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When does Olympic ice get resurfaced?
Technicians work 12+ hour shifts to maintain ice tailored for figure skating and speed skating, balancing softness and coldness to ensure athlete safety amid venue challenges.
- Events in Milan–Cortina revealed ice issues from shared figure skating and short-track surfaces caused crashes last week, technicians said.
- Figure skating ice is designed to be slightly softer for jump landings while speed skating requires colder, thinner surfaces; Mark Moffatt, chief long-track ice technician, said Olympic standards must be far higher.
- Ice technicians build layered surfaces and sometimes change the ice, which can take up to three hours, Don Moffatt said, using Zamboni machines to resurface.
- These incidents left athletes and teams facing immediate consequences, as a skater slipped in the 500 m, costing her a chance to advance, and another fell in the relay, illustrating multiple issues.
- Despite problems in one rink, other venues continue to produce top performances as long-track events at the Milan arena see strong ice and Olympic records, while U.S. Speedskating communications said athletes will adapt, adding `We all skate on the same ice`.
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