GB ’25 years’ behind world’s best in short trackImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Niall Treacy fell in a collision while running in third in the men’s 1500m final in MilanByEmma SmithBBC Sport journalist in MilanPublished23 minutes agoGreat Britain has fallen 25 years behind the best short track nations in the world amid outdated facilities and rising costs, according to British Ice Skating’s head of performance.Team GB’s only short track representative at Milan-Cortina 2026, Niall Treacy, crashed in all three events – 500m, 1,000m and 1500m.The 25-year-old reached the final of the 1500m, finishing ninth. But he was the only Brit to compete, with Team GB unable to fill their quota of three athletes.It is a far cry from eight years ago, when a well-funded team of five were sent to PyeongChang 2018 with realistic medal hopes.
But a failure to get on the podium in Korea saw the sport’s funding slashed, and head of performance Jon Eley says they have been rebuilding ever since.
Former short track skater Eley – who represented Britain in three Olympics between 2006 and 2014 – told BBC Sport: “Go back to PyeongChang, where short track was funded well and we had a world champion [Elise Christie] in the team. That was a Games when we were disappointed not to win a medal.
“Since then, we have been rebuilding. During that time many teams have gone to the next level of performance and resources.
“When I made the team 25 years ago and we moved to Nottingham, we had one of the best facilities in the world; now, we don’t have an international standard arena. We have a lot of work to do.”
Before the 2018 Games, UK Sport provided £4.8m to short track skating. As of 2026, the newest UK Sport funding allocation of just under £2m has been presented as a total for short track, figure and long track speed skating.
