Beijing Games inspire Calgarians to skate at the Oval

Many things that position the University of Calgary on the world stage; having a world class sport and recreation facility like the Olympic Oval as part of our campus infrastructure is one of them. The Olympic Oval serves the university, high performance training – including as the home of Canada’s long track speed skating team  –  broader Calgary community and a research facility for Kinesiology scholars to advance the science of human performance. 

Perhaps inspired by the outstanding performances of Canadian athletes at the recent 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, Calgarians came out in droves to celebrate Family Day Monday with a free skate at the Olympic Oval. 

This was the busiest public skate that the Oval has been able to host in two years, with over 1,700 guests passing through the doors over the course of the five-hour event. 

“As we look to exit this pandemic, families are clearly looking for activities that inspire physical and mental health after two years of staying home, and the Olympic Oval is a great way to meet their needs,” says Dr. Penny Werthner, Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology. The Faculty of Kinesiology is the No. 1 ranked sport science school in North America and No. 10 globally.  

In addition to public skating and running, the Olympic Oval works with the university’s Active Living unit to provide a wide variety of skating and hockey programs, and partners with community clubs for “Try Speed Skating” lessons and programming.  

“It was terrific to see so many families out enjoying the Oval,” says Catriona Hill, manager Partner Development and Guest Experience. “People are excited to be out and about again. We’re very pleased that we can provide our Calgary community with fun activities like this that promote a healthy and active lifestyle.” 

About the Oval

Built for the 1988 Winter Olympics, 34 Olympic Medals for Canada have come athletes who trained at the Olympic Oval. Of note, the Olympic Oval has welcomed over 13 million people through its doors since it was built. This vital sport training and competition centre is in urgent need of renovation. In conjunction with the Olympic Oval’s 35th anniversary in 2022, the university will look to commence a $65M capital campaign with the goal of renovating the facility, thus ensuring the ongoing legacy of the Olympic Oval to Calgarians continues for decades to come.