Short Track speed skating is extremely exciting to watch, but the ISU have multiple events across their different competitions which can often be held in the same venues with the same skaters participating. The problem was that there was little differentiation between the events and no athlete, team, or competition narrative across the events, which limited the potential growth of fandom and commercial appeal of the sport.

LBA worked in partnership with the ISU to carry out a comprehensive review of the sport, the competitions, and the events to understand, and ultimately express, the unique characteristics and key motivators of Short Track for athletes, fans, and commercial partners.

The team subsequently developed a clear portfolio architecture and brand strategy that brought these insights together to engage the sporting community within the ISU to deliver bold change and innovation to the short track events in host cities, in rinks, and on screens.

The ISU Short Track World Tour (STWT) was born as a new property - connecting 6 global events into a season’s story of explosive action on ice.

The brand positioning, identity, and brand world, brings to life the explosive nature and fierce competition of the sport through a bold and dynamic identity.

At the centre of the proposition was the development of a new identity for each competing nation. Moving beyond simple national team descriptors, a bold new expression of each nations characteristics was created in order to create greater athlete and fan engagement, to amplify the competition’s visual impact, and create vibrant experiences that would help grow the sport’s popularity through commercial opportunities.

Coupled with a communication strategy rooted in social media, but spanning city and venue touchpoints as well as a whole new broadcast package, the ISU Short Track World Tour launched in Q4 2024 bringing its electrifying excitement to fans across North American, Europe, and Asia.