On February 13, 2026, the ice on the speed skating rink is the coldest and hardest, unmatched by any other ice. The speed skating rink demands precision, and never before has an Olympic speed skating event been held in a temporary venue until the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which introduced the first high-tech Speed Skating Stadium.
According to the Associated Press, in order to achieve maximum glide distance and minimal friction, the Olympic committee enlisted ice-making expert Mark Messer. Messer has been involved in the construction of speed skating tracks for six Olympics and was responsible for the ice-making at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Canada, which boasts one of the fastest tracks in the world and holds over three hundred records.
Since the end of October last year, Messer has been meticulously constructing the new high-tech speed skating rink in the northern suburbs of Milan at the Fiera exhibition center, painstakingly building the layers of ice. Less than two weeks after starting the project, Messer revealed in an interview that this was one of the biggest challenges he has faced in his ice-making career.
If the golden-haired girl from a fairy tale is compared to a speed skater, her three choices would be: the hardness of the ice surface for ice hockey matches should be moderate, allowing for quick movements and sharp turns; the ice for figure skating should be softer, providing power for jumps while preventing the ice from shattering upon landing; and the ice for curling should be the softest and warmest, making it easy to control movement.
However, the ice for speed skating competitions must be hard, cold, clean, and smooth, as Messer emphasized. He explained that the blades of the skates are very sharp, and any dirt on the ice surface will dull them, affecting the speed of the athletes.
Enrico Fabris, the sports manager of the Rho Speed Skating Stadium and former Winter Olympic champion, stated that a perfect ice surface means athletes can compete under equal conditions. If the ice surface is fast, it’s even more perfect, making skating on it a joyful experience.
Before Messer arrived, workers had spent weeks laying insulation and leveling the ground, laying pipes and rubber hoses, and purifying the water needed for making ice. The water used for ice-making cannot be too pure, or the ice would be too brittle. A moderate amount of impurities is necessary to keep the ice intact. The first layer of water is sprayed slowly with nozzles, and when the ice layer reaches a few centimeters in thickness, the staff spends a whole day painting the ice in white and dividing the lanes.
Messer revealed that the first layer of ice takes about 45 minutes to freeze, and then another layer is applied, repeated hundreds of times. During this process, no dirt, dust, or frost can mix in; otherwise, the impurities would increase friction and slow down the skating speed.
On November 29-30 last year, the ice rink faced its first major test during the Junior World Cup event (JWC). Permanent ice rinks usually conduct track tests a year before the Olympics to allow more time for adjustments. Messer noted that the temporary venue for this event had limited adjustment time.
During the event, Kayo Vos, the newly crowned champion in the men’s 1000 meters race and a Dutch speed skater, mentioned that the ice was a bit soft, but Messer was not overly concerned. He mentioned that they started with a conservative and cautious approach and that they would now adjust the temperature to increase the ice speed while ensuring the safety of the ice surface.