Venues of the 1960 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
For the 1960 Winter Olympics
in Squaw Valley, California
, in the United States
, a total of five sports venues were used. Except for the Squaw Valley ski resort, 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. As of 2010, the ski resort used for alpine skiing is the only venue from the 1960 games still in use.
was not included at this Winter Olympics at a 1957 International Olympic Committee
meeting in Sofia
, Bulgaria
because of a lack of assurance from the International Bobsleigh Federation (FIBT) on having a minimum twelve teams. This was why a track was not constructed for the 1960 Games. As a result, an extraordinary event
would take place at the 1956 Winter Olympic venue
used for bobsleigh
.
The ski jump was designed in 1957 with construction beginning the following year. It was completed the following year with trial events taking place in February 1959. The jumps had calculation (K) points of 40 m (131.2 ft), 60 m (196.9 ft), and 80 m (262.5 ft), the first time in Olympic history that there were three ski jumps.
McKinney Creek Stadium was constructed in August 1959 and completed in time for the 1960 Games.
venue used a Zamboni
-type machine that could completely resurface the oval in 45 minutes. This led to four world records being set at the oval.
The cross-country
men's 4 x 10 km relay event at McKinney Stadium produced an exciting finish in which Finland
edged out Norway
by 0.8 seconds, the closest event finish in Olympic history until Norway
lost out again 34 years later
by 0.4 seconds, only this time to Italy
.
The jump was used for the US National Championships in 1976 following renovations. Afterwards, the jump became known for speed skiing and snowboarding
events and now serve as alpine skiing events.
After the Olympics, McKinney Creek Stadium was dismantled since it was a temporary venue. The trails where the cross-country skiing and biathlon events took place are popular off-road trails.
Squaw Valley hosted an Alpine Skiing World Cup in early 1969, the only alpine event of significance held there since 1960. FIS Races that are not of World Cup level have taken place in 1998, 2001, 2005, and 2010. The ski resort continues to be a popular alpine skiing and snowboarding attraction and is the only venue of the 1960 Games still in use as of 2010.
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...
in Squaw Valley, California
Squaw Valley, California
Squaw Valley, California may refer to:*Squaw Valley, Fresno County, California, census-designated place located in Fresno County, California*Squaw Valley, Placer County, California, community in Placer County, California and host of the 1960 Winter Olympics...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a total of five sports venues were used. Except for the Squaw Valley ski resort, 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. As of 2010, the ski resort used for alpine skiing is the only venue from the 1960 games still in use.
Venues
| Venue | Sports | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blyth Arena Blyth Arena Blyth Arena was an ice hockey arena in Squaw Valley, California. It was built in 1959 as the venue of the ice hockey and figure-skating competitions and the opening ceremonies to 1960 Winter Olympics and held 8,500 people . Standing-room crowds of 10,000 people were reported for the hockey games... |
Figure skating Figure skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics The figure skating 1960 Winter Olympics results in Squaw Valley, California, United States.-Men's Singles:-Ladies Singles:-Pairs:-Medal table:-Men:Referee:* Rudolf MarxAssistant Referee:* Harold G. Storke... , Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 1960 Winter Olympics At the 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, California, United States, one ice hockey event was held: men's Ice Hockey. This tournament was also counted as IIHF World Championship and IIHF European Championship. Games were held at Blyth Arena.Canada, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and... |
8,500 | |
| McKinney Creek Stadium McKinney Creek Stadium McKinney Creek Stadium was a temporary venue constructed for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. The venue itself was located near Tahoma in Placer County. It hosted the biathlon, cross country skiing, and the cross-country skiing portion of the nordic combined events.Work started... |
Biathlon Biathlon at the 1960 Winter Olympics -20 km:In 1960 and 1964, there was a 2-minute penalty for each missed target in the Individual Biathlon Event. Since 1968, that penalty has been 1 minute for every missed target.-References:*... , Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics -15 km:-30 km:-50 km:-4 x 10 km:-10 km:-3 x 5 km:-References:*... , Nordic combined Nordic combined at the 1960 Winter Olympics At the 1960 Winter Olympics, the Individual Nordic combined event was contested.-Individual:February 22, 1960This event marked the first time the Daescher technique was used in the ski jumping part of the competition. Thoma competed for the unified German team of East Germany and West Germany that... (cross-country skiing) |
1,000 | |
| Ski jumping hill Papoose Peak Jumps The Papoose Peak Jumps were a ski jumping venue constructed for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. It was the first venue that had three ski jumps on the same hill, with K-point measurements of 40 meters, 60 meters, and 80 meters... |
Nordic combined (ski jumping), Ski jumping Ski jumping at the 1960 Winter Olympics -Men's large hill :February 28, 1960This event marked the first time the Daescher technique was used in the ski jumping portion of the competition.-External references:*... |
Not listed. | |
| Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink The Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink was a temporary venue constructed for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. Located outdoors near the Blyth Arena, it hosted the speed skating and some of the ice hockey events for those games.-Reference:... |
Ice hockey, Speed skating Speed skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics At the 1960 Winter Olympics, eight speed skating events were contested. For the first time women were allowed to participated in the Olympic speed skating events. The competitions were held from Saturday, February 20 to Tuesday, February 23, 1960 and from Wednesday, February 24 to Saturday,... |
Not listed. | |
| Squaw Valley Ski Resort Squaw Valley Ski Resort Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, is one of the largest ski areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. It is the second-largest ski area at Lake Tahoe , with 33 chairlifts, and has the only funitel lift in the U.S... |
Alpine skiing Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held in Squaw Valley, California, U.S.A., from February 20–26, 1960.These were the last Olympics with times recorded in tenths of a second; times in 1964 were recorded in hundredths.... |
9,650 | |
Before the Olympics
BobsleighBobsleigh at the Winter Olympics
Bobsleigh has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the first Winter Games in 1924, with the exception of the 1960 games in Squaw Valley when the organizing committee decided not to build a track in order to reduce expenses. Other than that exception, the four-man competition has been...
