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 Interactive map of Thialf | |
| Location | Pim Mulierlaan 1[1] Heerenveen, Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°56′19″N 5°56′31″E / 52.9386°N 5.94201°E |
| Owner | Essent, Aegon, and the city of Heerenveen |
| Capacity | 12,500 seats |
| Surface | 15,000 m2 (Hal 1) 1800 m2 (Hal 2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1966 |
| Opened | 14 October 1967 (outdoor) 17 November 1986 (indoor) |
| Renovated | 2001, 2004, 2015–16 |
| Architect | Alynia Architecten Harlingen bv |
| Tenants | |
| UNIS Flyers (Ice hockey venue) | |
Thialf (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtijɑlf]) is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Thialf is used for long track speed skating, short track speed skating, ice hockey, figure skating, ice speedway,[2] and non-sporting events. The outdoor rink was opened in 1967, and the indoor stadium was opened in 1986. Several world records have been set in the indoor stadium.[citation needed]
Annually, Thialf hosts two Speed Skating World Cup events. Jan de Jong was the ice rink master at Thialf for many years.
History
[edit].jpg)
Ice skaters and their coaches during the World Cup in the season 2007–2008
_2019.jpg)
Main entrance after renovation
Thialf is named after Thialfi, a character in Norse mythology, who was Thor's servant and had to race a giant.[3]
Construction on the artificial outdoor ice rink was started in 1966, and it was opened on 14 October 1967 by Princess Christina of the Netherlands. It was the third 400m artificial ice rink in the Netherlands, after the Jaap Eden baan in Amsterdam and the IJsselstadion in Deventer. Several national and international tournaments have been held in Thialf, but only one world record has been set on the outdoor rink, by Andrea Schöne on the 5000 m in 1983.
The roofed stadium, which seats 12,500 people, opened on 17 November 1986, about a year after Sportforum Hohenschönhausen in Berlin, which was the first 400m indoor speed skating oval in the world. Thanks to the indoor conditions, allowing climate control, almost all world speed skating records were broken at Thialf in the first season.[4] Since 1988 it has been overtaken as the "fastest ice in the world" by the high-altitude indoor rinks in Calgary and Salt Lake City, which have the additional benefit of low air pressure.
Every year there are main skating events like the Dutch, European and World championships, and one or two Speed Skating World Cup events in Thialf.
The 2500-seat ice hockey arena adjacent to the speed skating oval is the home arena of the Heerenveen Flyers, one of the Netherlands' most successful ice hockey clubs. It is also the main arena used in the Netherlands for international ice hockey tournaments, hosting the IIHF World U18 Championships (Division II, Group A) in late March 2012.
The stadium was renovated in 2016.[5][6]
Long track speed skating
[edit]Events
[edit]| Discipline | in: |
|---|---|
| Allround | 1968*, 1969, 1973, 1979, 1982, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| Sprint | 1969*, 1973*, 1979*, 1982*, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2008, 2011, 2012 |
| Single Distance | 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 |
| Discipline | in: |
|---|---|
| Allround | Men: 1971, 1975 Women: 1970, 1981, 1982, 1983 M+W: 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2013 |
| Discipline | in: |
|---|---|
| Allround | Men: 1976, 1977, 1980, 1987, 1991 Women: 1972, 1974, 1992 M+W: 1998, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2014, |
| Sprint | 1985, 1989, 1996, 2006, 2008, 2011 |
| Single Distance | 1999, 2012, 2015 |
| Discipline | in: |
|---|---|
| World Cup | 2006–07: WC1 + WC6 2007–08: WC4 + WC9 2008–09: WC2 + WC8 2009–10: WC2 + WC7 2010–11: WC1 + WC8 (final) 2011–12: WC3 + WC6 2012–13: WC1 + WC9 (final) 2013–14: WC6 (final) 2014–15: WC4 + WC6 |
Track records
[edit]These are the current track records in Thialf.
| Men | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Time | Skater | Date | Duration |
| 500 m | 33.90 |  Jordan Stolz
|
7 December 2025 | 66 days |
| 1000 m | 1:06.38 | Jordan Stolz
|
6 December 2025 | 67 days |
| 1500 m | 1:42.55 | Jordan Stolz
|
5 December 2025 | 68 days |
| 3000 m | 3:34.09 |  Metoděj Jílek
|
16 September 2025 | 148 days |
| 5000 m | 6:04.36 |  Patrick Roest
|
19 November 2022 | 1180 days |
| 10000 m | 12:29.63 | Metoděj Jílek
|
6 December 2025 | 67 days |
| Team sprint | 1:18.31 |  Poland
|
6 January 2024 | 767 days |
| Team pursuit | 3:34.22 |  Norway
|
5 January 2024 | 768 days |
| Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Time | Skater | Date | Duration |
| 500 m | 36.87 | Femke Kok
|
28 December 2025 | 45 days |
| 1000 m | 1:12.80 | Jutta Leerdam
|
28 December 2022 | 1141 days |
| 1500 m | 1:52.69 | Femke Kok
|
4 October 2025 | 130 days |
| 3000 m | 3:54.04 | Irene Schouten
|
20 November 2022 | 1179 days |
| 5000 m | 6:41.25 | Irene Schouten
|
5 March 2023 | 1074 days |
| 10000 m | 14:35.61 | Carien Kleibeuker
|
13 March 2018 | 2892 days |
| Team sprint | 1:26.17 |  Russia
|
10 January 2020 | 2224 days |
| Team pursuit | 2:54.12 | Netherlands
|
9 January 2022 | 1494 days |
World records
[edit]The following world records were set in Thialf.
