Speed skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics — 1928 edition of the speed skating competitions during the Olympic Winter Games
Three of four scheduled speed skating events were completed at St. Moritz 1928, with the 10,000 m canceled due to thawing ice amid a disputed officiating decision.
Key Facts
- Events scheduled
- 4 (all for men)
- Medals awarded
- 3 events (10,000 m canceled)
- Competition dates
- 13–14 February 1928
- 10,000 m cancellation cause
- Rising temperatures thawed the ice
- Allround event status
- Removed from program after 1924
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Warm weather caused rising temperatures during the 10,000-meter race at St. Moritz, thawing the ice surface while competition was underway. American skater Irving Jaffee had taken the lead, outskating Norwegian world champion Bernt Evensen, when conditions deteriorated and made continuation of the race unsafe.
The Norwegian referee canceled the entire 10,000-meter event mid-competition. The IOC initially reversed this decision and awarded Jaffee the gold medal, but the International Skating Union subsequently overruled the IOC and reinstated the cancellation, meaning no medals were awarded for that event.
Only three of the four scheduled speed skating events produced medal results at the 1928 Winter Olympics. Jaffee was denied an official gold medal despite leading the race and despite Evensen publicly stating that Jaffee deserved it, leaving the 10,000 m result a lasting controversy in Olympic history.
Result
at St. Moritz, Switzerland