Skaters plead for natural ice marathons to be allowed

Marathon skating teams pleaded with skating union KNSB to look for ways to allow the organization of skating competitions on natural ice. Sporting competitions aren't allowed under the current coronavirus restrictions, but they've been waiting for eight years for the Netherlands to get cold enough to skate on natural ice again, the teams said in an open letter, RTL Nieuws reports.

"Every true marathon skater knows that natural ice breaks the law. If there is natural ice in the Netherlands, you drop everything and make sure you are there. Because otherwise you miss it," the teams wrote.

"Track marathons are fun, foreign natural ice is beautiful, but the current marathon skaters have now been training for more than eight years to skate a race on Dutch natural ice. They never had the chance, because the ice was simply not there. And will possibly never be again. And now that ice is coming after all and we are not allowed," they said.

"We do not want to downplay the problems surrounding corona, but it must be possible to organize a competition on natural ice in a completely 'corona proof' way." Especially because the races will be "in the open air and it involves a clear group of skaters," the marathon skating teams said.