Speed skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics

Speed skating
at the II Olympic Winter Games
Refer to caption
The St. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink in 1928
VenueSt. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink
Date13–14 February 1928
No. of events4
Competitors40 from 14 nations
← 1924
1932 →

At the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, four speed skating events were scheduled, all for men, but medals were only awarded for three events, because the 10.000 m event was not completed. The Allround event, which was only organized in 1924, was removed from the program. The competitions were held on Monday, 13 February 1928 and on Tuesday, 14 February 1928.[1]

In the 10,000-meter race, Irving Jaffee was leading the competition, having outskated Norwegian defending world champion Bernt Evensen in their heat, when rising temperatures thawed the ice.[2] In a controversial ruling, the Norwegian referee canceled the entire competition. Although the International Olympic Committee reversed the referee's decision and awarded Jaffee the gold medal, the International Skating Union later overruled the IOC and restored the ruling.[3] Evensen, for his part, publicly said that Jaffee should be awarded the gold medal, but that never happened.

  1. ^ "Speed Skating at the 1928 Sankt Moritz Winter Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  2. ^ The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and The 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  3. ^ The International Jewish Sports Hall ... 15 September 1906. Retrieved 27 February 2011.