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It’s part of the ISU Championships series, the top tier of international competitions organized by the International Skating Union (ISU). The 2026 ISU Speed Skating European Championships will be held on January 9–11, 2026, in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland.

The European Speed Skating Championships are one of the most significant events in the speed skating ecosystem – the most significant in the “Old Continent” – important for four major reasons:

• Continental titles and prestige
• It’s a key event in the 2025–26 season
• It has an Olympic-cycle relevance (more specifically, it’s relevant for Milan–Cortina 2026 in terms of seeding, ranking points, and tactical testing of lineups and distance strategies.
• Broadcast and commercial significance

The 2026 ISU Speed Skating European Championships is organized by the ISU, in cooperation with the Polish speed skating association (Polski Związek Łyżwiarstwa Szybkiego – PZŁS). It’s supported by the Local Organizing Committee of Tomaszów Mazowiecki.

Venue, Skater’s Structure, and Prize Pool Overview for the 2026 ISU Speed Skating European Championships

The “playground” for the 2026 ISU Speed Skating European Championships will be at Arena Lodowa Tomaszów Mazowiecki (Ice Arena Tomaszów Mazowiecki), a fully indoor, climate-controlled 400-meter speed skating oval, regularly used for ISU World Cup stages and European-level championships.

The European Speed Skating Championships aren’t team-based—they are individual competitions. The participation of around 60–80 skaters in total is expected:

• Men: approx. 30–40 athletes
• Women: approx. 30–40 athletes

Athletes come from roughly 15–20 European nations. Each nation typically enters up to three skaters per gender per category (depending on quotas).

The championship includes both:

• All-round competitions
• Sprint competitions

The European Speed Skating Championships don’t award prize money. Instead, the “prize” structure consists of:

• Continental titles (European Champion Sprint / Allround)
• ISU World Ranking points
• National prestige and selection impact
• Qualification/selection influence for upcoming ISU World Championships
• Commercial value (sponsorship visibility, federation bonuses depending on country)

Because there’s no official prize fund, nothing is distributed to athletes directly by the ISU. Some national federations may grant internal bonuses for medal performances, but these aren’t part of the ISU championship structure.

Participating Skaters in the 2026 ISU Speed Skating European Championships and Qualification Overview

The ISU doesn’t publish the final entry list this far in advance, although there’s a group of skaters who are realistically expected to compete. National federations such as the Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Belgian, German, Italian, Austrian, Finnish, and Czech have always traditionally had a strong presence and completed full quotas.

Qualification for the European Speed Skating Championships is determined by three mechanisms:

ISU World Cup Ranking Points (primary factor)

Nations receive quota spots based on their skaters’ results in the ISU World Cup Speed Skating series leading into the championship. Quotas per category (All-round/Sprint):

• Three skaters per gender max
• Must have ISU minimum time standards
• Must be inside World Cup ranking thresholds

Minimum time standards (ISU qualifying times)

All skaters must meet the official ISU qualification time limits during the season in either World Cup, Challenger Series, or approved national events. Examples (approx., will be updated for 2026):

• Men 500m: ~35.70
• Women 500m: ~39.00
• Men 1500m: ~1:48.00
• Women 1500m: ~1:58.00

Exact tables change yearly, but follow similar ranges.

National federation selection

Even if a nation has three quotas, they can choose any eligible skaters who meet the ISU times. Typical criteria:

• World Cup placement
• National championships
• Consistency & injury status
• Olympic-cycle planning (important for 2026 season)

Examples:

• Netherlands always sends top World Cup performers
• Poland prioritizes sprint specialists
• Norway rotates based on form and distance

Structure and Competition Format of the 2026 ISU Speed Skating European Championships

The 2026 ISU Speed Skating European Championships run for three days and consist of two parallel competitions:

• All-round championships (men & women)
• Sprint championships (men & women)

Both formats take place simultaneously across the same three days.

