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≡ WORLD RECORD RINGS ≡
Rings have been a symbol of achievement in sports for more than a century. Perhaps the first was for the 1922 New York Giants baseball team, who defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series.
In the U.S., rings are routinely presented to Olympic team members by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. But the International Skating Union has taken the award in a different direction.
The ISU Council announced on 3 October that new awards would be provided to individual speed skaters and Short Track record setters:
Speed Skating/Senior level:
● $5,000 for an individual world record
● $15,000 ($5,000 each) for Team Pursuit or Team Sprint world records
● $10,000 ($5,000 each) for Mixed Relay world records
● World Record ring to the record setters
Short Track/Senior level:
● $5,000 for an individual world record
● $20,000 ($5,000 each) for relay world record teams
● World Record ring to the record setters
Junior world records would receive a world-record ring, but no bonuses.
The announcement further noted that “This commitment is a core part of ISU Vision 2030 to improve athletes’ visibility and support, which was highlighted by ISU President Jae Youl Kim [KOR] during the ISU 2024 Congress.
“President Kim further reaffirmed his commitment to significantly increasing prize money across all ISU sports and competitions. Backed by the ISU Council, a comprehensive proposal will be presented to the ISU Congress in June 2026 for approval. If adopted, the enhanced prize money structure will take effect from the following season.”
The ring itself was specially designed for the ISU by Thomas Lyte in London (GBR) – founded in 2007 and heavily involved in sports trophy designs – and described as:
“It is a gold-plated ring, featuring a stylised slit through the band, symbolising the blade of an ice skate carving through the ice. The design celebrates speed, precision, and the legacy of the ISU.
“There is one design, available with two different engravings: ‘World Record’ and ‘Junior World Record.’ Each ring is engraved on the inside with the athlete’s name, distance, time, venue, and date corresponding to their achievement.”
This is a fancy upgrade by the ISU, and it will be interesting to see how rings are presented in the future, or if they are simply mailed (with prize money) after the obligatory doping control is carried out.
Skating is in the vanguard with this concept; will it be adopted by others in timed sports, such as athletics and swimming?
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