Historical first for Toronto which will hold the ISU Short Track
Speed
Skating World Cup #2 on November 6-8, 2015
Skating World Cup #2 on November 6-8, 2015
TORONTO, May, 2015 – Toronto will host for the very first time an
international speed skating competition this fall, as the best short track speed
skaters in the world will meet at the MasterCard Centre, November 6-8, 2015, for
the second ISU Short Track World Cup of the 2015-2016
season.
Toronto will be one of the three Canadian cities to host an
international speed skating event next season. Montreal will open the short
track season by presenting the first World Cup, October 30-November
1st at the Maurice-Richard Arena. Calgary’s Olympic Oval will play
host to the first Long Track World Cup of the season, November
13-15.
"The International Skating Union encourages its Members to be as
active as possible. Therefore when a Member is willing to host multiple events
during a season, it shows the implication and determination of that Member to
promote ISU sports”, said ISU President Ottavio Cinquanta. “The ISU is pleased
to have allotted three ISU events to Speed Skating Canada, including an ISU
World Cup Speed Skating event in Calgary and two back-to-back ISU World Cup
Short Track Speed Skating events in Montreal and Toronto."
“Toronto looks forward to hosting the ISU Short Track Speed Skating
World Cup competition for the very first time”, said Mayor John Tory. This year,
Toronto will be the epicentre of all things sport, and we are excited to welcome
the best speed skaters in the world and cheer on our talented Canadian
athletes.”
“Speed Skating Canada is very pleased to host the best speed skating
athletes in the world next season in three international events”, said Speed
Skating Canada’s Chief Executive Officer, Ian Moss. “This reflects our strategy
to host an increasing number of events like these in Canada and, consequently,
to better promote our sport on short and long track, as well as our athletes who
are representing us so well.”
See the best in the world in action in
Toronto
Toronto fans will be able to see for the first time live the Short
Track Canadian national team members, including Olympic medalists Charles
Hamelin, Marianne St-Gelais, Valérie Maltais, François Hamelin, Olivier Jean and
Guillaume Bastille, who all skated for Canada last season.
Two up-and-coming skaters from the Toronto area, Patrick Duffy and
William Preudhomme, also represented Canada in World Cups last
winter.
Patrick Duffy, a 23 year-old athlete from Oakville, took part in all
six World Cups last season for the first time of his career. He won his
first-ever individual medal at World Cup #6 in Erzurum, Turkey, in the 1000m
event.
William Preudhomme, 21 year-old skater from Toronto, won the bronze
medal in the 500m event in his first-ever World Cup in Shanghai. The following
week, he also took part in last season's fourth World Cup, held in Seoul, where
he took 8th position in the 1500m event and 7th place in
the 3000m race.
“The thought of skating in Toronto is quite exciting, yet a challenge
at the same time”, said Patrick Duffy. “If I were to skate in front of that home
crowd, the support and adrenaline would be comparable to skating in Montreal.
But that’s where the challenge would lie, in controlling that high that the
crowd gives you and focusing it into a medal. At this point, there is still
loads of work to do in the summer, but skating in Toronto is definitively an
idea that drives my training forward.”
In the first World Cup of the season held last year in the Americas,
in Salt Lake City, U.S.A., 146 skaters (62 women and 84 men) took part in the
competition.
Among the athletes present, 10 of the 13 individual medalists from
the 2014 Olympic Games were in action, including Charles
Hamelin, Victor An and Vladimir Grigorev (Russia), Sjinkie Knegt (Netherlands),
and Dajing Wu and Tianyu Han (China) on the men's side, as well as Arianna
Fontana (Italy), Kexin Fan and Yang Zhou (China) and Suk-Hee Shim (South Korea)
on the women's side.
Competition will start on the Friday with qualifying for the 500m,
1000m, 1500m and relay events, both on the men's and women's side, and will
progress toward the final rounds on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets for the Toronto competition will be available starting
September 1st. Maximum capacity will be 3000 seats per
day.
“On behalf of the Toronto World Cup Organizing Committee, we are
excited to be bringing a major event like the upcoming ISU Short Track World Cup
to Toronto”, said the president of the organizing committee and of the Toronto
Speed Skating Club, Desmond Preudhomme. “This is a great opportunity for the
people within the GTA to see firsthand the excitement of the sport, and to see
World and Olympic champions in action! This is an opportunity that is not to be
missed.”
About Speed
Skating Canada
Speed Skating Canada (SSC) is the governing body for competitive long
track and short track speed skating in Canada. Founded in 1887, the association
is comprised of 13 provincial and territorial branches representing more than
14,000 individual members, and counting. SSC believes that sport is an
apprenticeship for life and prizes respect for others, integrity, excellence of
effort, as well as a safe, healthy environment. SSC recognizes and values its
outstanding volunteers who give freely of their time and expertise. It also
celebrates the 63 Olympic medals won by Canadian athletes since 1932, as well as
the coaches, officials and other dedicated individuals who helped them on their
journey.
SSC is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same
vision and values including our premium sponsor Intact Insurance, as well as our
funding partners, the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, and WinSport
Canada.
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For
information:
Patrick Godbout
Communications & Media Relations Manager
Speed Skating Canada
Phone: 514
213-9897
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