By Gianluca Semeraro and Francesca Landini
MILAN, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Milano Cortina organisers said on Wednesday they were happy with the quality of the short track ice after some competitors said it had been hard to navigate in the first races.
The Milano Ice Skating Arena is hosting Olympic short track and figure skating events, sometimes with both being staged on the same day.
Italy took gold in the mixed short track relay on Tuesday, beating Canada into second place.
“The ice was pretty bad, honestly, but I feel like that’s always a little bit of the case when we share the ice with figure skating,” said William Dandjinou, part of the Canadian team.
“You just got to adapt, and that’s what we did,” he added.
Short track requires thinner, more resistant ice, while figure skating is performed on a slightly thicker surface, meaning work is needed between events to tailor the surface in the appropriate way.
Luca Casassa, a spokesman for Milano Cortina 2026, said he was aware of only a few speed skaters raising issues.
“What I can guarantee you is that the ice master measures the temperature of the ice and monitors the quality of the ice constantly during competitions,” he told a news conference.
“We are honestly getting compliments for the quality of the surfaces,” he added.
Short track and figure skating were also held under the same roof in Beijing in 2022.
Dutchman Jens van ‘t Wout spoke out at the end of the mixed relay where the Netherlands failed to qualify for the medals final after compatriot Xandra Velzeboer fell.
“I was having a bit of blade troubles myself. The ice is really tricky here right now,” he said.
The Dutch team set an Olympic record in the B final, scant consolation for missing out on a medal.
Italian Pietro Sighel, part of the winning Italian team, was understandably more sanguine about conditions.
“The ice was difficult today, and we were among the best at interpreting it,” he said.
(Writing by Keith Weir;Editing by Alison Williams)
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