Venues of the 2006 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
For the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin
, Italy
, a total of fifteen sports venues were used. Venue construction ran from 2002 to 2005. Cesana Pariol had to have turns 17 and 18 modified following the Luge World Cup in January 2005, but they were not cleared out until October 2005. Winds postponed the Nordic combined team event for a day. Many of the venues served as host for the Winter Universidade the following year.
Stadio Olimpico Torino in 1934 was known as Stadio Benito Mussolini
. For the FIFA World Cup
that took place that year
, the stadium hosted two matches, including the quarterfinal match between Czechoslovakia
and Switzerland
.
Turin was selected by the Italian Olympic Committee
to be selected to host the 2006 Winter Olympics in March 1998. It was awarded the 2006 Winter Olympics on 19 June 1999.
Cesana Pariol construction began in 2002 and was completed in 2004. After a Luge World Cup test event in January 2005 that was abandoned to accidents. This led to modifications of Turns 17 and 18 and a retest of the track that was approved by the International Luge Federation (FIL) in October 2005. Oval Lingotto opened on 9 December 2005. Palavela, constructed in 1961, was modified for the 2006 Games to host figure skating and short track speed skating events. San Sicario Fraiteve hosted an Alpine Skiing World Cup
in February 2005, and was modified to make the women's Super-G event more challenging. Torino Esposizinoi was constructed in 1949 and refurbished in time for the 2006 Games to host the preliminary ice hockey matches.
Venues were selected between May 2001 and the summer of 2002. Construction of the venues ran between the summers of 2002 and 2005. The venues were turned over for use of the 2006 Games between the summer of 2005 and February 2006. New construction included Cesana Pariol, Cesana San Sicario, Pragelato, Pragelato Plan, and Sauze d'Ouix-Jouvencaux while the other venues used were refurbished or expanded. Sustainability efforts were applied on all venues, but the most noted in the Olympics report were Cesana Pariol and Pragelato Plan. The most expensive venue construction in the Mountain area was Cesana Pariol at €
85.78 million while the most expensive city venue used for competition in the City area was Oval Lingotto at €74.27 million.
The men's curling bronze medal match at Pinerolo between Great Britain and the United States
was interrupted by a streaker
wearing a rubber chicken
as a loin cloth.
At Cesana Pariol, the women's singles luge event had thirteen crashes or near crashes during the four runs. Among those who crashed were American Samantha Retrosi
who was knocked unconscious at the end of the second run while Italy
's Anastasia Oberstolz-Antonova
crashed out during the first run.
During the men's Super-G alpine skiing event at Sestriere Borgata, seventeen skiers had gone down the course in the morning portion of the event before it was halted to heavy snowfall. The event was restarted in the afternoon with all morning results cancelled. Norway
's Kjetil André Aamodt
won the event.
San Sicario Fraiteve had its women's downhill alpine skiing course modified at the request of Austria
's Michaela Dorfmeister
who complained that the course was too easy. Modifications included bigger jumps and steeper banks and it was after a women's Super-G event that was a test event in 2005.
During the ski jumping portion of the Nordic combined team
event, it was postponed halfway through to strong winds. They resumed the next day with Germany
having a 10-second lead over Austria going into the cross-country portion of the event. At the halfway point of the final leg, Austria's Mario Stecher
overcame a 20-second deficit to defeat Germany's Jens Gaiser
by 15.3 seconds.
. Several of the venues used for the 2006 Games were also used for the Winter Universiade
the following year
. They included Bardonecchia, Pragelato, Cesana San Sicario, Palavela, Pinerolo, and Oval Lingotto. San Sicario Friateve's last World Cup event in alpine skiing was in 2007. Pragelato's last World Cup ski jumping event was in 2008. Bardonecchia's last snowboarding World Cup event was in 2009. Palavela hosted the World Figure Skating Championships
in 2010
. Cesana Pariol hosted the FIL European Luge Championships in 2008
and the FIL World Luge Championships three years later
.
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, a total of fifteen sports venues were used. Venue construction ran from 2002 to 2005. Cesana Pariol had to have turns 17 and 18 modified following the Luge World Cup in January 2005, but they were not cleared out until October 2005. Winds postponed the Nordic combined team event for a day. Many of the venues served as host for the Winter Universidade the following year.
