Build a team of real short track speed skaters, earn points from actual competition results, and compete for the top of the leaderboard. New to the sport? Start with the basics below.
Short Track Manager turns the real World Tour into your game. Draft a squad of real speed skaters, and every time one of them podiums in a live competition, their result is banked as your points.
Complete game guide
Read the essentials first, then open the detailed explanations only when you need them. Use the search field to find a specific rule instantly.
Every manager starts with a budget to fill 13 roster slots:
Each athlete and relay team has a price. You must keep your total spend at or under . There is no minimum spend — find the best value to maximise your point haul.
Your total team value may not exceed . A valid team needs every one of the 13 positions filled.
You can invest heavily in established winners, spread the budget across consistent finalists, or combine stars with lower-priced value picks. There is no single correct structure: your choices determine both your upside and your risk.
Every athlete and relay selection has a value from to . That value is not arbitrary: it reflects the ranking points a selection has scored this season, measured against the most it could have scored, so consistently successful selections cost more of your budget.
The current price shown in the team builder is always decisive — prices are recalculated after each competition weekend and apply when the next transfer window opens.
Every priced competition of the current season counts, with no cap. Last season's results keep counting until this season's matching competition is complete: World Tour #1 replaces last season's World Tour #1, the Worlds replace last season's Worlds. The biggest championships carry extra weight:
European Championships and Four Continents results do not affect prices.
share = window points ÷ most points those competitions could have produced
most points per competition = 3 distances × 100,000 for a win × multiplier
The price comes from the share, not the raw total. The maximum only counts the competitions in the window, so a tier means the same thing whether it holds six competitions or ten.
Across two World Tours, the most an athlete could have scored is 600,000. An athlete on 300,000 holds 50% of that, which puts them in the Dominant tier at .
Before the season's first priced competition is complete, last season's results set every price. Nothing from two seasons back ever counts.
Athletes ranked at their national team trials also get a boost (marked NT in the pricing window), added on top of their competition points. It is worth a fixed share of the window: on its own, the boost for the winner of the strongest country's trials is worth exactly the Mid-tier line (7.5%, ). The boost only counts in the season its trials were held for.
The athlete's share of the window's maximum places them in one of the following tiers:
| Tier | Relative price | Price | Share of maximum points |
|---|---|---|---|
Dominant 48%+ | |||
Champion 36% – 48% | |||
Superstar 29% – 36% | |||
Elite 17% – 29% | |||
Strong 12% – 17% | |||
Mid-tier 7.5% – 12% | |||
Competitive 3% – 7.5% | |||
Fringe 0.75% – 3% | |||
Entry 0.25% – 0.75% | |||
Base Under 0.25% |
Relay teams use the same window on a separate, lower-capped scale. A relay races one event per competition instead of three distances, so a World Tour is worth at most 100,000 points to a relay team (before the multiplier), and its price ceiling is , not .
| Tier | Relative price | Price | Share of maximum points |
|---|---|---|---|
Dominant 75%+ | |||
Elite 60% – 75% | |||
Strong 30% – 60% | |||
Mid-tier 13% – 30% | |||
Emerging 6.5% – 13% | |||
Competitive 4% – 6.5% | |||
Fringe 1% – 4% | |||
Base Under 1% |
A higher price therefore signals a stronger season so far — not a guarantee of future points. Managers still need to judge current form, race entries and value for money.
When you add an athlete or relay team, its displayed price counts toward your total team value. You can combine any available selections as long as all 13 required slots are filled and the total stays within .
This is only an example. You may distribute the budget differently as long as your complete roster remains valid.
Each completed competition enters the window with its maximum, and last season's matching competition, if it is still there, leaves it. An athlete who takes a bigger share of the new competition than of the one it pushed out (or, when nothing leaves, than they already hold) moves up; one who takes a smaller share, or does not race, slips down. A World Championships or Olympic result moves the share further, because its points and its maximum are both multiplied.
Take the athlete from the example above. If a third World Tour joins the window and they miss it, the maximum grows to 900,000 while their total stays at 300,000. That is 33.33%, and their price falls to .
The window rolls over from one season to the next instead of resetting: last season's results leave it one by one as this season's matching competitions are completed, so missing one early World Tour never wipes out a season of results.
Price changes do not alter points you have already earned and do not retroactively change what you paid. They affect the price shown for future transfers.
A transfer removes one selection and adds another using the prices available in that transfer window. Your updated team must still fit the budget and satisfy every roster requirement.
The winner earns 100,000 pts and each subsequent place earns approximately 85% of the one above — rewards extend all the way down to last place. Both individual and relay events use the same formula.
| Place | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 100,000 |
| 2nd | 85,000 |
| 3rd | 72,250 |
| 5th | 52,201 |
| 10th | 23,162 |
| 20th | 4,560 |
| 30th | 898 |
| 50th | 35 |
| 68th | 2 |
Every place is worth 85% of the one above it — a single ×0.85 geometric curve from 1st (100,000) on down the field, fading to 0 by around 77th. DNS / DNF / DQ earn 0 points.
Not every competition counts the same. Placement points are multiplied by the competition's weight, so the same 1st place is worth 100,000 pts at a World Tour event, 200,000 pts at the World Championships and 300,000 pts at the Olympics.
| Competition | Placement points |
|---|---|
| World Tour | ×1 |
| Four Continents | ×1 |
| European Championship | ×1 |
| World Championship | ×2 |
| Olympic Games | ×3 |
The weight applies to placement points only. Bonus points always pay face value — a Hat Trick is worth the same at a World Tour event as it is at the Olympics.
