Venues of the 1972 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
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 was completed by early 1971 in time for the test events. The Tsuskisamu Indoor Skating Rink was not completed until late 1971 or early 1972 to the fact 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 would lead to the only tie in Olympic luge history. The ski jumps at Miyanomori and Okurayama would serve has host venues for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships thirty-five years later.
A reserve luge course was constructed 9 km (5.6 mi) south of Sapporo's Olympic village at the Fujino ski area, but was never used. Constructed between June 1968 and November 1971, the track cost ¥
106 million to build. It was 1000 m (3,280.8 ft) long for men's singles and 924.55 m (3,033.3 ft) long for women's singles and men's doubles, had 14 turns for all three luge disciplines, and had a 10% average gradient for the track. No turn names were given.
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
, Germany
, the International Olympic Committee
(IOC), the decision to award the 1940 Winter Olympics
was suspended. This was because of an issue with amateurism between the IOC and the International Ski Federation
. Three years earlier at an IOC meeting in Oslo
, Japan has expressed an interest in hosting the Winter Olympics with Sapporo and Nikkō though four other sites were also considered. Because Tokyo
had been awarded host of the 1940 Summer Olympics
, the IOC gave Japan to organize the 1940 Winter Games. This was confirmed by the IOC at the 1937 meeting in Cairo
on the condition that the 1940 Games would be given to Norway
if Japan could not organize the preparations by the fall of 1938. One of the venues of the 1940 Winter Games that would be included in the 1972 Winter Olympics was the Mount Okura ski jump. In July 1937, Japan's second invasion of China
began and despite being awarded the 1940 Winter Olympics, Sapporo was forced to withdraw from hosting the 1940 Winter Olympics as Tokyo was with the 1940 Summer Olympics.
Okurayama was constructed using private funds in 1931.
At the 1959 IOC Meeting in Munich
, Tokyo was selected to host the 1964 Summer Olympics
. This inspired Sapporo to try to host the 1968 Winter Olympics
. Sapporo submitted its bid in 1963 to the IOC. On 29 January 1964 at the IOC Meeting in Innsbruck
, Sapporo finished a distance fourth to winner Grenoble
for the 1968 Winter Games. Following observations of the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, an aggressive public relations campaign began with Sapporo and the IOC to bring the 1972 Winter Games to Sapporo. This campaign proved fruitful when Sapporo was awarded the 1972 Winter Games at the April 1966 IOC meeting in Rome.
Venue construction began in 1968 and all but the Tsukisamu Indoor rink was completed in time for the test events at Sapporo in February 1971. Tsukisamu was not completed until late 1971 or early 1972 to not knowing how many teams would compete at the 1972 Olympic ice hockey tournament.
of the Netherlands
won the event despite a snowstorm. It was the first of Schenk's three gold medals at the games.
The only noted venue issue was at the Mt. Teine Luge Course was in the men's doubles event when a malfunctioning starting gate cancelled the results of the first run. Italy
, whose doubles team of Paul Hildgartner
and Walter Plaikner
won the first run, protested to event officials the results should stand since all contestants had suffered equally, but to no avail. After the protest was denied, a rerun was ordered. Hildgartner and Plaikner won the first run of the rerunned event while the East German
team of Horst Hörnlein
and Reinhard Bredow
had the fastest second run. The combined times were equal for the only time in Winter Olympic luge history. The International Luge Federation consulted with IOC President Avery Brundage
on this matter, and gold medals were awarded to both teams as a result. By the time of the 1976 Winter Olympics
, artificial track luge would be timed in thousandths of a second (0.001) rather than hundredths of a second (0.01) in an effort to avoid ties. That would prove effective until the FIL European Luge Championships 2008
at Cesana, when another tie occurred. This tie was again in the men's doubles event and it again involved Italy and Germany (East and West Germany
reunified
in 1990) only this time it was for a bronze medal rather than gold.
in June 1991, the tracks were dismantled.
Okurayama and Miyanomori would serve as the ski jumping venues for the ski jumping
and the ski jumping portion of the Nordic combined
events when Sapporo hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
in 2007. It has been on the Ski Jumping World Cup circuit on an almost annual basis since 1980.
