Venues of the 1964 Winter Olympics

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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.

Contents

Venues

VenueSportsCapacityRef.
Axamer Lizum Alpine skiing (all but men's downhill)Not listed [1]
Bergiselschanze Ski jumping (large hill)26,000 [2]
Bob und Rodelbahn Igls Bobsleigh, Luge Not listed. [3]
Eisschnellaufbahn Speed skating 7,000 [4]
Messehalle Ice hockey 5,544 [5]
Olympiahalle Figure skating, Ice hockey10,836 [5]
Patscherkofel Alpine skiing (men's downhill)Not listed. [1]
Seefeld Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, Ski jumping (normal hill)Not listed. [6]

Before the Olympics

Before the 1964 Winter Games, Innsbruck hosted several World and European championships. They hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships both in 1933 and 1936. [7] [8] In 1933, Innsbruck served as host to the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. [9]

Innsbruck hosted its first Bobsleigh World Championships in 1935 in the two-man event, then hosted again in 1963 when the bobsleigh part of the track was used as a test event for the 1964 Games. [10] [11] Luge was also completed at the same time though Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski of Great Britain was killed in a practice run on the luge part of the track two weeks before the start of the 1964 Games. [12] Igls also served as host of the European Luge Championships in 1951 though the track used was not constructed until 1963. [3] [13]

Since 1952-3 ski jumping season, Bergiselschanze has been part of the Four Hills Tournament. [14]

Seefeld hosted the Biathlon World Championships in 1963 which also served as a test event for the 1964 Games. [15]

During the Olympics

The ski jumping events were the only one in Winter Olympic history to use the best two out of three jumps for medals. [16] This saved Finland's Veikko Kankkonen in the normal hill event after he followed a disastrous first jump with the longest second and the second-longest third jumps. [17]

After the Olympics

Bergiselschanze continued to play host as one of the hills for the Four Hills Tournament. [14]

Innsbruck would host the Winter Olympics twelve years later following the withdrawal of Denver, Colorado in the United States for those games in late 1972 following a referendum. All eight venues from the 1964 Games were used for the 1976 Games with some improvements. The bobsleigh and luge tracks were demolished and converted into an artificially refrigerated combination track, the first of its kind in the world. Ski jumps at Bergsiel and Seefeld both had improving judging stations. Two new artificial ice rinks were built, one for figure skating and the other for ice hockey. Eischnellaufen had new refrigeration done on its 400 m lap circuit. [18]

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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 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.

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 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, a total of ten sports venues were used. Most venues were constructed between the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck and the 1968 Games. Thawing was an issue for the four-man bobsleigh run. They were limited to only two runs. Thawing also affected the men's 500 m speed skating event. Electronic timing in alpine skiing affected the results of the women's giant slalom event. It gave Canada's Nancy Greene a headache for two days despite her gold medal in the event.

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 1976 Winter Olympics</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 1980 Winter Olympics</span>

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 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, a total of nine sports venues were used. The idea for the Games came around from a 1968 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development study on promoting winter tourism in Yugoslavia. After Sarajevo was awarded the 1984 Games in 1978, venue construction and renovation took place between 1979 and 1983. Weather postponed the men's downhill alpine skiing event three times before it was finally run. The men's cross-country skiing 30 km event was run during a blizzard. After the games, all but one of the venues were damaged during the Bosnian War and the siege of Sarajevo. After the war, Zetra Ice Hall was rebuilt and is in use as of 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 1988 Winter Olympics</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics</span>

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 1964 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine pp. 78, 82-85. Accessed 30 October 2010.(in German)
  2. ↑ 1964 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine p. 112. Accessed 30 October 2010. (in German)
  3. 1 2 1964 Winter Olympic Games Official report. Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine pp. 40, 65, 69, 165, 178, 180. Accessed 30 October 2010. (in German)
  4. ↑ 1964 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine p. 142. Accessed 30 October 2010. (in German)
  5. 1 2 1964 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine pp. 46, 66-7. Accessed 30 October 2010. (in German)
  6. ↑ 1964 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine pp. 95-103. Accessed 30 October 2010. (in German)
  7. ↑ FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Innsbruck 1 February 1933 results. Accessed 30 October 2010.
  8. ↑ FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Innsbruck 1 February 1936. Accessed 30 October 2010.
  9. ↑ FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Innsbruck 8-13 February 1933 results. Accessed 30 October 2010.
  10. ↑ FIBT men's bobsleigh World Champion results: 1924-2007. Accessed 30 October 2010.
  11. ↑ Time magazine 15 February 1963 article on the 1964 bobsleigh track competition that lead to safety changes on the track. Accessed 30 October 2010.
  12. ↑ Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Luge (Toboggan): Men". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 168.
  13. ↑ FIL-Luge.org European championship medalists. Accessed 30 October 2010. (in English and German)
  14. 1 2 History of the Four Hills tournament. Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 30 October 2010. (in German)
  15. ↑ IBU World Championships Seefeld 1963 results. Accessed 30 October 2010.
  16. ↑ 1964 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine pp. 111-23. (in German) Accessed 31 October 2010.
  17. ↑ 1964 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine p. 117. (in German) Accessed 31 October 2010.
  18. ↑ 1976 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2008-02-26 at the Wayback Machine pp. 186-90 ,318. Accessed 30 October 2010. (in English, French, and German)
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