was installed and the oval had a capacity for about 5,200 spectators, plus press members. 100 percent of available tickets for the venue's events were sold, allowing 53,056 spectators to witness events in the oval. The Oval today Following the 2002 Olympics, SLOC turned ownership of the oval over to the Utah Athletic Foundation, who also owns and manages the Utah Olympic Park near Park City. The oval currently houses the original 400-meter oval skating track, two international size ice sheets, a 442-meter running track, an eight-lane 110-meter sprint running track, weight room, locker facilities and team rooms, meeting rooms, a concession, gifts and gear shop, plus skate rentals. Skating lessons are also offered by the foundation. The U.S. Olympic Speedskating Team is currently headquartered in the oval, and has been since January 2001. The Oval is also home to the North Utah Grizzlies special needs hockey team. Records set at the Utah Olympic Oval The oval is one of the world's fastest indoor skating tracks, mainly because of its elevation. It is the world's highest indoor oval at above sea level, higher than Calgary's Olympic Oval, site of the 1988 Winter Olympics (which is the second highest). Because of the elevation, there is less air resistance for the skaters and less oxygen frozen into the ice, making it harder, denser and faster. During the 2002 Olympic games all ten speed skating events held in the oval set Olympic records. The oval still maintains six, thanks in part to the relatively low elevation of the 2006, 2010, and 2014 Olympic Ovals. Before and after the Olympics, the oval has hosted many local and international speed skating competitions. Holding the honor of Fastest Ice on Earth has created an unofficial rivalry between the Utah Olympic Oval and the Calgary Olympic Oval, although the Utah oval holds 11 world records and Calgary only 1. Long track records Short track records See also List of world records in speed skating List of Olympic records in speed skating References External links - Utah Office of Tourism - Olympic Oval - ISU Statistics Venues of the 2002 Winter Olympics Olympic speed skating venues Indoor speed skating venues Speed skating venues in the United States Sports venues in Salt Lake County, Utah Sports venues in Utah Sports venues completed in 2001 2001 establishments in Utah