Mount Teine remains a popular alpine skiing site that has been in use since the 1972 Games.
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
in Sapporo, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, 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 was completed by early 1971 in time for the test events. The Tsuskisamu Indoor Skating Rink was not completed until late 1971 or early 1972 to the fact 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 would lead to the only tie in Olympic luge history. The ski jumps at Miyanomori and Okurayama would serve has host venues for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships thirty-five years later.
City
| Venue | Sports | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Makomanai Biathlon site Minami-ku, Sapporo is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Minami-ku is directly translated as "south ward". Having the area of 657.23 km² in total, Minami-ku occupies 60 percent of the area of Sapporo.- Overview :... |
Biathlon Biathlon at the 1972 Winter Olympics -20 km:-4 x 7.5 km relay:-References:*... |
Not listed. | |
| Makomanai Cross-country site Minami-ku, Sapporo is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Minami-ku is directly translated as "south ward". Having the area of 657.23 km² in total, Minami-ku occupies 60 percent of the area of Sapporo.- Overview :... |
Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics -15 km:February 7, 1972-30 km:February 4, 1972Vedenin was the first Soviet male athlete to win an Olympic cross-country skiing gold medal.-50 km:February 10, 1972-4 x 10 km relay:February 13, 1972-5 km:February 9, 1972-10 km:February 6, 1972... , Nordic combined Nordic combined at the 1972 Winter Olympics -Men's event:-References:*... (cross-country skiing) |
Not listed. | |
| Makomanai Ice Arena | Figure skating Figure skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics Figure skating was contested at the 1972 Winter Olympic Games . The competition took place at the Makomanai Indoor Skating Rink.Results of both the men's and ladies' singles events were dominated by placements in the compulsory figures, which at this time were nominally worth 50% of the total... , Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 1972 Winter Olympics At the 1972 Winter Olympics held in Sapporo, Japan, one ice hockey event was held: men's ice hockey. Games were held at the Makomanai Ice Arena and at the Tsukisamu Indoor Skating Rink.-Team USA:... , Closing ceremonies |
2,700 | |
| Makomanai Speed Skating Rink Makomanai Open Stadium The Makomanai Open Stadium is a football stadium in Sapporo, Japan. During the 1972 Winter Olympics, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and the speed skating events. The stadium holds 30,000 people.-External links:*... |
Opening ceremonies, Speed skating Speed skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics Speed skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics was a series of skating events whose results are below. They happened at the Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan.-500 m:February 5, 1972 — 38 competitors from 16 countries-1,500 m:... |
50,000 | |
| Mikaho Indoor Skating Rink Nishi-ku, Sapporo Nishi is a ward of Sapporo composed of residential neighborhoods mostly arranged in grid patterns, with some areas of farmland and forested mountainous terrain mostly near its western and southern edges. It is located the west part of Sapporo city and the second largest of Sapporo's 10 wards... |
Figure skating | 12,000 | |
| Tsukisamu Indoor Skating Rink Tsukisamu Green Dome Tsukisamu Green Dome is an indoor sporting arena located in Sapporo, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 5,000. It hosted some of the ice hockey event at the 1972 Winter Olympics.-External links:*... |
Ice hockey | 6,000 | |
A reserve luge course was constructed 9 km (5.6 mi) south of Sapporo's Olympic village at the Fujino ski area, but was never used. Constructed between June 1968 and November 1971, the track cost ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
106 million to build. It was 1000 m (3,280.8 ft) long for men's singles and 924.55 m (3,033.3 ft) long for women's singles and men's doubles, had 14 turns for all three luge disciplines, and had a 10% average gradient for the track. No turn names were given.
