Ice technicians create rink for World Junior Figure Skating Championships

Ice technicians create rink for World Junior Figure Skating Championships

2024-02-19

Taipei Arena is getting ready to host the World Junior Figure Skating Championships this month, and work is underway to create a perfect ice rink. Engineers and equipment have been brought in from South Korea to achieve the smoothest surface. We take you behind the scenes to see the process.

Staff spray water onto the concrete rink, where already, ice is forming. Once the surface is completely smooth, it’s good to go.

After each spraying, they wait two to three hours for the water to freeze. Then another layer is set on top, like a tiered cake. Staff are working round the clock to prepare for the World Junior Figure Skating Championships at the end of this month.

May Wu
Chinese Taipei Skating Union
Without everyone’s concerted efforts, this wouldn’t be possible. It takes five to seven days to create an ice rink to the highest standards, to make it good for top-tier competition.

Taipei Arena enlisted six technicians who worked at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics to make sure the ice is perfect. There are three refrigeration machines at work, one brought over from South Korea, and two belonging to Taipei Arena. Engineers expect it will take a week to cover the 1,800-square meter concrete rink with 4 to 5 centimeters of ice.

Equipment supervisor
South Korean figure skating association
There were some difficulties in lowering temperature more to make ice. There were hurdles, but now it’s all going well. The outside temperature is quite high, so the water freezes more slowly.

Chi Tsung-tse
Ice making consultant
Ice skaters are performing increasingly hard moves at competitions. If the ice is of bad quality, even Yuzuru Hanyu would be in trouble on the rink.

Once the rink’s surface is cooled to minus 9 degrees Celsius, more water is piped on the top. A level rink is crucial, so that the skaters from 45 countries can show off their best moves at the competition.

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備戰世界青年花式滑冰錦標賽直擊小巨蛋變冰宮

2024-02-19

世界青少年花式滑冰錦標賽，時隔7年多再度回到台北舉辦！場地一樣選在一級競賽首選的小巨蛋，只是要把水泥地變成滑冰場，可不簡單。曾打造韓國平昌冬奧的製冰團隊提早飛抵台灣，冰面到底如何製作，首度曝光，帶您來看！

工作人員拿著水管，對著水泥地面灑水。地上結起薄薄一層冰霜，等地面平整了，就能開工。

每灑水一次，得等2到3小時，讓水結冰、再灑水，就像在做千層派，24小時不間斷，因為世界青年花式滑冰錦標賽，月底就要登場。

[[中華民國滑冰協會秘書長吳倫閑]]
“如果沒有大家的通力協助，大家就沒有機會可以看到，一個製冰的過程，要花到5到7天，才能有一個高水準，一級錦標賽賽事的冰面”

小巨蛋請來韓國平昌冬奧製冰團隊6名技師，打造完美冰面。一台來自韓國的大製冰機，和小巨蛋原有的兩台，三機配合。預計花一個禮拜的時間，把1800平方公尺的水泥地面，化身為厚度四到五公分的滑冰場。

[[韓國滑冰協會設施總監黃瑢植]]
“困難的地方，那個，冷凍的溫度可以再，怎麼說，希望溫度可以降低一點，那個有些困難，但是反正現在還進行的不錯，因為外面溫度比較高，所以要比較慢慢的凍”

[[製冰顧問冀宗澤]]
“在滑冰比賽中，選手的動作是越來越難，但是選手在做這些，難度動作的時候，如果你沒有一個好的冰質，恐怕就是羽生結弦來，他也很困難”

地面溫度降到-9度，再搭配一次次灑水，要平整冰面，讓來自45國的好手，能在冰上，滑出最好成績。

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