Venues of the 1976 Winter Olympics

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Bergiselschanze in 2004. The venue hosted the large hill ski jumping event at the 1976 Winter Olympics. Bergisel-N.jpg
Bergiselschanze in 2004. The venue hosted the large hill ski jumping event at 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.

Contents

Venues

VenueSportsCapacityRef.
Axamer Lizum Alpine skiing (all but men's downhill)Not listed. [1]
Bergiselschanze Ski jumping (large hill), Opening ceremonies26,000 [2]
Eisschnellaufbahn Speed skating 7,000 [3]
Kombinierte Kunsteisbahn für Bob-Rodel Igls Bobsleigh, Luge Not listed. [4]
Messehalle Ice hockey 5,544 [5]
Olympiahalle Figure skating, Ice hockey, Closing ceremonies10,836 [6]
Patscherkofel Alpine skiing (men's downhill)Not listed [7]
Seefeld Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, Ski jumping (normal hill)Not listed. [8]

Before the Olympics

Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964. [9] Bergiselschanze, one of the venues used for those games, has been part of ski jumping's Four Hills Tournament since the 1952–3 season. [10]

At the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session at Amsterdam in May 1970, Denver, Colorado was selected over Sion, Tampere, and Whistler, British Columbia to host the 1976 Winter Games. [11] Local pressure from residents in Colorado forced a referendum vote two years later in which state residents, led by future governor Richard Lamm on environmental and cost concerns. [12] A vote of 3 to 2 against on 7 November 1972 confirmed this, resulting in the United States Olympic Committee wanting to move the 1976 Winter Games to Salt Lake City, Utah. [12] Denver withdrew their bid in November 1972, resulting in the IOC reopening up the bid for the 1976 Games. [13] Besides Innsbruck, other cities who bid were Salt Lake City, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Chamonix, and Lake Placid, New York. [13] Innsbruck was awarded the 1976 Games by the IOC on 4 February 1973. [13]

Before Innsbruck was awarded the 1976 Winter Games, the venues used were in the process of being expanded. Patscherkofel's downhill run was widened in 1971. [7] Axamer Lixum's course proposed originally for the 1964 Winter Games was used for both men's and women's event had to be clear cut in order to remove the trees located there along with its slope being reduced from 66 to 71% to 28-31%. [1] A total of 100,000 m3 (130,000 cu yd) was moved along with the canalization of a deep ditch 68 m (223 ft) long. [1] Seefeld used lesser loops for the cross-country courses compared to the 1964 Games. [8] New lighting was installed in Olympiahalle to accommodate color television along with a new loudspeaker system. [6] A plastic pipe under the ice had to be replaced when American figure skater Terry Kubicka broke through the ice, piercing the pipe, and creating a coolant leak. [6] Two new compressors of ammonia refrigeration were added to Eisschnellaufbahn to maintain the ice at −10 °C (14 °F). [3] The biggest change was at the bobsleigh and luge track where a single track was used for combined events, the first of its kind in the world. [4] Construction of the track began in 1973 under the auspices of the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation and International Luge Federation and was completed the following year. [4] During the 1975 Olympic Test Competition on the track, East Germany set up cameras and timers all along the run to determine the fastest lines through each of the straights and curves. [14]

During the Olympics

In the alpine skiing men's downhill, Austria' Franz Klammer came from behind to beat Switzerland's Bernhard Russi in where television coverage was given for the entire run. [15] [16]

The work that East Germany did at analyzing the Igls track in 1975 paid off with gold medals in all three luge and both bobsleigh events. [17]

During the cross-country skiing men's 4 x 10 km relay event, East Germany was in second place after the first leg of the event. Axel Lesser, the second leg of the East German team, ran into a spectator, injured his knee, and had to abandon the race. [18] [19]

After the Olympics

Bergiselschanze remains a part of the Four Hills Tournament. [10] Seefeld would play host to the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 1985 and 2019. [20]

