Stampesletta
Encyclopedia
Stampesletta is a multi-use stadium complex in Lillehammer
, Norway
. Owned and operated by Lillehammer Municipality, it consists of a track and field
venue, an artificial turf
football field
, three natural grass football fields, a gravel field and natural grass training pitches. In addition, it features a club house, locker facilities and a grandstand between the athletics and artificial turf fields. The venue is located about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from the town center, and serves as the home ground for the Second Division side Lillehammer FK, Lillehammer KFK, Roterud IL in football, and Lillehammer IF
in athletics.
Construction of Stampesletta started in 1946 and the grass football field opened in 1949. A now removed equestrian
exhibition area opened in 1958, and in 1973 the track and field venue opened. The latter received a hard surface in 1982. During the 1994 Winter Olympics
, Stampesletta itself was used for medal ceremonies, attracting crowds of up to 30,000 people. The area around Stampesletta was sometimes referred to as the Olympic Park, as it also has in its immediate vicinity the ice hockey venues Håkons Hall and Kristins Hall
, the ski jumping hill Lysgårdsbakken, and Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena. The two halls are often regarded as part of Stampesletta. The arena is used as the goal are for Birkebeinerrittet
and Birkebeinerløpet, and from 1932 to 1992 for Birkebeinerrennet
. Stampesletta hosted the Norwegian Athletics Championships in 1977, 1995 and 2009, and annually hosts Norway's second-largest track and field tournament, Veidekkelekene.
beside a mill
". The area, which traditionally had been called Myra, was originally part of the farm Lysgård, with Stampesletta being its own croft
. The area was bought by Lillehammer Municipality in 1933. The hillside further up, at Kanthaugen and Lysgård, featured ski activities from the turn of the 20th century. Plans to use one of the few flat places in Lillehammer for sports was launched by the municipal planning office in 1941. However, the German occupation of Norway caused an interruption in the plans, and a prisoner-of-war camp
for Russians, Lager Edelweiss, was located there instead.
Construction of the grass field started in 1946, after the municipality had decided to built a multi-sport complex. The original stadium was by the contemporary capital press described as having "international proportions". The venue was planned built in several stages, and the plans called for a main football field with grass turf and a main athletics field. Additional plans called for an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, an indoor arena for handball
and gymnastics, and a club house. The grass pitch was officially opened by Mayor Einar Hansen in 1949, and had a spectator capacity for 12,000 people. Two years later, a hostel, owned by the municipality and with room for 108 people, opened beside the venue.
In 1958, an equestrian exhibition area was built at Stampesletta to host the state's mare
exhibition, which had previously been held in Lillehammer from 1887 to 1940. It was by Agricultural Director Aslak Lidtveidt as the country's most modern. The venue also became home of the state's stallion
display. The exhibition grounds covered an area of 4 hectares (10 acre), cost NOK 190,000 and included two stable
s. The show remained at Lillehammer until the opening of Biri Travbane.
The track and field venue opened in 1973, with a capacity for 6,000 people. The following year Lillehammer IF moved from Sportsplassen i Lillehammer to Stampesletta, with the old venue being retired in 1975. In 1977, Stampesletta hosted the Norwegian Athletics Championships. It was the last time the championships were held on gravel, and this caused problems because excessive rain drowned the venue, and the fire department had to pump off the water. The club started planning fixed surface on the venue in 1980, and was granted a loan for NOK 500,000. On 18 August 1981, the municipal council voted to grant NOK 200,000 for the upgrade. The work was largely done with voluntary work, and the new surface was inaugurated on 28 August 1982 with the Norwegian Relay Athletics Championship.
In 1970, the plans for an indoor arena, primarily for handball, was launched again, but the cost of NOK 6 million was not able to be financed. Following the work with the Lillehammer bid for the 1992 Winter Olympics
, the plans resurfaced, this time with an ice hockey rink to be the centerpiece. In 1985, Lillehammer Municipal Council accepted an agreement with the Norwegian Confederation of Sports (NIF), which offered to finance 50% of a new multi-use arena in Lillehammer. The venue opened in December 1988 and cost NOK 65 million. After Lillehammer was awarded the 1994 Winter Olympics in 1988, it became necessary to build a larger venue to hold the Olympic ice hockey matches. In June 1989, the municipal council voted to locate most of the Lillehammer venues to the Stampesletta area, and to put Håkons Hall adjacent to Kristins Hall. This was controversial among the politicians, and many councilors voted in support of the originally-planned decentralized plan, with the venues spread out through the municipality. Håkons Hall cost NOK 238 million and it opened on 1 February 1993. Prior to the Olympics, the power lines across the fields were dug down to give better television images. The bid for the Olympics had also included using Stampesletta for the speed skating events
, but with the demands for an indoor venue, it was instead decided to built Vikingskipet in Hamar
.
