Deeside ice rink sees surge in interest as Olympics start
Ice sports are attracting growing attention across Flintshire as the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics begin on Thursday 6 February, coinciding with rising participation and interest at Deeside Ice Rink.
The international event, running in northern Italy from 6 to 22 February, features disciplines including figure skating and ice hockey and is expected to prompt renewed interest in winter sport worldwide.
At Deeside Leisure Centre, which houses North Wales’ only Olympic-sized ice rink, operators say demand for skating lessons, grassroots ice hockey and public skating sessions is increasing.
The centre is run by Gwella, which says the global spotlight on ice sports presents an opportunity to encourage more local residents to try skating and hockey closer to home.
Local interest is also being driven by competitive ice hockey, with the Deeside Dragons preparing to host the Moralee Cup Final later this month. The Dragons will face Telford Tigers 2 at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday 22 February.
The club has confirmed that more than 900 tickets were sold and the match is now fully sold out.
The rink is also home to a number of competitive figure skaters and ice dancers, including Lily Bakhtiari, who has been named British Ice Skating Young Coach of the Year and competes as a GB squad ice dancer.
She said: “Watching events like the Winter Olympics can be really inspiring, especially for young people seeing ice sports for the first time. Coaching at Deeside shows them that skating isn’t just something you watch on TV, it’s something they can try themselves, whether that’s for fun, learning new skills or following competitive ambitions.”
Deeside Ice Rink offers skating lessons for all ages and abilities, junior grassroots ice hockey development through the Diddy Dragons, a synchronised skating club and recreational public skating sessions.
Learn-to-skate lessons follow the nationally recognised Skate UK programme, delivered by British Ice Skating.
Public skating sessions are scheduled throughout the February half-term, with skating aids available for younger and less confident skaters.
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