Venues of the 1936 Winter Olympics

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For the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, a total of six sports venues were used. Alpine skiing events took place for the first time and were held in three different locations. Riessersee held the speed skating and some of the ice hockey matches while the bobsleigh events took place south of the lake. The ski jump and its neighboring stadium played host to the cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, and ski jumping events. Even though figure skating and some of the ice hockey matches took place outdoors at the ice stadium, the ice itself was artificially refrigerated to prevent ice thawing.

Contents

Venues

VenueSportsCapacityRef.
Große Olympiaschanze Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Ski jumping 59,280 (78,306 on opening & closing ceremonies) [1] [2]
Gudiberg Alpine skiing (combined - slalom)21,041 [1]
Kreuzjoch Alpine skiing (combined - downhill)Not listed. [1]
Kreuzeck Alpine skiing (downhill finish line)9,367 [1]
Olympia-Kunsteisstadion Figure skating, Ice hockey (final)8,644 [1]
Bob Run Riessersee Bobsleigh 8,970 [1]
Riessersee (Lake)Ice hockey, Speed skating 8,430 [1]

Before the Olympics

The first ski jump in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was constructed in 1902. [3] A permanent structure was completed in 1934 in time for the 1936 Games. [1] [4] Bobsleigh took place in Garmisch as early as 1910. [5] The track used for the 1936 Games was completed in 1934. [6] The first Bobsleigh World Championships that took place at the track was in 1934 in the four-man event. [7] The ice stadium was constructed in only 106 days in 1934. [8] The 60 by 30 m (197 by 98 ft) rink was supported by 22 km (14 mi) of steel piping to keep the rink at a consistent temperature. [8] A 300 kW (400 hp) chiller was used to keep the rink frozen at a consistent temperature. [8]

During the Olympics

The speed skating and some of the ice hockey matches took place at Reissersee near the hotels located on the east side of the lake. [6] In the forest south of the lake was where the bobsleigh track was located. [6] During the men's singles figure skating event, judge John Machado of Canada contracted pneumonia after being outdoors in six hours of inclement weather and had to be replaced. [9] [10]

After the Olympics

Since the 1952-53 ski jumping season, the jump has been part of the Four Hills Tournament. [4] [11] It has hosted a ski jumping event every New Year's Day since 1953. [4] The jump was renovated in 1978 before being demolished in April 2007. [4] A new venue was constructed during the rest of that year with it being opened and dedicated for use during the 2007–08 Four Hills Tournament on New Year's Day 2008. [4]

The bobsleigh track hosted the FIBT World Championships in 1938 (four-man), 1953, and 1962 before being demolished in 1966. [5] [7]

The ice stadium was converted into an indoor arena in 1964, renovated between 1990 and 1994, and is now known as Olympia Eissport Zentrum Garmisch-Partenkirchen (English: Olympic Ice Sport Center of Garmisch-Partenkirchen). [12]

Garmisch became a popular alpine skiing venue, hosting the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 1978 and 2011. [13] [14] [15] It was part of Munich's unsuccessful bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics to host all of the skiing events (alpine, cross-country, freestyle, Nordic combined, snowboarding, and ski jumping) for those games should the city that hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics be awarded the games in July 2011. [16]

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For the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France, a total of three sports venues were used. The main stadium was used for all but two sports and part of a third. It was the first ski jump used for the Winter Olympics. A bobsleigh track was prepared for use.

For the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, United States, a total of five sports venues were used. This was unchanged from the previous games in St. Moritz. For the first time in the history of the Winter Olympics, an indoor venue was used for the figure skating and six of the twelve ice hockey events at the Olympic Arena. The first bobsleigh venue outside Europe was constructed for use. Four different 18 km and five different 50 km venues were submitted for approval prior to the Olympics. After the 1932 games, three of these venues served as host for their respective championships that were held outside Europe for the first time.

For the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, a total of eight sports venues were used. The five venues used for the 1928 Winter Olympics were reused for these games. Three new venues were added for alpine skiing which had been added to the Winter Olympics program twelve years earlier in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. As of 2015, the bob run continues to be used for bobsleigh and the Cresta Run for skeleton while alpine skiing remains popular in St. Moritz.

For the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, a total of eight sports venues were used. All of the venues used were new or rebuilt. To make use of television coverage for the first time in the Winter Olympics, the cross-country skiing stadium was constructed to allow the best coverage. Five of the venues used for these games would appear in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only twenty-five years later.

For the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, in the United States, a total of five sports venues were used. Except for the Palisades Tahoe, all of the venues had to be constructed. For the first time in Winter Olympic history, a temporary venue was constructed at McKinney Creek for biathlon, cross-country skiing, and Nordic combined. A bobsleigh track was not constructed over the guarantees from the FIBT not being able to field the minimum twelve teams needed to compete, making it the only time bobsleigh has not been included in the Winter Olympics.

