After the successful first edition spanning 47 countries and almost 170 ice rinks across the world, the International Skating Union (ISU) is proud to announce the launch of the second World Ice Skating Day (WISD) edition to be unveiled on December 3rd, 2023. Taking the form of a global and annual festival, this one-day event aims at bringing together on the ice people from different communities, ages and skating levels with the purpose to discover and celebrate all Ice Skating sports. This year’s edition promises to set standards high: an array of new exciting partners, skating icons and participating countries will be joining in with the continuous commitment to turn the ice into a space of diversity, inclusion and fun !
First edition of the ISU World Ice Skating Day launched in 2022 with the "Main Event" taking place in Lausanne, Switzerland. @ISU
The World Ice Skating Day (WISD), created and organized by the International Skating Union (ISU), is a one-day global festival dedicated to Ice Skating. This year’s annual celebration will be held on December 3, 2023, keeping the tradition of hosting the WISD on the first Sunday of December every year. The key objectives are to make Ice Skating sports accessible to everyone in a fun and safe environment – for first-timers, amateurs, professionals or retired skaters – by creating a memorable experience for the entire family and sharing the passion for the sports, especially that magical gliding feeling so unique to Ice Skating.
The ISU President Jae Youl Kim attending the ISU World Ice Skating Day "Main Event" in Lausanne, Switzerland, 2022. @ISU
The ISU President, Jae Youl Kim, welcomes the second edition of the WISD with great enthusiasm: “After the resounding success of last year’s inaugural World Ice Skating Day, we are thrilled to extend an invitation for all of us to gather once again on December 3, 2023. This day is dedicated to rejoicing the sheer delight of Ice Skating, and introducing the sport to young generations with a hope that many will discover a love for it. Join the global festivities at a rink near your home and share the passion and excitement of being on the ice. Let’s collaboratively elevate this edition, crafting an experience that surpasses all expectations. Remember, together anything is possible.”
Let’s explore: A revamped WISD website with brand new features
To mark the launch of this second edition, the ISU is glad to present a revamped World Ice Skating Day website with a series of new features and content. These include:
-
A sleek and animated web design highlighting the different sections as well as content in a bright and legible way.
-
A WISD Manual compiling all the key information relating to the event concept, organization, participation and execution steps.
-
An updated WISD Brand Toolkit package supporting event organizers (more info here), along with an “Icebox” Guide providing them with ideas and checklist tips to help plan their WISD projects.
-
A new “Best Practices” section compiling all reports from last year’s participating countries, giving a great source of information and inspiration for all future organizers.
-
An enhanced event locator tool that provides a more targeted search of a WISD event through the integration of Google maps tracking system for each event. This shall enable everyone to get the exact maps coordinates about the WISD event that is happening in the selected neighborhood, region, city or country.
Let’s plan: Become a WISD Event Organizer
All ISU Members, together with national skating rinks and clubs, are invited to join the WISD global movement by registering their local initiatives on the dedicated section of the website (see here). Any organization, ice rink, skating club that wishes to be a part of the WISD can secure the WISD hosting rights by filling the registration form on the website). Once the ISU validates the application, the hosting rights along with the WISD 2023 Branding Toolkit will be sent to the participating entities to help them design, dress up and promote their events with the vibrant WISD colors and distinctive communication guidelines. This WISD Branding Toolkit contains ready-to-use artworks for venue branding, printing material, digital marketing assets, merchandise, events ideas guide, etc. Organizers are encouraged to be creative in the type of activities they wish to plan in accordance with the WISD guidelines. Check out the “Best Practices” section of the website that compiles a selection of reports from last year’s participating countries and providing future organizers with a library of inspiration.
Registrations for organizers are now open here.
Let’s play: Best WISD Award 2023
Similarly to last year, the ISU is organizing a “Best World Ice Skating Day” contest that rewards the most successful events based on a number of criteria relating among others to the creativity efforts implemented and the on-site/digital audience attracted. Participants will compete in two categories (less/more than 500 persons in attendance) and have a chance to get a cash prize. Last year’s winners included Indonesia (Federasi Ice Skating Indonesia) winning the Best WISD in the “more than 500 persons in attendance” category followed by Mexico (Nuevo Léon’s Winter Sports Association) crowned winner of the Best WISD in the “less than 500 persons in attendance” category (read here).
Let’s dance: Best #WISDance 2023
Being a festival with a fun atmosphere, the WISD introduced in its first edition the#WISDance, a skating choreography tailor-made for the event, which was created in 2022 by the Club des Patineurs Lausanne-Malley (CPLM) (SUI). Shared with all WISD participating countries worldwide, it consisted of easy-to-learn skating dance moves that anyone with basic skating skills could perform. Following the #WISDance 2022 contest that rewarded the best performance held during an event, the Ice Academy of Montreal (CAN) came out as a winner receiving not only a cash prize but also the honor of choregraphing this year’s #WISDance2023.
#WISDance perfomed during the 2022 World Ice Skating Day "Main Event" in Lausanne, Switzerland, 2022. @ISU
So keep following us for the great unveiling and participate to have a chance to win this year’s cash and prizes !
Let’s shine: Spotlight on the WISD Partners
During the WISD 2022, world-renowned professional Figure Skater Elladj Baldé lent his support to the cause as WISD Global Ambassador using his platform “Skate Global Foundation” to raise awareness. Moreover, the ISU was glad to count among its first edition’s partners the charity organization “Inclusive Skating” as WISD institutional partner along with the UK-based ice rink chain “Planet Ice” acting as official partner of the event.
ISU World Ice Skating Day 2022 event taking place in Monterrey, Mexico. @Nuevo Léon Winter Sports Association
For the upcoming second edition, new WISD partners and Skating Icons will be announced in the next couple of weeks. So make sure to keep an eye at the WISD website and social media accounts for thrilling reveals !
Let’s skate: Join us to the 2023 WISD edition
Organizers have brilliant ideas to create an exciting day for the public. The 2022 edition of the World Ice Skating Day came in all shapes and sizes. From Australia to the Philippines, through to South Africa, Peru, and Croatia, the World Ice Skating Day festivities stretched across all continents with the participation of 47 nations. This geographical richness was echoed by a multiplicity of activities making each event unique. Freely open to everyone, the typical WISD activities include:
-
Free skating lessons for kids and beginners
-
Coaching sessions on skills and injury prevention to amateur skaters
-
Free skating for the entire family
-
Pop-up shops renting skates and other related equipment
-
Food trucks and refreshment corners
-
DJ and musical arrangements
-
Encounters with retired competitive skaters
-
Skating galas/exhibitions of renowned skaters from the region
This year is expected to bring new fun and festive activities across the world. Stay tuned by checking out the list of countries/cities hosting events which will be progressively revealed here.
About World Ice Skating Day
The World Ice Skating Day presented by the International Skating Union (ISU), is a one-day global festival dedicated to Ice Skating celebrated on the first Sunday of December. The key objectives are to make Ice Skating sports accessible to everyone in a fun and safe environment – for first-timers, amateurs, professionals or retired competitive skaters – by creating a memorable experience for the entire family. The concept of the World Ice Skating Day stemmed from the idea to popularize and share the spirit of Ice Skating worldwide through a celebration with a vision towards development, inclusion and fairness. For further information please visit World Ice Skating Day website.
.png){kind=small}