The running track was renovated in 2003, and received a new surface layer and paint job. In 2005, the club house was completed by the women's football club. In 2006, the gravel ice rink received an artificial ice machine to secure stable ice conditions throughout the winter.
The sports complex consists of a track and field venue, a main artificial turf football field with a grandstand
, three natural grass football fields, a gravel field and warm-up/practice fields with grass. The track and field venue has eight lanes around the full course, as well as a start allowing 110 meter hurdling
.
Kristins Hall
consists of two halls, one featuring an ice hockey rink and one with a handball court. The arena also has a curling
rink and a running track. The ice hockey rink has place for 3,197 spectators and is the home venue of GET-ligaen
side Lillehammer IK. Håkons Hall is a multi-sport arena which is used for international handball and ice hockey matches, as well as conferences, conventions and banquets. The venue has a capacity for 11,500, making it the largest handball and ice hockey venue in the country. It can make use of the main hall for two handball or football field, or six volleyball
or badminton
courts. In addition, there is a permanent health club
, a climbing wall
, an aerobics
room, a golf
center with two golf simulators and a putting green, and two badminton courts. The hall also features a 370 metres (1,213.9 ft) long sprinting track and the Norwegian Olympic Museum
The Olympics ski jumping hill Lysgårdsbakken and Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena are located a few hundred meters from Stampesletta. Collectively, the area is sometimes referred to as the Olympic Park
.
From 1932 to 1992, Birkebeinerrittet
, a mass ski marathon
between Rena
and Lillehammer, has used Stampesletta as a start or goal area, depending on if the race ran from Lillehammer to Rena or in the opposite direction. Since 1992, the goal area was moved to Birkebeineren Ski Stadium. Birkebeinerrittet
, a cycle version of the ski marathon, has its goal area at Stampesletta. The half-marathon terrain race Birkebeinerløpet uses Stampesletta as its start and goal area. During the 1994 Winter Olympics, Stampesletta was used for medal ceremonies for all non-skating events. The backdrops for the podium was built using ice and snow, with the podium itself being made from ice from the glacier Jostedalsbreen
. This contrasted with the surrounding pine
elements. Attendance was free, and between 25,000 and 30,000 people attended the medal ceremonies. Lillehammer is the only applicant to host the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics
. If selected, the Stampesletta area will be used for the opening, closing and medal ceremonies; existing and new buildings nearby will be used for the Olympic Village.
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Owned and operated by Lillehammer Municipality, it consists of a track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
venue, an artificial turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
football field
Association football pitch
An association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...
, three natural grass football fields, a gravel field and natural grass training pitches. In addition, it features a club house, locker facilities and a grandstand between the athletics and artificial turf fields. The venue is located about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from the town center, and serves as the home ground for the Second Division side Lillehammer FK, Lillehammer KFK, Roterud IL in football, and Lillehammer IF
Lillehammer IF
Lillehammer Idrettforening is a Norwegian athletics club from Lillehammer, founded on 28 May 1919. At that time city already had four different sports teams; for cross country skiing , gymnastics , speed skating and football respectively.Its most prominent recent member is Morten Sand, who...
in athletics.
Construction of Stampesletta started in 1946 and the grass football field opened in 1949. A now removed equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
exhibition area opened in 1958, and in 1973 the track and field venue opened. The latter received a hard surface in 1982. During the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
, Stampesletta itself was used for medal ceremonies, attracting crowds of up to 30,000 people. The area around Stampesletta was sometimes referred to as the Olympic Park, as it also has in its immediate vicinity the ice hockey venues Håkons Hall and Kristins Hall
Kristins Hall
Kristins Hall is an arena located at Stampesletta in Lillehammer, Norway. It consist of an ice rink, a combined handball and floorball court, and a curling rink. The venue, owned and operated by Lillehammer Municipality, opened in 1988 and cost 65 million Norwegian krone to build...
, the ski jumping hill Lysgårdsbakken, and Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena. The two halls are often regarded as part of Stampesletta. The arena is used as the goal are for Birkebeinerrittet
Birkebeinerrittet
Birkebeinerrittet is a long-distance mountainbike cycling race held annually in Norway. It is the world's largest mountainbike race in number of contestants. In 2009 17,164 riders signed up, and 15,140 cyclists completed the race...
and Birkebeinerløpet, and from 1932 to 1992 for Birkebeinerrennet
Birkebeinerrennet
Birkebeinerrennet is a long-distance cross-country ski marathon held annually in Norway. It is Norway's race in the Worldloppet Ski Federation....
. Stampesletta hosted the Norwegian Athletics Championships in 1977, 1995 and 2009, and annually hosts Norway's second-largest track and field tournament, Veidekkelekene.
