Roller Skating

Roller skating, also known as speed skating, has never been contested at the Olympics, although it is held at several regional Games and at the World Games. In fact, track speed skating events have never failed to appear on the programme of the World Games since its 1981 inaugural edition, and, since 2013, the competition also includes road speed skating contests. Boys’ and girls’ events in roller skating were contested at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.

Roller skating is currently governed by World Skate (WS), the IOC-recognized organizational body for roller sports. World Skate resulted from the merger of the Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports (FIRS) and the International Skateboarding Federation (ISF) in September 2017. Previously, the FIRS was also known as the Fédération Internationale de Patinage à Roulettes (FIPR) from its foundation until the 1960s, and then as the Fédération Internationale de Roller Skating (FIRS) until 2000. As of January 2026, World Skate has 135 affiliated national federations.