Day 1 — January 9, 2026

• Sprint: 500m (race 1) + 1,000m (race 1)
• All-round: 500m + 3,000m (women) / 5,000m (men)

Day 2 — January 10, 2026

• Sprint: 500m (race 2) + 1,000m (race 2)
• All-round: 1,500m (men & women)

Day 3 — January 11, 2026

• All-round: Final long distances
  • Women: 5,000m
  • Men: 10,000m
• Medal ceremonies for all four competitions
  (men’s Sprint, women’s Sprint, men’s All-round, and women’s All-round)

The European Speed Skating Championships use a points-based multi-distance format, not a knockout or best-of system. There are no eliminations during the event — all athletes skate all required distances if they qualify for the final distance (All-round only).

Sprinters — format

Two-day Sprint format (men & women). Each skater competes in four races:

• 500m x 2
• 1,000m x 2

Sprint scoring

The Samalog points system is used:

• Times are converted into points
• Lowest total points = champion
• No eliminations
• All sprint skaters complete all four races

All-rounders — format

Three-day All-round format (men & women) The races are:

Men All-round distances

• 500m
• 5,000m
• 1,500m
• 10,000m

Women All-round distances

• 500m
• 3,000m
• 1,500m
• 5,000m

All-round scoring

Also uses the Samalog points system, with all times converted to points.

All-round eliminations

All skaters compete in:

• Day 1 & 2 distances (three distances total)
  Only the top-8 skaters in the standings qualify for the final long distance:
• Men → 10,000m
• Women → 5,000m

This is the only elimination point.

Final ranking

Winners are determined by the lowest total Samalog points after all distances the skater completed. No heats, no knockout rounds, no best-of series — it’s a performance-based championship.

The 2026 ISU Speed Skating European Championships Favorites, Betting Options, and Where to Watch

Because the European Championships feature both Sprint and All-round formats, the favorites are divided accordingly. These projections are based on recent World Cup form, historical consistency, and expected Olympic-cycle preparation heading into 2026.

Men’s Sprint favorites:

• Piotr Michalski (Poland)
• Hein Otterspeer (Netherlands)
• Kai Verbij (Netherlands)

Women’s Sprint favorites:

• Jutta Leerdam (Netherlands)
• Femke Kok (Netherlands)
• Andżelika Wójcik (Poland)

Men’s All-round favorites:

• Patrick Roest (Netherlands)
• Bart Swings (Belgium)
• Hallgeir Engebråten (Norway)

Women’s All-round favorites:

• Ragne Wiklund (Norway)
• Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong (Netherlands)
• Francesca Lollobrigida (Italy)

Speed skating betting markets aren’t as widespread as football or eSports, but the best bookmakers in Europe typically offer odds for:

• Outright winners (Sprint & Allround)
• Podium finish markets
• Head-to-head matchups within distances
• Fastest lap / intermediate time markets (rare, but growing)

The best availability tends to come from:

• Bet365 – good coverage of Winter Olympic sports
• Unibet – strong Nordic markets, early odds for speed skating
• Betsson / NordicBet – excellent for Scandinavian audiences
• STS & Fortuna (Poland) – local operators that often feature Polish athletes prominently

The ISU rights distribution follows the standard European model:

Official broadcasters

• Skating ISU YouTube Channel (livestream + VOD). Usually streams all races except in countries with exclusive local broadcasting rights.

• Netherlands – NOS / Ziggo Sport. Massive viewership in the Netherlands ensures full coverage, commentary, and analysis shows.
• Norway – NRK / TV2. Both have a long tradition of speed skating broadcasting.
• Poland – TVP Sport. Expect full live coverage due to the event being hosted in Poland.

Pan-European streaming – Eurosport / Discovery+. Broadcasting rights often include major ISU championships, providing multi-language streams.

Worldwide (where permitted) – ISU’s official OTT & YouTube platform

Pros and Cons of the 2026 ISU Speed Skating European Championships Favorites