History
The area around Stampesletta, which is located along the creek Mesnaelva, and means "the plainPlain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
beside a mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
". The area, which traditionally had been called Myra, was originally part of the farm Lysgård, with Stampesletta being its own croft
Croft (land)
A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer.- Etymology :...
. The area was bought by Lillehammer Municipality in 1933. The hillside further up, at Kanthaugen and Lysgård, featured ski activities from the turn of the 20th century. Plans to use one of the few flat places in Lillehammer for sports was launched by the municipal planning office in 1941. However, the German occupation of Norway caused an interruption in the plans, and a prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
for Russians, Lager Edelweiss, was located there instead.
Construction of the grass field started in 1946, after the municipality had decided to built a multi-sport complex. The original stadium was by the contemporary capital press described as having "international proportions". The venue was planned built in several stages, and the plans called for a main football field with grass turf and a main athletics field. Additional plans called for an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, an indoor arena for handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
and gymnastics, and a club house. The grass pitch was officially opened by Mayor Einar Hansen in 1949, and had a spectator capacity for 12,000 people. Two years later, a hostel, owned by the municipality and with room for 108 people, opened beside the venue.
In 1958, an equestrian exhibition area was built at Stampesletta to host the state's mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
exhibition, which had previously been held in Lillehammer from 1887 to 1940. It was by Agricultural Director Aslak Lidtveidt as the country's most modern. The venue also became home of the state's stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
display. The exhibition grounds covered an area of 4 hectares (10 acre), cost NOK 190,000 and included two stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
s. The show remained at Lillehammer until the opening of Biri Travbane.
The track and field venue opened in 1973, with a capacity for 6,000 people. The following year Lillehammer IF moved from Sportsplassen i Lillehammer to Stampesletta, with the old venue being retired in 1975. In 1977, Stampesletta hosted the Norwegian Athletics Championships. It was the last time the championships were held on gravel, and this caused problems because excessive rain drowned the venue, and the fire department had to pump off the water. The club started planning fixed surface on the venue in 1980, and was granted a loan for NOK 500,000. On 18 August 1981, the municipal council voted to grant NOK 200,000 for the upgrade. The work was largely done with voluntary work, and the new surface was inaugurated on 28 August 1982 with the Norwegian Relay Athletics Championship.
In 1970, the plans for an indoor arena, primarily for handball, was launched again, but the cost of NOK 6 million was not able to be financed. Following the work with the Lillehammer bid for the 1992 Winter Olympics
Lillehammer bid for the 1992 Winter Olympics
The Lillehammer bid for the 1992 Winter Olympics and Paralympics was an unsuccessful campaign launched in 1984. It bid ended fourth of seven at the 91st IOC Session on 17 September 1986, who awarded the 1992 Winter Olympics to Albertville, France...
, the plans resurfaced, this time with an ice hockey rink to be the centerpiece. In 1985, Lillehammer Municipal Council accepted an agreement with the Norwegian Confederation of Sports (NIF), which offered to finance 50% of a new multi-use arena in Lillehammer. The venue opened in December 1988 and cost NOK 65 million. After Lillehammer was awarded the 1994 Winter Olympics in 1988, it became necessary to build a larger venue to hold the Olympic ice hockey matches. In June 1989, the municipal council voted to locate most of the Lillehammer venues to the Stampesletta area, and to put Håkons Hall adjacent to Kristins Hall. This was controversial among the politicians, and many councilors voted in support of the originally-planned decentralized plan, with the venues spread out through the municipality. Håkons Hall cost NOK 238 million and it opened on 1 February 1993. Prior to the Olympics, the power lines across the fields were dug down to give better television images. The bid for the Olympics had also included using Stampesletta for the speed skating events
Speed skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympic Games Speed Skating results.-500 m:Monday February 14, 1994 — 40 competitors from 16 countries-1,000 m:Friday February 18, 1994 — 43 competitors from 17 countries-1,500 m:...
, but with the demands for an indoor venue, it was instead decided to built Vikingskipet in Hamar
Hamar
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
.
The running track was renovated in 2003, and received a new surface layer and paint job. In 2005, the club house was completed by the women's football club. In 2006, the gravel ice rink received an artificial ice machine to secure stable ice conditions throughout the winter.
Facilities
Grandstand
A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
, three natural grass football fields, a gravel field and warm-up/practice fields with grass. The track and field venue has eight lanes around the full course, as well as a start allowing 110 meter hurdling
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
.
