, but the name evolved to fit the Pathway model. For the 2024/2025 season, the Elite Athlete Pathway had 108 full-time athletes, of which 39 were short track athletes, and 72 were long track athletes. Our athletes come from all across Canada and internationally to train at the Olympic Oval.
Women's 500m
Elite Circuit Day 2
Day 4
Innovation was a key focus in the 2024/2025 season, with continued enhancements to the Oval’s training system software and dedicated support for Speed Skating Canada’s short track competition platform.
The Olympic Oval delivered a thrilling 2024/2025 season, hosting 26 competitions that brought together the best in speed skating. This included nine short track events such as the Junior World Cup, Canada Cup, and international, regional, and local meets. Eleven long track competitions featured a World Cup, Canada Cup 1 and Final, plus seven international and one regional event. Six high-performance time trials rounded out a packed and exhilarating calendar on the Fastest Ice in the World™.
The Olympic Oval was proud to be selected as the host venue for the 2025 ISU World Cup Speed Skating #3, held from January 24-26, 2025. The Oval once again lived up to its nickname, “The Fastest Ice in the World™.”
Over the course of the competition, athletes shattered expectations—and records. Two Senior World Records fell: the Men’s 10,000m and the Men’s Team Sprint. Not to be outdone, the next generation also made history, with two Junior World Records in the Women’s 1,500m and Men’s 10,000m.
It was a weekend that once again, cemented the Oval as a world-class stage for world-class talent.
The Olympic Oval was proud to be selected again as the host venue the 2025 ISU Junior World Cup Championships from February 27 to March 2, marking 30 years since it last held the event in 1995. The fast ice delivered once again, with two Junior World Records set in the Women’s 500m and the Mixed Relay.
The Olympic Oval Classic Series is designed to create fun and meaningful racing opportunities across multiple age categories throughout an entire competition season. The Classic Series utilizes a point system to award the winners of each event and the top 3 overall from the best-combined results from the four events in the Classic Series. A leaderboard of each category and distance was updated throughout the season. All 4 of these events are listed on the ISU Calendar.
The Skate-Tec Western Elite Circuit is a short track competition circuit focused on developing young speed skaters. It provides challenging opportunities for skaters to develop tactical awareness and execute learned skills. The circuit offers a fun racing atmosphere and is an introduction for most skaters to the high-performance competition stream.
The Administration team is made up of Business Operations, Finance, and the Director’s office, working together to ensure the Oval runs efficiently, sustainably, and strategically across all areas.
The Administration team introduced key upgrades to internal systems, streamlined processes for greater efficiency, and launched new staff engagement initiatives to enhance communication, collaboration, and workplace culture.
Varsity athletes continue to make the Olympic Oval their training ground, with usage climbing to 924 this season—a 6% increase. An additional 223 junior and high school track & field athletes also trained here.
Teams training at the Oval include men’s and women’s basketball, football, women’s hockey, women’s rugby, men’s and women’s soccer, swimming, track & field (including pole vault), volleyball, tennis, and wrestling. Individual athletes from men’s hockey, men’s golf, and women’s golf also accessed the facilities.
The Dinos made headlines all season long in 2024/2025. Check out some standout achievements from the varsity athletes who train right here at the Olympic Oval.
We want to hear from you!
The 2024–2025 season raised the bar yet again. In its 37th year, the Olympic Oval proved why it’s a world-class legacy facility—breaking records, inspiring athletes, and bringing our community together. With every lap, leap, and cheer, we redefined excellence and kept the spirit of sport alive and thriving.
Mark Messer
Director, Olympic Oval