was not included at this Winter Olympics at a 1957 International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
meeting in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
because of a lack of assurance from the International Bobsleigh Federation (FIBT) on having a minimum twelve teams. This was why a track was not constructed for the 1960 Games. As a result, an extraordinary event
FIBT World Championships 1960
The FIBT World Championships 1960 took place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy for the fifth time. The Italian city had hosted the event previously in 1937 , 1939 , 1950, and 1954...
would take place at the 1956 Winter Olympic venue
Eugenio Monti track
The Eugenio Monti track is a bobsleigh and skeleton track located in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. It is named after Eugenio Monti , who won six bobsleigh medals at the Winter Olympic Games between 1956 and 1968 and ten medals at the FIBT World Championships between 1957 and 1966...
used for bobsleigh
Bobsleigh at the 1956 Winter Olympics
-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:**...
.
The ski jump was designed in 1957 with construction beginning the following year. It was completed the following year with trial events taking place in February 1959. The jumps had calculation (K) points of 40 m (131.2 ft), 60 m (196.9 ft), and 80 m (262.5 ft), the first time in Olympic history that there were three ski jumps.
McKinney Creek Stadium was constructed in August 1959 and completed in time for the 1960 Games.
During the Olympics
The speed skatingSpeed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
venue used a Zamboni
Ice resurfacer
An ice resurfacer is a truck-like vehicle or smaller device used to clean and smooth the surface of an ice rink. The first ice resurfacer was developed by Frank J. Zamboni in 1949 in the city of Paramount, California...
-type machine that could completely resurface the oval in 45 minutes. This led to four world records being set at the oval.
The cross-country
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
men's 4 x 10 km relay event at McKinney Stadium produced an exciting finish in which Finland
Finland at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Finland competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Biathlon:Men1Two minutes added per missed target.- Cross-country skiing:MenMen's 4 x 10 km relayWomenWomen's 3 x 5 km relay...
edged out Norway
Norway at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Norway competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Biathlon:Men1Two minutes added per missed target.- Cross-country skiing:MenMen's 4 x 10 km relay...
by 0.8 seconds, the closest event finish in Olympic history until Norway
Norway at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Norway was the host nation for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. It was the second time that Norway had hosted the Winter Olympic Games, after the 1952 Games in Oslo. In 1994, Norway finished second in the medal ranking to Russia, with strong results in the skiing events.During the games,...
lost out again 34 years later
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...
by 0.4 seconds, only this time to Italy
Italy at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenMen's combinedWomenWomen's combined- Biathlon:MenMen's 4 x 7.5 km relayWomen1A penalty loop of 150 metres had to be skied per missed target. 2One minute added per missed target....
.
After the Olympics
Blyth Arena continued as an indoor venue until a heavy snowstorm in 1983 collapsed the roof. By 1991, the arena was demolished as replaced by an outdoor arena that was part of a revitalization plan in Squaw Valley. The speed skating venue was also dismantled by 1991.The jump was used for the US National Championships in 1976 following renovations. Afterwards, the jump became known for speed skiing and snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
events and now serve as alpine skiing events.
After the Olympics, McKinney Creek Stadium was dismantled since it was a temporary venue. The trails where the cross-country skiing and biathlon events took place are popular off-road trails.
Squaw Valley hosted an Alpine Skiing World Cup in early 1969, the only alpine event of significance held there since 1960. FIS Races that are not of World Cup level have taken place in 1998, 2001, 2005, and 2010. The ski resort continues to be a popular alpine skiing and snowboarding attraction and is the only venue of the 1960 Games still in use as of 2010.