Kristins Hall
Kristins Hall
Kristins Hall is an arena located at Stampesletta in Lillehammer, Norway. It consist of an ice rink, a combined handball and floorball court, and a curling rink. The venue, owned and operated by Lillehammer Municipality, opened in 1988 and cost 65 million Norwegian krone to build...
consists of two halls, one featuring an ice hockey rink and one with a handball court. The arena also has a curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
rink and a running track. The ice hockey rink has place for 3,197 spectators and is the home venue of GET-ligaen
GET-ligaen
GET-ligaen is the premier Norwegian ice hockey league, organised by the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation. The league was known as 1. divisjon until 1990, when it was reorganized and named Eliteserien . That name was held until 2004 when cable TV company UPC became main sponsor...
side Lillehammer IK. Håkons Hall is a multi-sport arena which is used for international handball and ice hockey matches, as well as conferences, conventions and banquets. The venue has a capacity for 11,500, making it the largest handball and ice hockey venue in the country. It can make use of the main hall for two handball or football field, or six volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
or badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
courts. In addition, there is a permanent health club
Health club
A health club is a place which houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise.-Main workout area:...
, a climbing wall
Climbing wall
A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors as well. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used is a thick multiplex board with holes drilled...
, an aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
room, a golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
center with two golf simulators and a putting green, and two badminton courts. The hall also features a 370 metres (1,213.9 ft) long sprinting track and the Norwegian Olympic Museum
Norwegian Olympic Museum
Norwegian Olympic Museum is located in Håkons Hall, Lillehammer, Norway.Norwegian Olympic Museum in Hakon's Hall in Lillehammer, was officially opened by King Harald V and Queen Sonja on November 27, 1997. It is the only museum in northern Europe that presents the entire history of the Olympic...
The Olympics ski jumping hill Lysgårdsbakken and Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena are located a few hundred meters from Stampesletta. Collectively, the area is sometimes referred to as the Olympic Park
Olympic Park
An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics complex in the case of the summer games, or the main...
.
Events
The football fields are used by Lillehammer FK, Lillehammer KFK, and Roterud IL's senior teams. As of 2011, Lillehammer FK's A-team plays in Fair Play ligaen (Second Division). The track and field venue is used by Lillehammer IF. Veidekkelekene is an annual track and field tournament held at Stampesletta. In 2010 it had 1,150 participants and is organized by Lillehammer IF, Gausdal FIK and Moelven IL. The tournament is the second-largest track and field event in Norway, after Tyrvinglekene. Lillehammer IF has hosted the Norwegian Athletics Championships three times, in 1977, 1995 and 2009. They have also hosted a series of other Norwegian championships, such as the Norwegian Junior Athletics Championships in 1958, 1987 and 2002, and the Norwegian Relay Athletics Championships in 1960, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1991 and 1999.From 1932 to 1992, Birkebeinerrittet
Birkebeinerrittet
Birkebeinerrittet is a long-distance mountainbike cycling race held annually in Norway. It is the world's largest mountainbike race in number of contestants. In 2009 17,164 riders signed up, and 15,140 cyclists completed the race...
, a mass ski marathon
Ski marathon
A ski marathon is a long distance cross-country skiing race, usually more than 40 kilometers. Skiers can use either classic or freestyle techniques depending on the rules of the race.Races include:...
between Rena
Rena, Norway
Rena is a small town in eastern Norway. It is the administrative centre of Åmot municipality in the Norwegian county of Hedmark. Rena is a rather rural but picturesque town, and is situated at the meeting point of Glomma and Rena rivers . The latter is one of the best for fishing in Norway.Its...
and Lillehammer, has used Stampesletta as a start or goal area, depending on if the race ran from Lillehammer to Rena or in the opposite direction. Since 1992, the goal area was moved to Birkebeineren Ski Stadium. Birkebeinerrittet
Birkebeinerrittet
Birkebeinerrittet is a long-distance mountainbike cycling race held annually in Norway. It is the world's largest mountainbike race in number of contestants. In 2009 17,164 riders signed up, and 15,140 cyclists completed the race...
, a cycle version of the ski marathon, has its goal area at Stampesletta. The half-marathon terrain race Birkebeinerløpet uses Stampesletta as its start and goal area. During the 1994 Winter Olympics, Stampesletta was used for medal ceremonies for all non-skating events. The backdrops for the podium was built using ice and snow, with the podium itself being made from ice from the glacier Jostedalsbreen
Jostedalsbreen
Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier in continental Europe. It is situated in Sogn og Fjordane county in Western Norway. Jostedalsbreen lies in the municipalities of Luster, Balestrand, Jølster, and Stryn. The highest peak in the area is Lodalskåpa at a height of .Jostedalsbreen has a total area...
. This contrasted with the surrounding pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
elements. Attendance was free, and between 25,000 and 30,000 people attended the medal ceremonies. Lillehammer is the only applicant to host the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics
2016 Winter Youth Olympics
The 2016 Winter Youth Olympics is a major international sports and cultural festival to be celebrated in the tradition of the Youth Olympic Games in the Winter of 2016 during the XXXI Olympiad....
. If selected, the Stampesletta area will be used for the opening, closing and medal ceremonies; existing and new buildings nearby will be used for the Olympic Village.