For the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, a total of eight sports venues were used. Luge made its debut at these games, but were marred by the death of a British slider two weeks prior to the Games. A second ski jumping event debuted and the best two out of three jumps were used in both events for the only time in the history of the Winter Olympics. All eight venues would be used again when the Winter Games returned to Innsbruck twelve years later though the venues would undergo renovations in time for the 1976 Games.

For the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, a total of twelve sports venues were used. A thirteenth venue which was a reserved luge course was constructed, but never used in actual competition. Construction on all but of the venues used took place between 1968 and early 1971 in time for the test events. The Tsuskisamu Indoor Skating Rink was not completed until late 1971 or early 1972 because the number of teams scheduled to compete at the 1972 Games was not known. At the actual luge venue used, a malfunctioning starting gate during the first run led to the results being cancelled and rerun being ordered. The results of this event led to the only tie in Olympic luge history. The ski jumps at Miyanomori and Okurayama served as host venues for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships thirty-five years later.

Venues of the 1972 Summer Olympics

For the 1972 Summer Olympics, a total of thirty-two sports venues were used. A majority of the venues used were new construction in time for the 1972 Games after Munich was awarded the Games in 1966. Kiel Bay was the only venue from the 1936 Summer Olympics to be used for the 1972 Games. A stretch of the Autobahn near Munich was used for cycling's road team time trial event. After the Olympics, Olympiastadion hosted the final of the FIFA World Cup less than two years later. Augsburg's Eiskanal has served as host to three Canoe Slalom World Championships while the shooting range hosted the World Shooting Championships 2010. Olympiapark was part of Munich's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Venues of the 1976 Winter Olympics

For the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, a total of eight sports venues were used. The games were originally awarded to Denver, Colorado in the United States in 1970, but they withdrew in the wake of Colorado residents voting against it for environmental and cost reasons in November 1972. This led to the International Olympic Committee opening up the bids for the games again, eventually awarding them to Innsbruck in February 1973. The Austrian city, having hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964, was in the process of having the venues used for those Games before Denver's with clear cutting of the alpine skiing venues, lessening of the amount of cross-country skiing routes, upgrading the ski jumps, adding lighting in the indoor sports arena to accommodate color television, and the construction of a combination bobsleigh and luge track. After the 1976 Games, the venues have remained in use, hosting events in Nordic skiing and the sliding sports. They hosted some of the events for the Winter Universiade in 2005 and seven of the eight venues served as host for the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012.

Venues of the 1980 Winter Olympics

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.

Venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics

For the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, a total of fifteen sports venues were used. Nagano had attempted twice to host the Winter Olympics, losing out to Sapporo, host of the 1972 Winter Olympics. The third time, in 1991, Nagano edged out Salt Lake City to host the 1998 Games. The biathlon venue was adjusted in accordance with the Washington Convention over endangered species. The biggest venue controversy was at Happo'one resort on the length of the men's downhill and the battle that ensued to the point where skiing officials threatened to pull the event entirely before a compromise was reached three months before the Olympics. M-Wave has hosted three World Speed Skating Championships since the Olympics, while the Spiral has hosted a couple of world championships in bobsleigh, luge and skeleton.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1936 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2007-08-09 at the Wayback Machine pp. (PDF) pp. 140-141. Accessed 7 February 2022.(in German)
  2. ↑ 1936 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2007-08-09 at the Wayback Machine pp. (PDF) page 139. Accessed 7 February 2022.(in German)
  3. ↑ Skisprungschanzen.com profile of the first Garmisch ski jump. Accessed 17 October 2010. (in German)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Skisprungschanzen.com profile of the Olympic ski jump at Garmisch. Archived 2010-08-13 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 17 October 2010. (in German)
  5. 1 2 Garmisch-Partenkirchen.de history of the bob-run: 1910-66. Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 17 October 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 1936 Olympic Winter Games official report. Archived 2007-08-09 at the Wayback Machine pp. 70, 71, 74, 132-40, 153, 408-419. Accessed 16 October 2010.(in German)
  7. 1 2 Bobsleigh four-man world championship medalists since 1930. Archived 2007-12-11 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 17 October 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 1936 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2007-08-09 at the Wayback Machine pp. 123-8, 139. Accessed 16 October 2010. (in German)
  9. ↑ 1936 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2007-08-09 at the Wayback Machine p. 380. Accessed 17 October 2010. (in German)
  10. ↑ Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Figure Skating:Men". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 48.
  11. ↑ History of the Four Hills Tournament. Accessed 17 October 2010. (in German)
  12. ↑ Gemeindewerke Garmisch-Partenkirchen profile. Accessed 17 October 2010. (in German)
  13. ↑ FIS-Ski.com profile of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1978. Accessed 17 October 2010.
  14. ↑ FIS-ski.com profile of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2011. Archived 2011-02-11 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 17 October 2010.
  15. ↑ Official website of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2011. Accessed 17 October 2010.
  16. ↑ Munich 2018 official website. Accessed 17 October 2010. (in English and German)
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