City
| Venue | Sports | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oval Lingotto Oval Lingotto Torino Oval Lingotto is an indoor arena in Turin, Italy. It was built for use at the 2006 Winter Olympics, during which it hosted speed skating events... |
Speed skating Speed skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics Speed skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics, was held over ten days, from 11 February to 21 February. Twelve events were contested at the Oval Lingotto.-Medal table:-Men's events:* Skaters who did not participate in the final, but received medals.... |
8,250 | |
| Palavela Torino Palavela Palavela, formerly known as Palazzo delle Mostre and Palazzo a Vela is an arena in Turin, Italy, on the bank of the River Po. It was designed by engineer Franco Levi and architects Annibale and Giorgio Ricotti. The arena is 130 metres in diameter... |
Figure skating Figure skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics Four figure skating events were held at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, at the Palavela venue.Lithuanian ice dancers Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas became the first figure skaters to compete at five Olympics.... , Short track speed skating Short track speed skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics Short track speed skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics, was held over thirteen days, from 12 February to 25 February. Eight events were contested at Torino Palavela. In the men's competition, Ahn Hyun-Soo earned a medal in each event, winning three golds... |
8,000 | |
| Palasport Olimpico Torino Palasport Olimpico The Palasport Olimpico or Olympic Arena or Palaisozaki is a multipurpose indoor sports/concert arena located at the Santa Rita district in Turin, Italy.... |
Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics -Leading scorers:-Leading goaltenders:Goalkeepers with 40% or more of their team's total minutes.-Awards:Antero Niittymäki was named the most valuable player and received the Directorate Award for best goaltender of the tournament. Directorate Awards also went to Teemu Selänne for best forward, and... (final) |
12,500 | |
| Stadio Olimpico di Torino | Ceremonies (opening 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics was held on February 10, 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy.... /closing 2006 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony The Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics took place on February 26, 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy.-Program:... ) |
35,000 | |
| Torino Esposizioni Torino Esposizioni Torino Esposizioni is an exhibition hall and convention centre in Turin, Italy which was completed in 1949, designed by Pier Luigi Nervi.-2006 Olympics:... |
Ice hockey | 5,400 | |
Mountain
| Venue | Sports | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bardonecchia Bardonecchia Bardonecchia is an Italian town and comune located in the Province of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley.... |
Snowboarding Snowboarding at the 2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympic Games Snowboarding competition consisted of men's and women's Halfpipe, Parallel Giant Slalom and Snowboard Cross events.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:... |
6,763 | |
| Cesana Pariol Cesana Pariol Cesana Pariol was the venue for bobsled, luge and skeleton during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The track, built for the games, is located in Cesana... |
Bobsleigh Bobsleigh at the 2006 Winter Olympics Three bobsleigh events were competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, at the Cesana Pariol venue. The competition took place between February 18 and February 25, 2006.... , Luge Luge at the 2006 Winter Olympics The Luge competition at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games was held at Cesana Pariol in Cesana, Italy. Three events were staged, taking place from February 11 to February 15. These were the first games where a qualifying system was used to determine the enterants into the games.-Medal... , Skeleton Skeleton at the 2006 Winter Olympics The skeleton competition at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games was held at Cesana Pariol in Cesana, Italy on February 16 and February 17 .-Medal table:-Events:... |
4,400 | |
| Cesana San Sicario Cesana San Sicario Cesana San Sicario, located in Cesana, Italy is a location of a venue for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The biathlon facility is built for 6,500 spectators.... |
Biathlon Biathlon at the 2006 Winter Olympics Biathlon at the 2006 Winter Olympics consisted of ten biathlon events. They were held at the Cesana-San Sicario arena. The events began on 11 February and ended on 25 February 2006. Approximately 6,500 spectators were expected by the organizing committee... |
4,700 | |
| Pinerolo Palaghiaccio Pinerolo Palaghiaccio Pinerolo Palaghiaccio is a 2000-seat indoor arena located in Pinerolo, Italy. The venue hosted the curling competitions for the 2006 Winter Olympics in neighboring Turin.-Reference:* Volume 3. pp. 68-9.... |
Curling Curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics Curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics was held in the town of Pinerolo, Italy from February 13 to February 24. It proved to be the sleeper hit in terms of television ratings in Italy. According to a CBC feature, curling at the 2006 Winter Games drew 5 million viewers, eclipsing ice hockey and figure... |
2,000 | |
| Pragelato Stadio del Trampolino Stadio del Trampolino is a ski jumping hill located in Pragelato, Italy. During the 2006 Winter Olympics, it hosted the ski jumping and the ski jumping part of the nordic combined events.- References :* Volume 3. pp. 70-1.*... |
Nordic combined Nordic combined at the 2006 Winter Olympics Nordic combined at the 2006 Winter Olympics, consisted of three events held over ten days, from 11 February to 21 February. The events took place in Pragelato.-Medal table:-Events:... (ski jumping), Ski jumping Ski jumping at the 2006 Winter Olympics Ski jumping at the 2006 Winter Olympics, was held over nine days, from 11 February to 20 February. Three events were contested in Pragelato.-Medal table:-Events:... |
8,055 | |
