Skaters make a speedy return to Beijing as ISU World Cup kicks off

With tickets now on sale and the state-of-the-art Olympic rink primed for action, Beijing is all set to launch the 2026-27 Speed Skating World Cup series with a star-studded season opener at the Ice Ribbon this week.

Nine months on from the buzz of the Milano-Cortina Olympics, the hot pursuit on ice returns to the host city of the 2022 Winter Games, as Beijing prepares to get the International Skating Union’s six-stop World Cup circuit off to a flying start at the National Speed Skating Oval on Friday.

Nearly 250 elite skaters from more than 20 countries and regions have signed up, with a total eight men’s and women’s individual events — ranging from 500m to 5,000m, as well as team pursuit and mass start races — to be contested at the iconic Olympic oval, known as the Ice Ribbon for its sleek aesthetics, next to Beijing’s Olympic Forest Park.

Ticket sales opened on Monday morning, with organizers busy completing final tests on the ice track, timing devices and service protocols for athletes and spectators.

China’s squad will be spearheaded by reigning men’s 1,500m Olympic champion Ning Zhongyan and Beijing 2022 men’s 500m gold medalist Gao Tingyu, with women’s middle-distance specialist Han Mei and sprinter Tian Ruining also featuring on an ambitious team that blends youth with experience.

With home advantage on its side, Team China aims to put in a gutsy performance against a strong international field as a confidence boost entering the first season of the new Winter Olympic cycle.

International stars set to descend on the Ice Ribbon include the Netherlands’ Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong, the women’s defending 1,500m Olympic champion, her fellow Milano-Cortina 2026 gold medalist Marijke Groenewoud (women’s mass star) and rising Czech star Metodej Jilek, who impressed on his Olympic debut by winning the men’s 10,000m gold in Milan.

The Beijing World Cup event is co-organized by the Winter Sports Administrative Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Chinese Skating Association and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, with operational support from the Beijing Sports Competition Management and International Exchange Center and Beijing BeiAo Group.

Running through Sunday, the Beijing stop marks the first of six legs on the 2026-27 World Cup calendar. Beyond launching the new campaign for skaters worldwide, it serves as a critical dress rehearsal for the ISU World Speed Skating Championships, which will return to the same Beijing venue in February 2027.