| Men | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Time | Skater | Dates | |
| Set | Broken | |||
| 500 m | 36.55 | Nick Thometz
|
19-03-1987 | 14-02-1988 |
| 1000 m | 1:12.58 |  Igor Zhelezovski
|
25-02-1989 | 17-12-1993 |
| 1500 m | 1:52.70 | Nikolay Gulyayev
|
15-02-1987 | 05-12-1987 |
| 1:48.88 | Rintje Ritsma
|
20-12-1997 | 12-02-1998 | |
| 3000 m | 3:59.27 | Leo Visser
|
19-03-1987 | 13-03-1990 |
| 3:57.52 | Johann Olav Koss
|
13-03-1990 | 03-04-1992 | |
| 3:52.67 | Jelmer Beulenkamp
|
25-02-1998 | 21-03-1998 | |
| 5000 m | 6:47.01 | Leo Visser
|
14-02-1987 | 22-11-1987 |
| 6:45.44 | Geir Karlstad
|
22-11-1987 | 04-12-1987 | |
| 6:41.73 | Johann Olav Koss
|
09-02-1991 | 22-01-1993 | |
| 6:38.77 | Johann Olav Koss
|
22-01-1993 | 13-03-1993 | |
| 6:36.57 | Johann Olav Koss
|
13-03-1993 | 04-12-1993 | |
| 6:30.63 | Gianni Romme
|
07-12-1997 | 08-02-1998 | |
| 10000 m | 14:03.92 | Geir Karlstad
|
15-02-1987 | 06-12-1987 |
| 13:43.54 | Johann Olav Koss
|
10-02-1991 | 20-02-1994 | |
| 13:03.40 | Gianni Romme
|
26-11-2000 | 20-02-2002 | |
| 12:57.92 | Carl Verheijen
|
04-12-2005 | 31-12-2005 | |
| 12:49.88 | Sven Kramer
|
11-02-2007 | 10-03-2007 | |
| 12:32.95 |  Nils van der Poel
|
14-02-2021 | 11-02-2022 | |
| Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Time | Skater | Dates | |
| Set | Broken | |||
| 500 m | 39.43 | Bonnie Blair
|
19-03-1987 | 06-12-1987 |
| 3000 m | 4:16.85 | Yvonne van Gennip
|
19-03-1987 | 05-12-1987 |
| 4:07.80 |  Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann
|
07-12-1997 | 13-12-1997 | |
| 4:05.08 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann
|
14-03-1998 | 27-03-1998 | |
| 5000 m | 7:40.97 |  Andrea Schöne
|
23-01-1983 | 15-01-1984 |
| 7:20.36 | Yvonne van Gennip
|
20-03-1987 | 28-02-1988 | |
| 6:55.34 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann
|
25-11-2000 | 10-03-2001 | |
Other events
[edit]The arena has hosted concerts by many famous artists, including Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, André Rieu, TOTO, Trance Energy and Prince, among others.
Also, the national Miss Universe competition was held in Thialf several times.
As of April 2025, it was considered whether to host the 2030 Winter Olympics long-track speed skating events in Thialf.[7][8][9] If this was to become the case, it would be the first Olympic events held in The Netherlands in 102 years.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Thialf, Thialf. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "FIM Ice Speedway World Championship | FIM".
- ^ "Historie" (in Dutch). Thialf. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ^ "Wereldrecords". Thialf.nl. Thialf. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Second phase renovation Thialf". Zwart & Jansma Architects. 12 May 2016.
- ^ "Thialf's new ice rink: sustainable, fast and 'super-right'". Priva.
- ^ "Franse organisatie Winterspelen 2030 brengt bezoek aan Thialf: 'Kans reëel'" [French Winter Games 2030 organization visits Thialf: 'Real chance']. NOS (in Dutch). 1 April 2025. Archived from the original on 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Thialf is volgens Friese politiek nog steeds in beeld voor Olympische Spelen 2030" [According to Frisian politicians, Thialf is still in the picture for the 2030 Olympic Games]. Omrop Fryslan (in Dutch). 10 July 2024. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Thialf opnieuw kandidaat voor olympisch schaatstoernooi 2030" [Thialf once again a candidate for the 2030 Olympic speed skating tournament]. NOS (in Dutch). 28 May 2024. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024.
External links
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