The ice-making decision was announced Tuesday, when oval officials said they reached an agreement with the U.S. Olympic Committee that provides short-term funding for oval training and lays a foundation for the 2002 Olympic venue to become an official USOC training site.

"The agreement is based on a growing partnership that will ensure that speedskating remains at the [oval] indefinitely," according to a statement from the Utah Athletic Foundation, which helps oversee operations in Kearns and at the Utah Olympic Park complex of ski jumps and a bobsled/luge track outside of Park City.

The statement did not specify how much money the USOC was providing.

Oval manager Marc Norman originally hoped to have ice in place for a July 15 start of training. But that goal was put off until the agreement was reached and U.S. Speedskating filled a leadership void that has existed since executive director Katie Marquard resigned after February's Turin Olympics. She had been in that position 15 years.

On Tuesday, U.S. Speedskating President Brad Goskowicz announced the hiring of Robert T. Crowley as Marquard's successor. For 11 years, Crowley has been U.S. Figure Skating's associate executive director, which exposed him to the challenges facing national governing bodies of Olympic winter sports.

Salt Lake is considered a leading candidate to become speedskating's new headquarters' city because of the oval's world-class facilities and the support that can be provided by The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital, whose new medical director is Eric Heiden, winner of five gold medals in speedskating at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

mikeg@sltrib.com