Host communities needed for seven events over the next two seasons, including five national championships

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Speed Skating Canada is now accepting bids from interested host communities for several national-level competitions planned for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, including five national championships.

A total of seven short track events are currently up for bid, including Canadian Youth, Canadian Neo-Junior, and Canadian Junior championships, where the country’s top age-class skaters will compete for national titles, and in the case of the Canadian Junior Short Track Championships, earn the chance to wear the maple leaf on the international stage.

Speed Skating Canada adopted a revised event bidding process in 2022 that has helped bring national-level speed skating to several new communities, including Saskatoon, Oakville, Medicine Hat, Chicoutimi, and Rimouski. These new locations – alongside longstanding host cities such as Montreal, Calgary, Quebec City, Fort St. John and Sherbrooke – have allowed the organization to showcase the sport from coast-to-coast more than ever before.

Interested tourism bodies or local speed skating clubs are asked to fill out the Existing Host Application Form (if they’ve hosted a national event since 2021) or New Host Application Form (if they haven’t hosted since 2021). The completed application form and any supporting documents must be submitted to Jill Lynch by April 28, 2024.

Bids are being accepted for the following events. The dates and locations of the remaining events can be found in the recently published 2024-25 National Competition Calendar.

2024-25 Season

– Canadian Junior Short Track Championships (October 11-13, 2024)
– Canadian Neo-Junior Short Track Championships (November 9-10, 2024)
– Canadian Junior Short Track Open (January 11-12, 2025)
– Short Track Canada Cup Junior Final (March 21-23, 2025)
– Canadian Youth Short Track Championships – East (March 28-30, 2025)

2025-26 Season

– Canadian Youth Short Track Championships – East (March 27-29, 2026)
– Canadian Youth Short Track Championships – West (March 27-29, 2026)

Event Descriptions

Canadian Junior Short Track Championships
The Canadian Junior Short Track Championships features the country’s top 40 junior aged skaters per gender and is used to crown a national junior champion in each individual distance and an overall champion. The results from this event help determine which athletes will be nominated to represent Canada at the ISU Junior World Cups, ISU World Junior Championships and the Youth Olympic Games.
Canadian Youth Short Track Championships
The Canadian Youth Short Track Championships features skaters aged 11 to 13 and is used to crown individual distance champions for each age class. The event also features relays and ability-based races amongst all age groups. This event serves as an introduction to national level competition for developing skaters and an opportunity for them to represent their province/territory on the national stage.
Canadian Neo-Junior Short Track Championships
The Canadian Neo-Junior Short Track Championships features skaters aged 14 to 15 and is used to crown individual distance champions for each age class. The top 60 skaters per gender compete in groups to gain racing experience and challenge to make the podium.
Canadian Junior Short Track Open
The Canadian Short Track Junior Open is a parallel pathway competition for skaters aged 16-18. It serves as a qualifier for the Canada Cup Final and Canada Cup Junior Final. It brings together 40 skaters per gender who are looking for national level racing experience and trying to break into the senior national ranking events.
Short Track Canada Cup Junior Final
The Short Track Canada Cup Junior Final features the country’s top 60 junior aged skaters per gender and is where they can accumulate points towards the end-of-season Canadian junior rankings. The competition is designed to promote the development of tactical racing skills and to expose more skaters to national level competition.