The head of the international skating union is proposing a radical shake-up of speed skating events in the wake of the Dutch dominance of the Winter Olympics.

In a letter in the hands of broadcaster Nos, ISU chairman Ottavio Cinquanta suggests scrapping the 1,000 meters, the 5,000 meters for women and 10,000 meters for men from the 2018 Olympic line-up.

In addition, the world and European all-round championships – which involve skating over four distances – should go, Cinquanta says.

Success

In the letter, Cinquanta congratulates the Dutch on their Olympic success – Oranje won eight gold, seven silver and eight bronze in the long track events – but says their dominance is also ‘cause for concern’.

The radical overhaul is needed to ensure speed skating remains attractive for skaters, sponsors and television viewers, he said. 

Harm Kuipers, former all-round world champion and a member of the ISU’s medical committee, said the suggestions should be seen as part of an ongoing debate about the sustainability of long distance skating, which is also an issue in the Netherlands. 

‘Something has to be done,’ he told the broadcaster.

The ISU is due to hold its bi-annual congress in Dublin this summer.