Mountain
| Venue | Sports | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miyanomori Jumping Hill Chūō-ku, Sapporo is one of the ten wards in Sapporo city, Japan. Chūō-ku means "central ward" in Japanese. As its name suggests, city administration and entertainment facilities are centred in this ward.- History :... |
Nordic combined (ski jumping), Ski jumping Ski jumping at the 1972 Winter Olympics -Large hill:February 11, 1972In the competition on the Okurayama jumping hill, conditions were "variable and unfair" according to a Norwegian account of the 1972 Games published in 2006, and the result is described as "the greatest surprise of all time on the jumping hill"... (normal hill) |
Not listed. | |
| Mount Eniwa Downhill Course Mount Eniwa is an active volcano located in Shikotsu-Toya National Park in Hokkaidō, Japan. It sits opposite Mount Tarumae and Mount Fuppushi on the shores of Lake Shikotsu, the caldera lake that spawned the volcanoes. Mount Eniwa is the tallest of the three volcanoes.... |
Alpine skiing Alpine skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held near Sapporo, Japan, from February 5–13, 1972. The downhills were held at Mount Eniwa, and the four technical events at Teine.-Downhill:February 7, 1972... (downhill) |
Not listed. | |
| Mt. Teine Alpine Skiing courses Teine-ku, Sapporo is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. The ward is located in northwest of Sapporo, which is neighboured to three other wards in Sapporo and two cities... |
Alpine skiing (slalom, giant slalom) | Not listed. | |
| Mt. Teine Bobsleigh Course Teine-ku, Sapporo is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. The ward is located in northwest of Sapporo, which is neighboured to three other wards in Sapporo and two cities... |
Bobsleigh Bobsleigh at the 1972 Winter Olympics -Two-man:-Four-man:-Medal table:-References:**... |
Not listed. | |
| Mt. Teine Luge Course Teine-ku, Sapporo is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. The ward is located in northwest of Sapporo, which is neighboured to three other wards in Sapporo and two cities... |
Luge Luge at the 1972 Winter Olympics -Men's singles:-Doubles:A malfunctioning starting gate cancelled the results of the first run. Italy, whose doubles team of Paul Hildgartner and Walter Plaikner won the first run, protested to event officials the results should stand since all contestants had suffered equally, but to no avail.... |
Not listed. | |
| Okurayama Jumping Hill | Ski jumping (large hill) | 50,000 | |
Before the Olympics
At the 1936 Winter Olympics1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the 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...
(IOC), the decision to award the 1940 Winter Olympics
1940 Winter Olympics
The anticipated 1940 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were to be celebrated in 1940 in Sapporo, Japan.The games were cancelled due to the onset of World War II...
was suspended. This was because of an issue with amateurism between the IOC and the International Ski Federation
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
. Three years earlier at an IOC meeting in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Japan has expressed an interest in hosting the Winter Olympics with Sapporo and Nikkō though four other sites were also considered. Because Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
had been awarded host of the 1940 Summer Olympics
1940 Summer Olympics
The anticipated 1940 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XII Olympiad and originally scheduled to be held from September 21 to October 6, 1940, in Tokyo, Japan, were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II...
, the IOC gave Japan to organize the 1940 Winter Games. This was confirmed by the IOC at the 1937 meeting in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
on the condition that the 1940 Games would be given to 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...
if Japan could not organize the preparations by the fall of 1938. One of the venues of the 1940 Winter Games that would be included in the 1972 Winter Olympics was the Mount Okura ski jump. In July 1937, Japan's second invasion of China
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
began and despite being awarded the 1940 Winter Olympics, Sapporo was forced to withdraw from hosting the 1940 Winter Olympics as Tokyo was with the 1940 Summer Olympics.
Okurayama was constructed using private funds in 1931.
At the 1959 IOC Meeting in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Tokyo was selected to host the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
. This inspired Sapporo to try to host the 1968 Winter Olympics
1968 Winter Olympics
The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on 6 February. Thirty-seven countries participated...
. Sapporo submitted its bid in 1963 to the IOC. On 29 January 1964 at the IOC Meeting in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Sapporo finished a distance fourth to winner Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
for the 1968 Winter Games. Following observations of the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, an aggressive public relations campaign began with Sapporo and the IOC to bring the 1972 Winter Games to Sapporo. This campaign proved fruitful when Sapporo was awarded the 1972 Winter Games at the April 1966 IOC meeting in Rome.
