Speed skating is a competitive form of
ice skating in which the competitors
race each other in travelling a certain distance on
skates. Types of speed skating are
long track speed skating,
short track speed skating, and
marathon speed skating. In the
Olympic Games, long-track speed skating is usually referred to as just "speed skating", while short-track speed skating is known as "short track". The ISU, the governing body of both ice sports, refers to long track as "speed skating" and short track as "short track skating".