The qualification process for the nine short-track speed skating events at the 2026 Winter Olympics is based on performance of skaters at designated 2025–26 ISU Short Track World Tour events. Results at these events determine the Special Olympic Qualification Classifications rankings that are used for quota allocation to National Olympic Committees (NOC).

Qualification rules Maximum quota places per event There will be nine short-track speed skating events at the 2026 Winter Olympics: three individual events each for men and women, one team event each for men and women, and one event for mixed teams. Maximum quota places are established per event, as follows:Speed_Skating_Canada, 2026 Olympic Selection Policy and Procedures: Short track speed skating. 20 December 2024. +Maximum quota places per eventMenWomenIndividual events500 meter32321000 meter32321500 meter3636Team events5000 meter relay83000 meter relay82000 meter relay12 The quota places will be assigned to National Olympic Committees following the rankings of the Special Olympic Qualification Classifications.

Special Olympic Qualification Classifications The following four stages of the 2025–26 ISU Short Track World Tour count towards the Special Olympic Qualification Classifications. Stage 1: Montreal, 9-12 October 2025 Stage 2: Montreal, 16-19 October 2025 Stage 3: Gdansk, 20-23 November 2025 Stage 4: Dordrecht, 27-30 November 2025

For each Olympic event, NOCs or teams are ranked by total points scored in their best three results. The total for individual events is achieved by adding an NOCs (not athlete's) best result in each stage for its first qualifier, then adding their 2nd best result in each stage for their second qualifier, then adding their 3rd best result in each stage for their third qualifier. The points system used for ranking will be the "World Ranking", not the "World Tour Points", numbering from 1000 down to 1, so all competitors who are classified in a race receive points.

Maximum number of quota places and athletes per NOC The quota places are assigned to NOC´s in order of the SOQC rankings, taking into account the following rules: Each NOC can obtain a maximum of three quota places per individual event and one quota place per team event. Each NOC can register a maximum of three men and three women. NOC´s with a quota place for a team event register four athletes. NOC's with eight starting places in a gender, and qualified for the relay, qualify a fifth athlete. After the twelve mixed relay teams are established an additional athlete may be assigned if the NOC has seven starting places in individual races of that gender, and the maximum 112 athletes have not been allocated. Ranking in the relay standings will be used to determine the order for this allocation. Thus, ten athletes is the maximum for NOC´s that qualify for both men and women relay events. The host country participates in the qualification events. If it does not qualify for a quota place, it will be assigned one quota place for each individual event and one for each team event. A maximum of 112 athletes will be allowed to compete.

Quota allocation Final ranking, based on World Ranking Points obtained after four qualifying events. The final quota allocation was confirmed by the International Skating Union on 10 December 2025. On 26 January 2026 the ISU confirmed final entry quotas following the conclusion of reallocation.

Summary Nation Men Women MixedAthletes500m1000m 1500m Relay total 500m1000m 1500m Relay total 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 X 4 1 1 2 2 X 6 3 3 3 X 5 3 3 3 X 5 X 10 3 3 3 X 5 3 3 3 X 5 X 10 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 X 4 X 6 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 X 4 1 2 2 2 X 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 X 5 3 3 3 X 5 X 10 2 2 3 X 4 2 3 3 X 5 X 9 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 X 4 1 2 1 2 2 3 2 3 X 5 3 3 3 X 5 X 10 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 X 5 1 1 1 2 3 3 X 5 3 3 3 X 5 X 10 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 X 5 X 8 1 1 1Total: 24 NOCs 32323585731313685512112

The first placed racer (per NOC) is ranked based on their best three results out of four for each race. This means that multiple skaters could have a part in that ranking. The second and third best are ranked in the same way. For the 500m and 1000m the top 32 qualify, for the 1500m the top 36 qualify, and for the relay the top 8 qualify. The next best six nations for each race are shown. Russia are allowed to enter one athlete per distance during qualifying and can qualify a maximum of one male and one female skater as neutrals.

