# Speed skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Qualification

The following is about the qualification rules and the quota allocation for the speed skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

## Qualification rules

A total quota of 180 athletes were allowed to compete at the Games (max. 100 men and max. 80 women). Countries were assigned quotas based on their performance during the 2017–18 ISU Speed Skating World Cup in the autumn of 2017. Each nation was permitted to enter a maximum of three athletes per gender for all events apart from the 5000m, 10000m and mass start events, for which they could enter a maximum of two athletes per event.

## Qualification times

The following requisite qualification times were released in June 2017.
| Event | Men | Women |
| 500 metres | 35.70 | 39.50 |
| 1000 metres | 1:10.50 | 1:18.00 |
| 1500 metres | 1:48.00 | 1:59.50 |
| 3000 metres | — | 4:12.00 |
| 5000 metres | 6:30.00 | 7:20.00 or 4:08.00 (3000 m) |
| Mass start | 1:57.50 (1500 m) | 2:10.00 (1500 m) |
| 10,000 metres | 13:30.00 or 6:25.00 (5000 m) | — |

## Quota allocation

Final Standings after World Cup 4 on 10 December 2017. The "total" column began with 257 based on the maximum which the nation could be allocated from the individual distance allotments, and shrank to 184 by national team nominations and reallocation. On 5 February, the final breakdown of 184 quotas was announced.
| NOC | Men | Men | Men | Men | Men | Men | Men | Women | Women | Women | Women | Women | Women | Women | Total |
| NOC | 500m | 1,000m | 1500m | 5,000m | 10,000m | Team pursuit | Mass start | 500m | 1,000m | 1500m | 3,000m | 5,000m | Team pursuit | Mass start | Total |
| Australia | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Austria | | | | | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | 2 |
| Belarus | 1 | 1 | | | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | 5 |
| Belgium | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | 1 | | | 3 |
| Canada | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | X | 1 | 3 2 | 3 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | X | 2 | 19 |
| China | 3 | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | | X | 2 | 13 |
| Chinese Taipei | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | | 3 |
| Colombia | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 2 |
| Czech Republic | | | | | | | | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | | 1 | 3 |
| Denmark | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | 3 |
| Estonia | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 2 |
| Finland | 2 | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | 3 |
| France | | | 1 | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Germany | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | | | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | X | 1 | 9 |
| Hungary | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Italy | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | X | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | 2 | 9 |
| Japan | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | X | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | X | 2 | 16 |
| Kazakhstan | 3 | 3 | 2 | | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | | 6 |
| Latvia | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | X | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | X | 2 | 20 |
| New Zealand | | | 2 | 1 | 1 | X | 2 | | | | | | | | 3 |
| Norway | 3 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | X | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | | | | 9 |
| Poland | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | | X | 2 | 14 |
| Olympic Athletes from Russia | 3 | 3 | 3 1 | 3 | 1 | | 2 | 3 2 | 3 2 | 3 1 | 2 | 2 1 | X | 2 | 3 |
| Romania | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | 1 |
| South Korea | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | X | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | | | X | 2 | 16 |
| Sweden | | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Switzerland | | | 1 | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | 2 |
| United States | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | | X | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | X | 2 | 13 |
| Total: 29 NOCs | 36 | 36 | 36 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 24 | (184) 180 |

## Reserves

If a country rejects a quota spot or reduces its team then additional quotas become available. In case of reallocation of unused quotas places, priority will be given to NOC's that have not yet been allocated a quota place for the event. The NOCs that will thus have priority for reallocation of quota places for the respective events are marked with an asterisk (*) in the table below.

### Men

Quota remaining to reallocate
| 500m (4 confirmed) | 1000m (3 confirmed) | 1500m (3 confirmed) | 5000m (2 confirmed) | 10,000m (1 confirmed) | Mass start (2 confirmed) |
| Kazakhstan China Belgium * Finland Sweden * Germany | Finland Sweden * Germany Norway Belgium * China * | Germany South Korea China * Estonia * Belgium Chinese Taipei * | Canada Poland * United States * Canada Japan Poland | Japan * Olympic Athletes from Russia Belgium * Norway France * Sweden * | Italy Kazakhstan * Austria Poland Belarus * Colombia * |

### Women

Quota remaining to reallocate
| 500m (2 confirmed) | 1000m (2 confirmed) | 1500m (2 confirmed) | 3000m | 5000m (1 confirmed) | Mass start (2 confirmed) |
| Belarus * Norway Czech Republic Norway Romania * Poland | Italy * Poland Italy Belarus * Czech Republic Norway | Italy * South Korea * Germany Italy Belarus South Korea | China South Korea * Germany Olympic Athletes from Russia Belgium * United States | Belgium * Czech Republic Italy * Germany Poland * Norway * | Poland Great Britain * Czech Republic Austria Colombia * Belarus |
Team Pursuit events
Unused Team Pursuit quota places may be provisionally reallocated to the next best placed team based on the Team Pursuit SOQC (Special Olympic Qualifying Classification), as per Rule 209, paragraph 2 d), as follows :
| Men Team Pursuit | Women Team Pursuit (1 confirmed) |
| Poland Olympic Athletes from Russia China | United States Czech Republic Italy |