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[Today's events] [Olympic minute]
STOCKHOLM -- The International Skating Union (ISU) is considering limiting the development of clap skates, a speed skating official said on Thursday.
The controversial hinged skates, introduced on the World Cup circuit last year, led to dramatic improvements in performance. Fifteen world records in the distance events have been set on clap skates this season.
However, many claim that the technology has become too dominant and now over-rides athletic ability.
"I THINK THE ISU SHARES the concern that clap skate development may get beyond reasonable limits, so we are considering having a clause in our regulations from which restrictions could be issued," ISU technical committee member Tron Espeli told Reuters.
At their June Congress in Stockholm, the ISU will propose a clause stating that all energy expended during a race "must originate from the metabolic work of the skater," said ISU second vice-president Gerhard Zimmerman.
The new skates, which release at the heel, allow skaters to keep their blades in contact with the ice longer while taking a stride, which provides a more powerful thrust.
The skates were pioneered on the World Cup circuit last season by Dutch female skaters. Their success prompted competitors from other countries to switch from traditional designs which had remained virtually unchanged for 80 years.
BEFORE SWITCHING, THE GERMANS sought confirmation that the new skates would be allowed at the Nagano Olympics, while the United States pressed to have them banned. Derided in some quarters as a perversion of the sport, claimed as unstable for heavier skaters and unsuitable for shorter distances, the skates have become mainstream equipment in less than a year.
"All of these claims were disproved one after another from late November to March -- even in the 50-metre sprint for men." said Espeli. "Everyone now accepts that this is the basic design for the modern skate."
During the past year, skate designers around the world have been tinkering with the original Dutch-made model. An American company has developed a double-hinged skate which it claims allows even fuller leg extension while Norwegian designers are working on a model which has hinges that unlock only after the first 100 meters of a race so that skaters can benefit from the stability of conventional skates at the start line.
The results of their labors -- and the skaters' success in adapting to the new designs -- will be on display at Nagano next month and Espeli does not hesitate to predict what is in store for speed skating fans at the Games.
"I expect that there will be no surviving world records from the pre-clap skate era," he said.