The province of Friesland will press on with building a new speed skating stadium in Heerenveen, even if the national skating association opts to make Almere its preferred location.

The Thialf stadium has been home to top-level speed skating since the 1980s but its future is in doubt now the Dutch Olympic committee and the KNSB are on the point of opting to build a state-of-the-art stadium closer to Amsterdam.

Queen’s commissioner John Jorritsma said on Tuesday that the building of a new Thialf stadium will go ahead, the Telegraaf reported.

Next year

Friesland has already allocated €50m and ‘Almere hasn’t got any money yet’, the paper quoted Jorritsma as saying. ‘On April 2, 2014, work will start on the new Thialf.’

News that top-level skating may move to Almere’s Icedôme has caused shockwaves throughout the province, which considers the sport its own.

Olympic and world champion Sven Kramer last week threw his weight behind the campaign to keep international events in Friesland. ‘Thialf must remain the skating Mecca,’ Kramer said using the microblogging service Twitter. ‘Friesland is skating and skating is Thialf.

Labour MPs have also raised the issue with sports minister Edith Schippers. In particular, they are concerned at the impact on jobs in Heerenveen of moving to Almere.