European Speed Skating Championships for Men

The International Skating Union has organised the European Speed Skating Championships for Men since 1893. Unofficial Championships were held in the years 1891-1892.

History

Distances used

• In the years 1891-1892, three distances had to be skated: ⅓ mile (536 m) – 1 mile (1,609 m) – 3 miles (4,828 m).
• In the years 1893-1895, three distances had to be skated: 500 m – 1,500 m – 5,000 m.
• In the years 1896-1935, four distances had to be skated: 500 m – 1,500 m – 5,000 m – 10,000 m (the big combination).
• In the years 1936-1947, four distances had to be skated: 500 m – 1,500 m – 3,000 m – 5,000 m (the small combination).
• Since 1948, four distances have to be skated: 500 m – 1,500 m – 5,000 m – 10,000 m (the big combination).

Note that at the 1967 European Championships in Lahti, Finland, it was so cold that the officials decided that they did not want to expose the skaters to the extreme cold for a long time and so they replaced the 10,000 m event with a 3,000 m event, in effect using the small combination distances instead of the big combination ones.

Ranking systems used

• In the years 1891-1892, one could only win the European......
...

Read More