Skating has existed for over 20 000 years! The first skates were ribs or tibias of animals attached under shoes. They allowed their wearers to move (with the help of a pointed pole) more easily and more rapidly over the frozen surface of lakes and rivers. The word "skate" comes from the dutch "schaats", which means leg bone.

Skating became a sport on the lakes of Scotland and the canals of Holland. In the 15th century bone skates were replaced by those made of wood. Later (around 1750 in Holland) metal was used due to its reduced friction and increased rigidity which enabled the skater to apply more pressure to the skate and thus attain higher speeds.

The first skating club was founded in Edinburg, Scotland in 1742. The advent of "modern skates" with their blades permanently attached to special boots helped the sport to become more populaire. The "Association Canadienne de Patinage Amateur" was founded in 1887 in Montreal. A few years later, in 1892 the International Skating Union (which still governs the figure skating and speed skating today) was founded in Scheveningen, Holland. The first World Skating Championships were held a year later in Amsterdam and the Dutchman, Jaap Eden became the first World Skating Champion.

Speed Skating

Skating races were populaire since the beginning of the 17th century in Holland. Races were organised in North America from the beginnig of the 19th century and rapidly became a favorite sport in Canada and northern USA. In one of the first races organised in Canada three British army officers raced the 250 km from Montreal to Quebec on the frozen St-Laurent river. The first World Speed Skating Championships were held in 1893. Speed skating was one of the original disciplines in the first Winter Olympic games held in Chamonix in 1924 although women were only allowed to participate in 1960! Short-track racing became an olympic event at the Albertiville Winter Olympics in 1992.

Figure Skating

The advent of skates with curved steel blades in the middle of the 19th century was the key element for the development of figure skating. Initially competitors were noted on their ability to follow pre-established curves or figures traced on the ice. Figures consisted of a successions of "8"s of two or three loops.

The American, Jackson Haynes, is thought to be a pioneer in the history of figure skating. This dancer had the idea of producing a ballet on a new surface, the ice. News of this innovation reached Europe where he presented several exhibitions in 1868.

The first World Championships, held in Saint-Petersburg in 1896 were dominated by two famous creators of jumps, the Swede, Ulrich Salchow and the Norwegien, Axel Paulsen. Women participated in the World Championships from 1906. Figure skating became an olympic sport in 1924.