Short Track Speed Skating is a sport that tests competitors' speed, technical skating ability, and aggression. Originating in North America, Short Track Speed Skating has competitors racing again each other rather than the clock. It became an Olympic Sport in 1992 and has grown from strength to strength.
I met with Sidney Chu, Hong Kong Olympian, and Flag Bearer at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and Raul Gomes, DB Ice Rink Manager, to learn more about the sport.
Compared to mainstream sports in Hong Kong, like rugby and football Short Track Speed Skating is not very popular, and the opportunities to train and compete are minimal.
Sidney spent most of his time training in China and Korea to get access to high-level training and competition.
Returning to Hong Kong after the Beijing Winter Olympics, Sidney set out to create awareness, develop and grow the sport of Short Track Speed in Hong Kong.
While training for the Beijing Olympics, Sidney trained at the Discovery Bay Ice Rink, developed a relationship with Ice Rink Manager Raul Gomes, and partnered with the Ice Rink to start his https://hkspeedskating.org/ Academy.
The academy's mission is to develop local interest in the sport, push speed skating as a popular sport and become the leading training program for aspiring Hong Kong Short Track Speed Skaters.
The https://www.dbicerink.com/en/home/ Ice Rink is a state-of-the-art facility. Like the Hong Kong Speed Skating Academy, The DB Ice Rink's vision is to promote, educate, and inspire the general public about ice sports in Hong Kong.
Their mission is to continue to support local athletes and train future athletes to become elite Speet Skaters. Many Hong Kong ice athletes train at the rink on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday evenings.
The 59 x 27 rink is ideal for training and allows Sidneys Academy to offer high-quality Olympic training in the safest environment for its students.
Training sessions occur on Sundays and Mondays from 6 pm - 8 pm.
The Academy offers a comprehensive program that focuses on teaching the fundamental skills for skating and developing their strength by providing a dryland train that focuses on dynamic warm-ups and lower body strengthening exercises that mimic the action of Short Track Speed Skating.
On 26 December, the Academy hosted the Hong Kong Cup, the first Speed Skating Competition in Hong Kong.
The event took place at the Discovery Bay Ice Rink and saw more than 50 skaters take part, many of them from Sidneys Academy and athletes from the Hong Kong Sports Institutes.
The event was well received and could be the platform to host more competitions in the future.
Looking into the future, Sidney will continue training and is looking to switch to Long Track Speed Skating while also continuing his work with the Academy.
He believes the sport is moving in the right direction and will be an all-team effort from skaters, coaches, and parents to continue to promote and grow the sport.
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