Winter sports: Utah Olympic Oval to host 2017 U.S. Olympic short-track qualifiers in December

The ice at the Utah Olympic Oval will determine which athletes will don the Stars & Stripes in next year's various short-track speedskating events at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

U.S. Speedskating announced Tuesday that the 2017 U.S. short-track speedskating Olympic team trials will be held Dec. 15 to 17 at the Oval in Kearns. The U.S. will send a maximum of 12 athletes as part of the short-track Olympic squad — six men and women pending the approval of the United States Olympic Committee. Short-track athletes are scheduled to compete in the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters.

"The Utah Olympic Oval is a world-class facility that has hosted many successful international competitions, and we are very excited to bring back the U.S. Olympic Trials to a venue that has such rich history within the Olympic Winter Games," Ted Morris, executive director for U.S. Speedskating, said in a release. "The venue is the perfect setting for a phenomenal trials and 2018 U.S. Olympic Team selection. We know that the great Olympic sports fans in Utah will come out and support all of our athletes fighting for a spot on the U.S. team that will compete in PyeongChang."

The Oval, constructed for the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, has remained a constant staple of various international competitions the last two decades. More than 100 wrold records have been set on the ice since the arena was built for the 2002 Games 16 years ago and hosted the most recent U.S. Olympic team trials in 2014 for both long-track and short-track speedskating ahead of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

"With Utah celebrating its 15-year anniversary of Salt Lake 2002 this month, it's very exciting to announce we will be continuing Utah's Olympic Legacy by hosting the Olympic Trials for Short Track in December 2018," says Colin Hilton, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation's President and CEO, in the release.

The PyeongChang Games are scheduled for Feb. 9 to 25, 2018. The long-track and short-track events will be held at the Gangneung coastal cluster village. The short-track events are slated to be featured at the Gangneung Ice Arena - a 12,000-seat rink - which also plays host to figure skating.