Short-track speed skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics – Qualification

The qualification process for the nine short-track speed skating events at the 2026 Winter Olympics is based on performance of skaters at designated 2025-26 ISU Short Track World Tour events. Results at these events determine the Special Olympic Qualification Classifications rankings that are used for quota allocation to National Olympic Committees (NOC).

Qualification rules

Maximum quota places per event

There will be nine short-track speed skating events at the 2026 Winter Olympics: three individual events each for men and women, one team event each for men and women, and one event for mixed teams. Maximum quota places are established per event, as follows:

Maximum quota places per event
	Men	Women
Individual events
500 meter	32	32
1000 meter	32	32
1500 meter	36	36
Team events
5000 meter relay	8
3000 meter relay		8
2000 meter relay	12

The quota places will be assigned to National Olympic Committees following the rankings of the Special Olympic Qualification Classifications.

Special Olympic Qualification Classifications

The following four stages of the 2025-26 ISU Short Track World Tour count towards the Special Olympic Qualification Classifications.

• Stage 1: Montreal, 16-19 October 2025
• Stage 2: Salt Lake City, 23-26 October 2025
• Stage 3: Gdansk, 20-23 November 2025
• Stage 4: Tilburg, 27-30 November 2025

For each Olympic event, NOCs or teams are ranked by total points scored in their best three results. The total for individual events is achieved by adding an NOCs (not athlete's) best result in each stage for its first qualifier, then adding their 2nd best result in each stage for their second qualifier, then adding their 3rd best result in each stage for their third qualifier.

Maximum number of quota places and athletes per NOC

The quota places are assigned to NOC´s in order of the SOQC rankings, taking into account the following rules:

• Each NOC can obtain a maximum of three quota places per individual event and one quota place per team event.
• Each NOC can register a maximum of three men and three women. NOC´s with a quota place for a team event may register one additional athlete, and a second additional athlete if they have been assigned eight starting places in individual races of that gender. Thus, ten athletes is the maximum for NOC´s that qualify for both men and women relay events.
• The host country participates in the qualification events. If it does not qualify for a quota place, it will be assigned one quota place for each individual event and one for each team event.
• A maximum of 112 athletes will be allowed to compete.

External links

• Qualification system published by ISU