The La Plagne bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in La Plagne, France. The track was the venue for the bobsleigh and luge competitions for the 1992 Winter Olympics whose host city was neighboring Albertville.
In 1986, Albertville was awarded the 1992 Winter Olympics over Sofia, Bulgaria; Falun, Sweden; Lillehammer, Norway; Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy; Anchorage, Alaska, United States; and Berchtesgaden, West Germany. [1] The track was constructed from September 1988 to December 1990 designed for use in bobsleigh and luge competitions with the drivers in mind. [2] Ice team staff was recruited in August 1990 while the first ice test was performed in January 1991. [2] The first bobsleigh test event was in February 1991 while the first luge test event was in March 1991. [2] The track hosted the skeleton event of the FIBT World Championships in 1993. [3] Since the 1992 Winter Olympics, the track has been host to programs on bobsleigh rides performed by 1998 Winter Olympic medalist Bruno Mingeon. [4] The track was part of neighboring Annecy's bid package for the 2018 Winter Olympics which was submitted to the International Olympic Committee on 15 October 2009. [5]
The track consists of 6,500 cubic metres (8,500 cu yd) of concrete cooled by 80 km (50 mi) of 10 cm (3.9 in) diameter ammonia refrigeration piping that can keep the track cooled to −15 °C (5 °F). [2] When water is applied to ice up the track, a total of 15 ice workers manually apply the water to generate ice up to a thickness of 4 cm (1.6 inch) that is kept at a temperature of -7 to - 10 °C (14 to 19 °F). [2] The outside of the track is covered with insulation and wood. [2] 40 km (25 mi) of electrical conduit connects the track from start to finish, including timing, television cables, computers, and sensors. [2] Technicians from the bobsleigh and luge track in Igls, Austria assisted the ice workers during production and maintenance of the ice for the 1992 Winter Olympics. [2]
Sport [2] | Length of track | Number of turns | Vertical drop (start to finish) | Average grade (%) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
meters | yards | meters | feet | |||
Bobsleigh and skeleton | 1,507.5 | 1,648.6 | 19 | 124.5 | 408 | 8.29 |
Luge – men's single | 1,249.50 | 1,366.47 | 15 | 110.62 | 362.9 | 8.8 |
Luge – women's singles / men's doubles | 1,142.60 | 1,249.56 | 14 | 92.24 | 302.6 | 7.5 |
There are no turn names listed for the track.
Sport | Record | Nation – athlete(s) | Date | Time (seconds) |
---|---|---|---|---|
4-man | Track | Germany – Christoph Langen / Marko Jacobs / Thomas Platzer / Sven Rühr | 19 December 1998 | 57.31 |
2-man | Track | Germany – Christoph Langen / Thomas Platzer | 18 December 1998 | 58.68 |
2-woman | Track | Germany – Laura Nolte / Deborah Levi | 11 January 2020 | 1:00.67 |
Monobob | Track | United States – Kaysha Love | 9 December 2023 | 1:03.79 |
Sport | Record | Nation – athlete(s) | Date | Time (seconds) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men | Track | Russia – Alexander Tretiakov | 10 January 2020 | 59.28 |
Women | Track | Russia – Elena Nikita | 10 January 2020 | 1:01.35 |
Sport | Record | Nation – athlete(s) | Date | Time (seconds) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's singles | Track | Austria – Markus Prock | 11 December 1995 | 45.176 |
Women's singles | Track | Austria – Angelika Neuner | 10 December 1995 | 45.277 |
Men's doubles | Track | Germany – Patric Leitner / Alexander Resch | 9 December 1995 | 45.022 |
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For the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, United States, a total of seven sports venues were used. All five of the venues used for the 1932 Winter Olympics were also used at the 1980 Winter Games with adjustments. These adjustments included electronic scoreboards, increased refrigeration, and the addition of a separate luge track. This was the last Winter Olympics where there were separate bobsleigh and luge tracks. The closest finish in Olympic history in cross-country skiing led skiing officials to time future events in hundredths of a second rather than tenths of a second. This would also apply to biathlon events. Eric Heiden won five gold medals at the speed skating oval while the "Miracle on Ice" took place between Americans and Soviets at the Olympic Center. In the late 1990s, the luge track was demolished and a new combination track was constructed in time for the only Winter Goodwill Games held. The sliding venue was named to the American National Register of Historical Places in February 2010.
For the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, a total of nine sports venues were used. Calgary tried twice to host the Winter Olympics in the 1960s without success before finally winning the 1988 Winter Games in 1981. Stampede Corral was built in 1950 while McMahon Stadium was built in 1960. When the National Hockey League (NHL) Flames franchise was relocated from Atlanta, Georgia in the United States during the summer of 1980, a new arena was needed. The Saddledome construction was underway in late 1981 when Calgary was awarded the 1988 Games. Completed in 1983, the Olympic Saddledome has played host to the Flames ever since, including three Stanley Cup Finals and the NHL All-Star Game in 1985. An innovation for the games was the first indoor long-track speed skating venue which has served as a model for future Olympics. The bobsleigh and luge track was the first combination track in North America and was noted for the Jamaican bobsleigh team crash during the four-man event. Both the Oval and the bobsleigh/luge track continue to host the World Championships in their respective sports since the 1988 Winter Olympics.
For the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, a total of thirteen sports venues were used. Val-d'Isère has been part of the Alpine Skiing World Cup since the late 1960s while Tignes served as host of the first Freestyle World Ski Championships in 1986. Most of the venues used were constructed between 1987 and mid 1990 with the test events taking place in late 1990 and early 1991. It was the last Winter Olympics with an outdoor speed skating rink which led to weather issues for three of the ten events. Three cross-country skiing events were run in snowstorms while the men's 20 km biathlon was found to be 0.563 km (0.350 mi) too short. The downhill events in alpine skiing were criticized for being too steep. Freestyle skiing made its official debut at these games with the men's winner being stormed after his win while the women's winner won her event in a snow storm. La Plagne hosted the skeleton World Championships in 1993 while Val-d'Isère hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships in 2009.Some of the venues will be used again during the 2030 Winter Olympics,when the main host city will be Nice.