Men's

SOQC rank500mpoints 1 1 30000 2 1 20771 3 1 19861 4 2 18887 5 1 18110 6 1 15132 7 2 13156 8 1 11414 9 3 1118210 2 1026111 1 977212 1 688713 2 659714 1 504615 1 476816 2 467717 1 467018 3 460019 2 207920 1 186621 3 177022 2 153623 2 134124 1 109625 1 1084 26 1 933 27 2 894 28 1 853 29 3 83630 2 668 31 1 65532 1 65433 1 628 34 3 518 35 3 49636 1 471 37 2 39238 2 368

SOQC rank1000mpoints 1 1 25725 2 1 25725 3 1 22445 4 1 21866 5 1 16087 6 2 15662 7 2 14567 8 1 12197 9 2 1052410 2 865011 3 830612 1 780013 3 460014 1 447415 1 426516 1 3844 17 1 3715 18 3 332419 1 2980 20 1 2782 21 1 228422 211123 1 1874 24 2 183025 2 1514 26 2 135827 3 131528 2 925 29 2 79530 2 764 31 1 72732 2 68333 3 47734 1 46135 1 452 36 2 366 37 2 289 38 3 275

SOQC rank1500mpoints 1 1 30000 2 1 20782 3 2 20162 4 1 19861 5 1 18221 6 1 17162 7 2 14387 8 1 12113 9 2 10452 10 1 1009911 2 867112 1 625413 2 609614 2 6071 15 1 5841 16 2 3717 17 1 3666 18 3 3308 19 3 3198 20 3 2711 21 1 250922 1 2361 23 1 2352 24 1615 25 3 1456 26 3 124727 3 1157 28 3 937 29 1 914 30 1 905 31 2 64332 1 613 33 2 59034 2 55935 2 513 36 1 511 37 1 41838 2 416 39 3 41540 1 32641 1 277 42 1 257

SOQC rankrelaypoints 1 25500 2 25220 3 24641 4 21675 5 21361 6 13428 7 13311 8 11182 9 9331 10 8247 11 7760 12 661513 630114 5918

Women's

SOQC rank500mpoints 1 1 30000 2 1 27000 3 1 24225 4 2 17665 5 2 15798 6 1 15170 7 2 14349 8 3 9417 9 1 8812 10 1 7900 11 1 640212 1 6254 13 2 5158 14 2 510815 2 4865 16 3 4135 17 1 375618 2 372619 1 304720 3 2288 21 1 1996 22 3 1853 23 3 180724 1 1707 25 1 116726 1078 27 1 80528 3 738 29 1 681 30 2 592 31 1 591 32 2 581 33 2 540 34 2 479 35 2 41736 1 401 37 1 369 38 3 279

SOQC rank1000mpoints 1 1 30000 2 1 23366 3 1 22950 4 1 21437 5 1 18586 6 1 15660 7 2 13784 8 2 9858 9 2 9137 10 2 7705 11 2 7627 12 2 6254 13 1 5198 14 2 4924 15 3 3726 16 3 3168 17 1 3083 18 2 3081 19 2 2473 20 3 2139 21 1 2023 22 3 1974 23 2 1726 24 1 1441 25 3 1162 26 2 967 27 1 815 28 2 768 29 710 30 3 700 31 1 688 32 3 637 33 3 563 34 1 497 35 2 428 36 2 402 37 2 304 38 1 253

SOQC rank1500mpoints 1 1 30000 2 1 25725 3 1 21866 4 2 20162 5 1 14086 6 2 12690 7 1 11881 8 1 11414 9 1 11071 10 1 9293 11 2 6887 12 2 5841 13 2 5607 14 1 4824 15 1 4670 16 3 4580 17 1 3404 18 2 3324 19 3 318220 2 251921 1 250822 1 2284 23 3 172324 3 1689 25 1 134426 2 1324 27 3 131928 2 1072 29 3 72730 2 705 31 2 666 32 2 590 33 3 57134 2 50335 1 42936 3 40237 1 386 38 1 37839 1 35740 1 355 41 3 27842 1 252

SOQC rankrelaypoints 1 28500 2 24641 3 22445 4 20945 5 20782 6 16766 7 13165 8 12645 9 10933 10 10748 11 7491 12 5315 13 1673 14

Mixed Qualification priority is given to NOCs who have two male and two female athletes already qualified, the top twelve qualify. If less than twelve teams qualify this way then a maximum of one quota per NOC will be allocated to bring the total to twelve. SOQC rankrelaypoints 1 27000 2 25725 3 24450 4 21361 5 16708 6 14877 7 14767 8 13428 9 947810 666311 646312 630513 6301 14 506415 402516 3627 17 177118

References

External links Qualification system published by ISU