Venue construction began in 1968 and all but the Tsukisamu Indoor rink was completed in time for the test events at Sapporo in February 1971. Tsukisamu was not completed until late 1971 or early 1972 to not knowing how many teams would compete at the 1972 Olympic ice hockey tournament.
During the Olympics
During the men's 5000 m speed skating event, Ard SchenkArd Schenk
Adrianus "Ard" Schenk is a former speed skater from the Netherlands, who is considered to be one of the best in history. His first Olympic success came in 1968, when he won a silver medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics. Between 1970 and 1972 Winter Olympics, Schenk won three consecutive World...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands at the 1972 Winter Olympics
Athletes from the Netherlands competed at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.-Medalists:- Figure skating:- Speed skating:MenWomen-References:***...
won the event despite a snowstorm. It was the first of Schenk's three gold medals at the games.
The only noted venue issue was at the Mt. Teine Luge Course was in the men's doubles event when a malfunctioning starting gate cancelled the results of the first run. Italy
Italy at the 1972 Winter Olympics
-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenMen's slalom- Biathlon:Men1One minute added per close miss , two minutes added per complete miss.Men's 4 x 7.5 km relay2A penalty loop of 200 metres had to be skied per missed target....
, whose doubles team of Paul Hildgartner
Paul Hildgartner
Paul Hildgartner is an Italian of German descent former luger who competed from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. Competing in five Winter Olympics, he earned two gold medals and one silver medal for his efforts...
and Walter Plaikner
Walter Plaikner
Walter Plaikner is an Italian national of Austrian descent former luger who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
won the first run, protested to event officials the results should stand since all contestants had suffered equally, but to no avail. After the protest was denied, a rerun was ordered. Hildgartner and Plaikner won the first run of the rerunned event while the East German
East Germany at the 1972 Winter Olympics
East Germany competed at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.-Medalists:- Biathlon:Men1One minute added per close miss , two minutes added per complete miss....
team of Horst Hörnlein
Horst Hörnlein
Horst Hörnlein was an East German luger who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
and Reinhard Bredow
Reinhard Bredow
Reinhard Bredow is an East German former luger who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
had the fastest second run. The combined times were equal for the only time in Winter Olympic luge history. The International Luge Federation consulted with IOC President Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage was an American amateur athlete, sports official, art collector, and philanthropist. Brundage competed in the 1912 Olympics and was the US national all-around athlete in 1914, 1916 and 1918...
on this matter, and gold medals were awarded to both teams as a result. By the time of the 1976 Winter Olympics
1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4–15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
, artificial track luge would be timed in thousandths of a second (0.001) rather than hundredths of a second (0.01) in an effort to avoid ties. That would prove effective until the FIL European Luge Championships 2008
FIL European Luge Championships 2008
The FIL European Luge Championships 2008 took place January 7-13, 2008 at the Cesana Pariol track in Cesana, Italy. The relay competition took the place of the team event that had been held at every European championship since 1988...
at Cesana, when another tie occurred. This tie was again in the men's doubles event and it again involved Italy and Germany (East and West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
reunified
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990) only this time it was for a bronze medal rather than gold.
After the Olympics
The biathlon and cross-country skiing venues at Makomanai were temporary venues and torn down after the Olympics. The bobsleigh and luge tracks were used for recreational purposes, but no other competitions after the Olympics were held there. When Nagano was awarded the 1998 Winter Olympics1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in June 1991, the tracks were dismantled.
Okurayama and Miyanomori would serve as the ski jumping venues for the ski jumping
Ski jumping at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007
The Ski jumping at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 was part of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 that took place in Sapporo, Japan on February 24, February 25, and March 3, 2007.-Individual normal hill:...
and the ski jumping portion of the Nordic combined
Nordic combined at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007
The Nordic combined at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 took place at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 in Sapporo, Japan on February 23, February 25, and March 3, 2007....
events when Sapporo hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...
in 2007. It has been on the Ski Jumping World Cup circuit on an almost annual basis since 1980.
Mount Teine remains a popular alpine skiing site that has been in use since the 1972 Games.