Canada Winter Games long-track speed skating moved to Fort St. John, B.C.

Unseasonably warm weather has forced organizers to move the long-track speed skating events at the Canada Winter Games from Prince George to Fort St. John, B.C.

Initially, games officials tried to run the races early in the morning to take advantage of colder temperatures. But the outdoor track had been melting and became unsafe for the athletes.

"Unfortunately the ice was breaking away under their feet and it became dangerous. It became a safety issue for skaters," said Speed Skate Canada’s Christina Chenard.

One speedskater said some of the athletes fell during practice early Monday morning.

"The ice is too soft so it just breaks away. It was like sticky, like it just didn't have the glide or the speed," said Dylan White, who raced on that track and took home a gold in the men's 300 metre race on Sunday.

Now, the Canada Winter Games will tap into its contingency fund and pick up the cost of flying 63 athletes 400 kilometres north to Fort St. John. The races will be held indoors at the city's Pomeroy Sports Centre. 

Kylah Bryde, the recreation manager at the centre, said some local ice users will have their activities cancelled, but they had been on notice and knew it was a possibility.

"It's kind of been a bit of back and forth over the last couple of days, and now, as of today, here they come. So that's great, we welcome them."

The athletes will arrive Tuesday night and the long track competition is set to begin the following day.

Not ready to host major skating events?

Kathy Lewis, the president of the Prince George Ice Oval Society, said the decision to move the competition to Fort St. John illustrates that the city is not prepared to host major speedskating competitions.

"It really brings home the message to us and hopefully to other people that we cannot host major competitions without having reliable ice," she said. 

She said the only reason Prince George was able to host the Canada Winter Games was because it had the Fort St. John facility as a backup.

If the city wants to host future events, it will have to invest in some sort of outdoor refrigeration for their track, she added.

Lewis said the the capital cost for doing that would be "over a million dollars" — a big ask that she hopes to achieve through fundraising and corporate sponsors.