OLYMPIC: ICE-SKATING HISTORY
SHORT – SoMe version (1:12 min)
LONG VNR – video news releases
VNR (2:37 min)
STORY
Speed-skating is actually one of the oldest sports in the world.
Speed-skating was among the first 9 sports at the first winter olympics in 1924 in Chamonix, France.
Huge crowds often gathered one central lakes in Copenhagen.
Speed-skating is the oldest sport union in Denmark from 1869.
The Olympic Games creates legends and for Denmark is it Kurt Still from Denmark won all speed-skating in the 50th.
Participating in the Olympics in 1960 og 1964.
However
The biggest legend is Eric Heiden from the US
Won 5 Gold medals in Lake Placid, US in 1980.
The Olympics will create new legends and Denmark got nr. 2 in the world right now.
The favorites to become winn medals comes from Nederland, Norway, Sweden, US, Denmark, Japan and South Korea. However China is known for coming up with new young names that have the potential to become legends.
SHOT
People skating on the lakes in Copenhagen in the 1940´s
Person skating on lakes in Netherlands
SOUNDBITE Jesper Carlson, National coach
“What’s funny about Denmark is that the Danish Ice Association, or Skating Association is actually also one of the or it’s the oldest association in Denmark because we have lakes in Denmark. And in Copenhagen we have three famous lakes that actually hosted the Danish championships in speedskating, in the forties and fifties. And we have pictures where we have our office with big, big crowds standing in Copenhagen on the ice watching Danish championships”Historic footage of Speed Skating on the lakes in Copenhagen
SOUNDBITE Jesper Carlson, National coach cont.
“Skating has always been used for many people. And as you’re seeing there in the Netherlands this day, they have the lakes and channels that they’ve been skating on forever”People skating on lakes in the Netherlands
SOUNDBITE Jesper Carlson, National coach cont.
“Well, we have a lot of legends, and to be honest, I could imagine that Norway has their legends and the Netherlands have their legends.Historic footage of Danish speed skater Kurt Stille at the European championship at Bislett station in Oslo, 1964
SOUNDBITE Jesper Carlson, National coach cont.
“And the U.S for example, there’s Eric Heiden, well known for his five gold medals.Historic footage of US speed skater Eric Heiden at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Games
Historic footage of skating on the lakes in Copenhagen
Person skating on lakes in Netherlands
END
Links:
Olympic history:
History Danish skating (DK):
https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Danish Skating Union:
https://www.danskate.dk/