The second edition of the World Ice Skating day was a triumph with 53 Nations on Ice. © International Skating Union
On December 3, 2023, the International Skating Union (ISU) together with a variety of partners, national federations and skating clubs from all over the globe celebrated the World Ice Skating Day (WISD). This second edition was a success with events organized in 53 countries and at 130 ice rinks worldwide. By reuniting thousands of skaters of different levels, ages and social backgrounds, the ISU has achieved the major goal that underlines this initiative: making equal access, diversity and inclusion a reality in the ice skating community – a trend to be set not only over a single day but for the years ahead.
Since its launch in 2022, the World Ice Skating Day movement has continued to grow surpassing last year’s numbers from 47 to 53 participating countries this year. From the rooftop of the world at 15,500 feet above sea level in Leh Ladakh (India) to the southernmost tip of the world in Puntas Arenas(Chile), the World Ice Skating Day was celebrated in all sizes and shapes but with the same joy everywhere.
Whether in Australia, New Zealand, China , South Africa, Egypt as well as in multiple countries in Europe and across North America – to Kuwait and UAE in the Middle East, across Asia and South America – the World Ice Skating Day festivities stretched out on all continents (see all locations here).
This geographical richness was echoed by a multiplicity of activities – freely open to everyone - which included: skating lessons for children and beginners, coaching sessions on skills for amateurs as well as skating exhibitions and shows by professional skaters. Music animations, fun games, and food trucks all around the rinks contributed to creating a genuine festival atmosphere, which is core to the WISD concept.
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World Ice Skating Day event in Poland @Polish Figure Skating Association
The crown jewel of the WISD - the “World Ice Skating Day Main Event 2023” was held in the picturesque town of Lake Placid (USA) in collaboration with the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (Olympic Authority).
The historic James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval was open for a public skate session and fun relay competitions in the mornings along with Learn to Skate sessions. The Skating Club of Lake Placid showcased a special ‘Parade of Nations’ Exhibition in the indoor 1932 Jack Shea Arena. The Main Event proceedings were hosted by the US Olympic Silver Medalist Jack Wylie. Special performances by ISU World Junior 2022 Ice Dance Champions Oona and Gage Brown followed by the Skyliners Junior Synchronized Skating team were also exclusively presented to the public.
While all WISD activations in the world shared a common mission to attract families and young generations on the ice, each of them stood out with their own specificities leading to creative and unique results. One remarkable example is the organization of a Speed Skating lesson in the Himalayas (Ladakh, India) at an altitude of 5602m on a frozen lake – making it the highest ice rink in the world.
A group of children from the region were given the opportunity to train with the support of a coach from the Ladakh Ice Skating Association affiliated with the Ice-Skating Association of India.
Indonesia, winner of last year’s “Best WISD Awards” contest with more than 500 people attending (read here), celebrated in big style by conducting several WISD events in 14 ice rinks across 12 cities all over the country. Mexico,
also a winner of last year’s Best WISD Awards (read here), combined this year the World Ice Skating Day with their Annual National Figure Skating Championships in Puebla Cholula highlighted with a special appearance by the Mexican Olympian Donovan Carillo.
Mexico also conducted several activations in 5 cities across the country. British Ice Skating had similar approach mingling their National Skating Championships with the World Ice Skating Day program all across the UK with a special activation for disabled skaters held in Nottingham, UK.
Among the other heavy hitters were Canada(12 cities and ice rinks), China (12 cities and 19 ice rinks) and the United States (7 ice rinks in 7 cities).
On the side of the WISD institutional partners, the charity organization Inclusive Skating held their World Virtual Championships with a record number of competition entries this year.
Through its special collaboration with Jackson Ultima – the global leader in Figure Skating boots and blades – the ISU organized this year a special giveaway contest allowing to win 2 pairs of Ice-Skating skates by way of a lucky draw.
The ISU also partnered with Ice Skating Jewellery to create a custom-made WISD jewellery necklace also offered as part of the giveway contest package (more information here). The two winners to a lucky winners will be announced soon in the beginning of the year.
The ISU President, Jae Youl Kim, who joined the celebrations in Gangwon, South Korea, stated:
“We are overwhelmed and delighted by the enthusiasm and involvement of so many locations, national federations, and participants in all parts of the world, even those that are not accustomed to practice ice skating sports. The fact that more countries are joining the World Ice Skating Day movement definitely encourages us to strengthen this initiative so as to continue creating a greater sense of community and solidarity, which are key to the future development of our sports”.
Overall, the second World Ice Skating Day was a resounding success. It provided a unique opportunity for ice skating lovers to come together, celebrate their passion for the sport and share the joys of ice skating socially as much as spreading them digitally.
As a way to thank the valuable participation and support of WISD organizers around the world, the ISU will again reward the best events by organizing the “Best World Ice Skating Day 2023 Awards”. There will also be a special Award for the Best #WISDance choreography 2023. All the winners will be announced in March 2024. To know more about this contest, how to become a candidate and the deadlines to participate, please visit the dedicated webpage here.
In the coming weeks, the ISU will be sharing episodes and highlights of the events that took place worldwide. Stay tuned on the WISD and ISU websites, as well as on our social media accounts. Skate on!
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