Igls has served as host of the IBSF World Championships (previous FIBT) in 1991 (men's skeleton), 1993 (bobsleigh), 2000 (skeleton), and 2016. [21] [22] The track hosted the FIL European Luge Championships in 1990 and hosted the FIL World Luge Championships five times in 1977, 1987, 1997, 2007, and 2017. [23] [24]

Seefeld and Innsbruck combined to host the Winter Universiade in 2005. [25] In 2012, Innsbruck hosted the first Winter Youth Olympic Games. [26] All venues used for the 1976 Winter Olympics except for Axamer Lizum were in use as venues for the 2012 Winter Youth Games. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 Winter Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Innsbruck, Austria

The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964. The city was already an Olympic candidate, unsuccessfully bidding to host the 1960 Games. Innsbruck won the 1964 Games bid, defeating the cities of Calgary in Canada and Lahti in Finland. The sports venues, many of which were built for the Games, were located within a radius of 20 km (12 mi) around Innsbruck. The Games included 1,091 athletes from 36 nations, which was a record for the Winter Games at the time. Athletes participated in six sports and ten disciplines which bring together a total of thirty-four official events, seven more than the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. The luge made its debut on the Olympic program. Three Asian nations made their Winter Games debut: North Korea, India and Mongolia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Winter Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Innsbruck, Austria

The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from February 4 to 15, 1976. The Games were awarded to Innsbruck after Denver, the original host city, withdrew in 1972. This was the second time the Tyrolean capital had hosted the Winter Olympics, having first done so in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Königssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track</span>

The Königssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue in Germany for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton, located in Schönau am Königssee, Bavaria, near Königssee and the border with Austria. Completed 55 years ago in 1968, it is the first permanent, artificially refrigerated bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in the world. In July 2021, the track was severely damaged by the floods that affected the European continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Sliding Centre Innsbruck</span>

The Olympic Sliding Centre Innsbruck is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Igls, Austria. The most recent version of the track was completed in 1975 and is the first permanent, combination artificially refrigerated bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track, serving as a model for other tracks of its kind worldwide. It hosted the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton competitions for the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run</span> United States historic place

The Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton in the United States, located at the Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid, New York. This venue was used for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and for the only winter Goodwill Games in 2000. The third and most recent version of the track was completed in 2000 with the track hosting both the first FIBT World Championships and FIL World Luge Championships done outside of Europe, doing so in 1949 and 1983. In 2010 the bobsled track was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, a total of five sports venues were used. The main stadium hosted the figure skating, ice hockey, and speed skating events. Skeleton was first held at the Cresta Run. Bobsleigh was held at the bob run. St. Moritz itself served as cross-country skiing venue and the cross-country part of the Nordic combined event. Weather gave two events run at these games problems, creating the largest margin of victory in Olympic history for one and the cancellation of the other.

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 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 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 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.

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.

<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

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  2. 1976 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2008-02-26 at the Wayback Machine pp. 201-2. Accessed 10 November 2010. (in English, French, and German)
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  5. 1976 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2008-02-26 at the Wayback Machine pp. 206-8. Accessed 10 November 2010. (in English, French, and German)
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  9. 1964 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 10 November 2010. (in German)
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  12. 1 2 Deseretnews.com KSL-TV "The Games that got away". Archived 2010-09-01 at the Wayback Machine 14 November 2001 article accessed 10 November 2010.
  13. 1 2 3 1976 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2008-02-26 at the Wayback Machine p. 318. (in English, French, and German)
  14. Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Luge (Toboggan): Men". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 169.
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  16. Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Alpine Skiing, Men: Downhill". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 186-7.
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  19. Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Cross-Country (Nordic) Skiing, Men: 4 x 10-Kilometer Relay". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 238.
  20. FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Seefeld 18-27 January 1985 results. Accessed 11 November 2010.
  21. FIBT.com Men's Bobsleigh World Championships and Olympic Games: 1924-2007 results. Accessed 11 November 2010.
  22. FIBT.com Men's Skeleton World Championships and Olympic Games: 1928-2007 results. Accessed 11 November 2010.
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