Racers say Milan Cortina speed skating venue feels like they’re on a lake

MILAN AP Racing around the speed skating venue for the Milan Cortina Olympics was described as feeling like skating on a lake Cracks and all A key test event was held at the Speed Skating Stadium in Milan on Saturday when the temporary structure hosted a Junior World Cup They re still trying to make perfect ice Kayo Vos explained the Associated Press just after winning the men s neo-seniors meters The track is like centimeters above the concrete so it sounds like you re skating on natural ice because it sounds hollow And it cracks it a little bit in the outer corner in either corner so it sounds funny and it gives the feeling that you re skating on natural ice Vos who has been training at the venue for the past week commented it s getting better every day and he and other athletes have given feedback to Canadian ice master Mark Messer who is in charge of making the ice at the speed skating arena We have a small window to learn things and we re starting to get particular good information nowadays from the skaters from the coaches and from the results and we re starting to tune it up a little bit Messer disclosed We have to start with safe ice first so we went very modest to start Now we can start to change the temperatures a little bit try to make it faster but still keep it maintained as a safe ice The Speed Skating Stadium and the Rho Ice Hockey Arena are temporary structures in the Fiera Milano exhibition venue a arrangement fair complex that opened in in northwest Milan It is the first time a temporary venue has been used for the long track speed skating at the Olympics and Messer noted that contributes to the sensation of being on natural ice and the funny sounds the athletes have noticed It sounds like there s something underneath or not something underneath maybe a hollow so I think the perception is like skating on a lake where there s a void underneath Messer declared We don t have a void but we have insulation before the concrete So you get the same sort of sound and the same perception The venue for the speed skating was resolved only in April after months of wrangling and debate When it was awarded the Games in the Milan Cortina bid dossier had speed skating taking place at Baselga di Pin with a roof over the outdoor track However the International Olympic Committee rejected those plans as there were concerns that the estimated costs of million euros million to build the roof could rise by at least There were calls to hold speed skating at the existing indoor oval built for the Turin Games but that was rejected because of the cost of re-installing the ice-making facilities and also because of political reasons There were also tests done at the Arena Civica in Milan to see if it could be staged there but that also went against the preference of the IOC for the controlled setting of indoor venues AP Olympics https apnews com hub milan-cortina- -winter-olympics Source