{{short description|Sports venue in Kazakhstan}} {{infobox stadium | name = Alau Ice Palace | logo_image = Alau Ice Palace Logo.png | image = | image_size = | caption = | full_name = | location = 47, Kabanbay Batyr ave.<br>Astana, Kazakhstan | coordinates = {{Coord|51|6|17|N|71|24|18|E|type:landmark_region:KZ_scale:2000|display=it}} | surface = Ice | built = 2007–2011 | opened = December 2011 | architect = VL Architects | general_contractor = Sembol Construction | tenants = 2011 Asian Winter Games<br>2015 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships<br>2015 World Judo Championships | seating_capacity = 8,000 | website = [http://www.alau.info/eng/index.php www.alau.info] }} The '''Alau Ice Palace''' ({{langx|kk|Алау Мұзайдыны сарайы; Alau Mūzaidyny Saraiy}}) is an 8,000-seat speed skating oval in Astana, Kazakhstan. It was ranked first among the world’s speed skating stadiums according to the Dutch AD Sportwereld publication’s ranking.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://alau.info/rus/novosti/main_news/?cid=0&rid=181|title=The best if the world!|publisher=Alau.info|language=ru|accessdate=November 18, 2013}}</ref> As well as speed skating, it is also used for other sports and was opened in December 2011.
==Events== The center hosted the speed skating events at the 2011 Asian Winter Games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alau.info/eng/about/|title=About Alau Ice Palace|publisher=Alau.info|accessdate=June 5, 2013}}</ref> In 2015, it hosted the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=The Astana Times|title=Alau Ice Palace Hosts World Sprint Skating Championship, Kazakh Skaters Fail to Reach Podium|author=Dmitry Lee|url=http://www.astanatimes.com/2015/03/alau-ice-palace-hosts-world-sprint-skating-championship-kazakh-skaters-fail-reach-podium/|date=3 March 2015|accessdate=5 March 2015|archive-date=15 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315193357/http://www.astanatimes.com/2015/03/alau-ice-palace-hosts-world-sprint-skating-championship-kazakh-skaters-fail-reach-podium/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
For judo it was the venue for the 2015 World Judo Championships in August 2015 and for ice speedway it hosted final 1 of the 2018 Individual Ice Racing World Championship.<ref>[http://www.inform.kz/en/ice-speedway-world-championship-to-be-hosted-by-astana_a3117833 Ice Speedway World Championship to be hosted by Astana]</ref>
It has also hosted national youth championships in rink bandy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.inform.kz/ru/v-astane-startoval-chempionat-kazahstana-po-hokkeyu-s-myachom_a2766390|title = Google Translate}}</ref>
==History== Construction of The Oval began in 2007, nearly four years after Astana and Almaty had been designated hosts of the 2011 Asian Winter Games. Construction was completed by the end of the summer of 2011, officially opening in December 2011, two months before the beginning of the Games. The Alau Ice Palace was designed as the first covered speed skating oval in Kazakhstan, and as the second ever artificially frozen speed skating venue after Medeu. Being domed, this would give the facility the ability to control climate conditions inside to produce the highest quality ice possible.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.alau.info/eng/about/history/|title="Alau" – a new forge for records|publisher=Alau.info|accessdate=November 18, 2013}}</ref>
The Alau is an artificially frozen indoor skating rink with a standard speed skating track of 400 meters to the lap. The radii of the inner and outer competition lanes are 26 and 30 meters respectively. The width of each competition lane is 4 meters with an inside training lane of 4 meters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skating.kz/eng/WC/?cid=0&rid=135|title=Venue of the Competition|publisher=Skating.kz|accessdate=November 19, 2013}}</ref>
When not hosting speed skating competitions, The Oval is open to public skating and family day events.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alau.info/eng/alau_for_all/lubitelyam/massovye_kataniya/|title=Mass skating|publisher=Alau.info|accessdate=November 18, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kazakhworld.com/entertainment-in-astana/|title=Entertainment in Astana|publisher=KazakhWorld.com|author=Moldir Nurazkhan|accessdate=March 16, 2014}}</ref>
==Track records== {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="6" style="background-color: lightblue;" | Men |- !Event !Time !Name !Nation !Date !Ref |- |500 meters |align=right|34.52 |Dai Dai Ntab |{{NED}} |December 3, 2016 |<ref name="OR2002">{{cite book |title=Alau Track Records |chapter=Speed Skating |url=http://www.speedskatingnews.info/?page_id=826&bahn=KZAH |accessdate=June 5, 2013}}</ref> |- |2 x 500 meters |align=right|70.000 |Joji Kato |{{JAP}} |February 2, 2011 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- |1,000 meters |align=right|1:08.66 |Shani Davis |{{USA}} |November 30, 2013 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- |1,500 meters |align=right|1:45.06 |Denis Yuskov |{{RUS}} |November 29, 2013 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- |3,000 meters |align=right|3:39.36 |Wouter olde Heuvel |{{NED}} |November 26, 2011 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- |5,000 meters |align=right|6:13.83 |Sven Kramer |{{NED}} |November 26, 2011 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- |10,000 meters |align=right|12:50.40 |Jorrit Bergsma |{{NED}} |December 2, 2012 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- ! colspan="6" style="background-color: lightblue;" | Women |- !Event !Time !Name !Nation !Date !Ref |- |500 meters |align=right|37.27 |Lee Sang-hwa |{{KOR}} |November 29, 2013 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- |2 x 500 meters |align=right|76.090 |Yu Jing |{{CHN}} |February 2, 2011 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- |1,000 meters |align=right|1:14.10 |Brittany Bowe |{{USA}} |February 28, 2015 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- |1,500 meters |align=right|1:56.10 |Christine Nesbitt |{{CAN}} |November 26, 2011 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- |3,000 meters |align=right|4:02.90 |Martina Sáblíková |{{CZE}} |December 2, 2016 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |- |5,000 meters |align=right|6:59.88 |Martina Sáblíková |{{CZE}} |November 29, 2013 |<ref name="OR2002"/> |}
==See also== *List of indoor arenas in Kazakhstan *List of indoor speed skating rinks
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.alau.info/eng/index.php Official website] *[http://www.speedskatingnews.info/?page_id=826&bahn=KZAH Alau Ice Palace on SpeedSkatingNews.info] *[http://www.reliance-scada.com/en/success-stories/hvac/visualization-and-control-of-hvac-and-refrigeration-systems-at-indoor-speed-skating-stadium-in-astana-kazakhstan SCADA visualization and control system of the Alau Ice Palace]
Category:Indoor arenas in Kazakhstan Category:Indoor speed skating venues Category:Speed skating in Kazakhstan Category:Sports venues in Astana Category:Venues of the 2011 Asian Winter Games