Scoring is based exclusively on ISU World Tour and ISU Championship competitions. Points are processed from the official result and added automatically to the athlete or relay team in your lineup.
On top of placement points, athletes and teams can earn bonus points for exceptional performances in a single competition. Multiple bonuses can fire in the same competition.
Set a world record — awarded once per athlete per competition, and stacks on top of a sweep bonus
Finish in the top 3 in all three distances (500m, 1000m, 1500m)
Finish on the podium (top 3) in exactly 2 of the three distances (only if the Hat Trick is not earned)
Finish top 5 in all three distances (only if the Hat Trick is not earned)
Finish top 10 in all three distances (only if no higher sweep bonus is earned)
The four sweep bonuses are graduated and mutually exclusive: the highest tier an athlete reaches is awarded — never two at once. Hat Trick and the two Triples need a result in all three distances; Double Trouble only needs two podiums. A world record is separate, so it stacks on top of whichever sweep bonus an athlete earns.
5 or more different athletes finishing on the podium (top 3) in at least one distance, across your 10 individual athletes
8 or more different athletes finishing in the top 10 in at least one distance, across your 10 individual athletes (only if Team Podium is not earned)
Only one team bonus is paid per competition: reach Team Podium and you earn that one, never Team Top-10 as well. Relay teams do not count towards team bonus thresholds.
A selection that does not record a scoring result receives 0 points for that result. This makes availability and reliability an important part of team selection.
Standings may update as official results are processed. Treat the finalized official result as authoritative, especially when a result is reviewed or amended.
You can adjust your roster between competitions. Once the next competition goes live, your lineup locks.
Replacing one athlete or relay team with another selection counts as a transfer. Every change must leave you with a valid roster within budget.
No — the allowance applies per competition window on both tiers, so anything you leave unused is not added to the next window. The in-game transfer counter is the authoritative indicator for the number of changes still available. Inside a private standard league there is no cap at all, so there is nothing to carry over there.
Useful signals include confirmed entries, injuries, recent form, distance programs, relay selection and price changes. Avoid waiting past the published lock moment.
There are three different leaderboards in the game — each ranks you on something slightly different.
Ranks every manager by cumulative points across the whole season. Rebuilt after every competition finalizes, and shows your rank, rank change, total points, and latest-competition points.
View Leaderboard →Ranks managers by points earned in one specific competition only — a different, narrower view than your season rank, found on that competition's detail page.
Standings within a private league, based on league-team scores rather than your global team. See Private Leagues below for how leagues work.
My Leagues →Every eligible manager is ranked against the full player field. Your position changes when new event points are processed or official results are corrected.
A competition view shows performance for a specific event, while the season leaderboard reflects accumulated performance across the season. Use the event view to evaluate one weekend and the season view to track the overall race.
Managers with the same displayed score may share or be ordered within the same points position according to the game's active tie-handling logic. The leaderboard displayed in the app is authoritative.
Results may still need to be processed or finalized. Penalties, reviews and official corrections can affect athlete points and therefore manager rankings.
As you manage your team, strong performances and special achievements can unlock badges. These rewards highlight milestones reached during the season and show what kind of manager you are.
Badges are awarded automatically when your account meets the relevant achievement conditions. You do not need to claim them manually. Once unlocked, they become part of your manager profile and achievement collection.
Badge conditions can be linked to season rankings, event scores, consistent leaderboard performance, large ranking improvements or efficient use of your budget. Each badge represents a different type of managerial achievement.
Badges are recognition rewards and do not replace the normal scoring system. Your leaderboard position continues to be determined by the fantasy league points earned by your roster.
Your unlocked achievements are displayed in the relevant profile or achievement area in Short Track Manager. Newly earned badges appear after the qualifying result or milestone has been processed.
A private league gives a selected group its own standings without removing anyone from the global leaderboard.
Want the full picture? See the Full Private Leagues Guide →
A Standard League plays one of two rule sets, chosen when it is created. Round by Round (the default) has no budget: before every competition each member picks a fresh lineup with a fixed number of skaters per price band, so cheap skaters are part of every team. Classic mirrors the global game — build your roster freely in the Team Builder, then use the transfer window after each competition, with unlimited transfers for every member. A Draft League uses a snake draft to assign rosters instead of free picking, with free-agent draft windows between competitions replacing regular transfers.
No. The same team and fantasy league points are used. The private league simply filters the standings to its members.
No. Only the manager creating and managing the league needs Pro. Free players can join with an invite code.
Yes. Joining a private league does not replace the global competition; both standings can be followed at the same time.
Choose your version
The core game is free. Pro widens your transfer allowance and unlocks analytics and league-management options.
Included with every account
Everything, unlocked
Account or billing question instead? See the Support FAQ.
No — that's what the essentials in Why every race matters (above) are for. Everything else on this page builds on those few terms.
Yes. Every athlete and relay team is a real, currently-competing ISU athlete or national team, and your points come from their actual competition results.
That roster slot scores 0 points for that competition — real risk in athlete selection, same as the real sport.
Yes — the Basic tier is free forever. A Pro subscription unlocks more transfers per window and private league creation, and Pro members can add extra leagues for a one-off fee. See Pro plans.
Create a free account, then head to the Team Builder to draft your first squad.