Fifty athletes, race officials, volunteers and spectators attended the ceremony at the historic modern Oval Speed ​​Skating Oval.

The Speed ​​Skating Championships are the first major international races to be held in Lake Placid since the 1991 Speed ​​Skating Country Match. The event will include a race every day, with Saturday being the last day of the race.

“Lake Placid is a beautiful place in the history of the Olympic and FISU movements,” This was conveyed by the acting President of FISU Lyons Eder in his introductory speech. “I wish everyone who took part in this tournament the very best. I hope you will continue in a positive spirit and help us to promote the university’s sporting values.”

Eder noted that due to the coronavirus pandemic, this tournament is FISU’s second sporting event since March 2020, when Amsterdam hosted the 5th FISU Speed ​​Skating Championships in the Netherlands.

Speed ​​skaters from Poland wave the Polish flag during the opening ceremony of the FISU James C. Sheffield World Speed ​​Skating Championships on Tuesday on an elliptical bike in Lake Placid. (Company image – Parker O’Brien)

“Last week we were fortunate to start the season successfully by winning the figure skating championship in the Czech Republic,” said Eder.

With light snow, covering the 400-meter outer oval, the event celebrates Lake Placid’s rich heritage in speed skating. The video tells the historical story of the oval, when Americans Jack Shea and Irving Jaffe became Olympic gold medalists in speed skating during the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, where the FIFA World University Games were competed in 1972, and American Eric Hayden won the Olympic Record. five individual gold medals during the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Polish national champion Szymon Palka threw in the athletics section of the 11-time champion, while David Sheffield, cousin of James C. Sheffield, waved the FISU flag. Essex County supervisor Sean Gilland stressed increasing the oval and declaring the tournament open.

Adirondack Athletic Council CEO Ashley Walden has called on the team’s speed skaters to seize the opportunity and secure their place not only in FISU history, but as Lake Placid legends.

The event, which is free and open to the public, begins on Wednesday with the women’s 1000 m, women’s 3000 m, men’s 1000 m and 5000 m races.

Today, the men’s and women’s 1500m races start at 12:30 and Friday’s program includes the men’s and women’s 500m races as well as the men’s and women’s team fighters. The race starts at 10:30

The competition will conclude on Saturday with a mixed team and group kick-off, starting at 22:45.

Countries competing for 13 medals include the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United States.