The ISU Speed Skating World Championships – Allround and Sprint formats are taking place in Heerenveen, featuring traditional speed skating events with distinct race distances and scoring methods.
According to ISU Skating, the Allround format has been part of the official World Speed Skating Championships since 1893, when Jaap Eden of the Netherlands won the title in Amsterdam. This format involves four distances: men compete in 500m, 5000m, 1500m, and 10,000m races, while women skate 500m, 3000m, 1500m, and 5000m. The results from all distances are combined for a final ranking.
The Sprint Championships, first held in 1970 in West Allis, require skaters to compete in two 500m and two 1000m races. In Heerenveen, Sprint events are scheduled on Thursday and Friday, followed by the Allround competitions on Saturday and Sunday.
Both championships use the Samalog scoring system to determine the final rankings. This system converts race times into points based on the 500m standard: time in seconds for 500m equals the points; for longer distances, times are divided by specific factors to calculate points (e.g., 1000m times divided by two, 10,000m times divided by twenty). The sum of points across distances decides the overall standings.
