World Championships, Women
Short history
In 1935 the ISU decided to organise World Championships for women as well, in spite of the fact that several ISU members were of the opinion that women should not practice the sport of speed skating. The first championships were organised next year in Stockholm, Sweden. Since 1936, World Championships for women have been held every year, with the exception of the period from 1940 to 1947. The distances held at the championships vary: from 1936 to 1955 the distances were 500 m, 1000 m, 3000 m and 5000 m. In 1956, the 5000 m was replaced by the 1500 m, while in 1983 the 1000 m was removed to make room for the 5000 m. Since 1996, the World Championships for women are held at the same time and venue as the World Championships for men.
From 1933 to 1935, the Oslo Skøyteklubb organised races which were designated as World Championships for women. These competitions however, were not official and were never recognised by the ISU.