Speedskating promoter Jack Mortell and "well-heeled investors" in May "plan to launch Ice Derby, an entertainment ice show centered around a professional speedskating tour and featuring figure skating and ice dancing," according to Jared Hopkins of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Ice Derby "could reach" the U.S. if successful in markets like Dubai. Speedskaters "would compete on a 220-meter track, a middle ground for skaters from the sport's two disciplines, short track and long track." Purses "would be much larger" than that of current int'l competition, and to "draw interest and increase profits, spectators will be allowed to bet on the races' outcomes." Ice Derby, originally formed in '06, is the "brainchild of Korean investor Do-joung Hyan." This is the "most ambitious attempt to mainstream a sport most of the world watches for two weeks once every four years." Mortell: "We will have a living, breathing sport. It's a chance for these athletes [to] have professional careers." Mortell ultimately "envisions a three- or four-event annual tour, traveling across the globe in a Grand Prix style." Former U.S. speedskater Apolo Ohno "has attended meetings and helped make pitches" for Ice Derby, and promotional material includes Gold Medal-winning U.S. speedskater Eric Heiden. Ice Derby "could fill a hole for many Olympians who might abandon their sport after the Games because they can't make a living at it" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/31).
