Since 1959, the Oscar Mathisen Award (also known as the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Award, the Oscar Mathisen Memorial Trophy, and sometimes the Skating Oscar) is awarded annually for outstanding speed skating performance of the season. The award was introduced by Oslo Skøiteklub (Oslo Skating Club, OSK) to commemorate the legendary Norwegian speed skater Oscar Mathisen (1888–1954). The winner is awarded a miniature of the statue of Oscar Mathisen created by the sculptor Arne Durban. The statue is placed outside Frogner Stadium in Oslo, the venue of many of Oscar Mathisen's most memorable victories.
Until 1967, speed skaters could not win the award more than once and until 1987, women were not eligible to win the award. Since 1959, 65 awards were given to 50 skaters (41 men and 9 women) from 10 countries. Eric Heiden from the United States holds record by number of awards (4 times in 1977–1980) while Gunda Niemann from Germany is the only woman who received this award more than once (3 times in 1995–1997).
Oscar Mathisen Award winners
Number of awards by country
| Awards won | Country |
|---|---|
| 18 |  Netherlands |
| 15 |  Norway |
| 10 |  United States |
| 6 |  Sweden |
| 5 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada |
| 4 |  Germany |
 Soviet Union | |
| 1 |  Czech Republic |
 Japan | |
 Russia |
Number of awards by person
References
- ↑ "Skøytesport". www.skoytesport.no. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ↑ "Skøytesport". www.skoytesport.no. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ↑ "Skøytesport". www.skoytesport.no. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ↑ http://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/article1364737.ece/Sablikova_krijgt_eervolle_prijs.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "De Jong krijgt 'schaatsoscar'". nos.nl. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ↑ "Nesbitt - winner of the 2012 Oscar Award | Speed Skating Canada". Archived from the original on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
- ↑ "Brittany Bowe wins the 2015 Oscar Award". US Speedskating. 20 May 2015. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.