| Pragelato Plan Pragelato Plan Pragelato Plan is a cross country skiing venue located in Pragelato, Italy. It hosted the cross-country skiing and the cross country skiing portion of the nordic combined events for the 2006 Winter Olympics in neighboring Turin.... |
Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics The cross-country skiing events at the 2006 Winter Olympics featured 12 events, from February 11, 2006 to 26 February 2006 at Pragelato in Turin.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:-Participating nations:... , Nordic combined (cross-country skiing) |
5,400 | |
| San Sicario Fraiteve San Sicario Fraiteve San Sicario Fraiteve is a venue built for the 2006 Winter Olympic. It seated 6,160 spectators, including 5,660 seated and 500 standing, for the women's alpine skiing downhill, super-G, and combined. The course has an overall length of .... |
Alpine skiing Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events, held at Sestriere and Cesana-San Sicario, Italy. The races were held from February 12-25, 2006.-Medal table:- Men's events :- Women's events :-Course Information:... (women's combined (downhill), downhill, super-g) |
6,160 | |
| Sauze d'Oulx-Jouvencaux Sauze d'Oulx-Jouvencaux Sauze d'Oulx-Jouvencaux is a venue located in Sauze d'Oulx, Italy. During the 2006 Winter Olympics, it hosted the freestyle skiing competitions.-Reference:* Volume 3. pp. 81-2.... |
Freestyle skiing Freestyle skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics Four freestyle skiing events were held at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, at the venue in Sauze d'Oulx. There were both men's and women's competition in both aerials and moguls events... |
7,900 | |
| Sestiere Borgata Sestriere Sestriere is an alpine village in Italy, a comune of the Province of Turin. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin.... |
Alpine skiing (men's combined (downhill), downhill, super-g) | 6,800 | |
| Sestiere Colle Sestriere Sestriere is an alpine village in Italy, a comune of the Province of Turin. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin.... |
Alpine skiing (combined (slalom), giant slalom, slalom) | 7,900 | |
Before the Olympics
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
. For the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
that took place that year
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
, the stadium hosted two matches, including the quarterfinal match between Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Turin was selected by the Italian Olympic Committee
Italian Olympic Committee
The Italian National Olympic Committee , founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee , is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in Italy...
to be selected to host the 2006 Winter Olympics in March 1998. It was awarded the 2006 Winter Olympics on 19 June 1999.
Cesana Pariol construction began in 2002 and was completed in 2004. After a Luge World Cup test event in January 2005 that was abandoned to accidents. This led to modifications of Turns 17 and 18 and a retest of the track that was approved by the International Luge Federation (FIL) in October 2005. Oval Lingotto opened on 9 December 2005. Palavela, constructed in 1961, was modified for the 2006 Games to host figure skating and short track speed skating events. San Sicario Fraiteve hosted an Alpine Skiing World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
in February 2005, and was modified to make the women's Super-G event more challenging. Torino Esposizinoi was constructed in 1949 and refurbished in time for the 2006 Games to host the preliminary ice hockey matches.
Venues were selected between May 2001 and the summer of 2002. Construction of the venues ran between the summers of 2002 and 2005. The venues were turned over for use of the 2006 Games between the summer of 2005 and February 2006. New construction included Cesana Pariol, Cesana San Sicario, Pragelato, Pragelato Plan, and Sauze d'Ouix-Jouvencaux while the other venues used were refurbished or expanded. Sustainability efforts were applied on all venues, but the most noted in the Olympics report were Cesana Pariol and Pragelato Plan. The most expensive venue construction in the Mountain area was Cesana Pariol at €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
85.78 million while the most expensive city venue used for competition in the City area was Oval Lingotto at €74.27 million.
During the Olympics
United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics
The United States Olympic Committee sent 211 athletes to the 2006 Winter Olympics. Chris Witty, a four-time Olympian, who competed in both Summer and Winter games, and won a gold medal in speed skating at the 2002 Games, served as the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies...
was interrupted by a streaker
Streaking
Streaking is the act of running nude through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...
wearing a rubber chicken
Rubber chicken
A rubber chicken is a prop used in comedy. The phrase is also used as a description for food served at speeches, conventions, and other large meetings, and as a metaphor for speechmaking.-Comedy:...
as a loin cloth.
At Cesana Pariol, the women's singles luge event had thirteen crashes or near crashes during the four runs. Among those who crashed were American Samantha Retrosi
Samantha Retrosi
Samantha Retrosi is an American luger who competed from 2002 to 2007. She competed in the women's singles event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin....
who was knocked unconscious at the end of the second run while Italy
Italy at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Italy was the host nation for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. It was the second time that Italy had hosted the Winter Games and the third time overall . Italy's flag bearer for the opening ceremony was figure skater Carolina Kostner...
's Anastasia Oberstolz-Antonova
Anastasia Oberstolz-Antonova
Anastasia Oberstolz-Antonova is a Soviet/Russian-born, Italian luger who has competed since the late 1990s and for Italy since 2003...
crashed out during the first run.
During the men's Super-G alpine skiing event at Sestriere Borgata, seventeen skiers had gone down the course in the morning portion of the event before it was halted to heavy snowfall. The event was restarted in the afternoon with all morning results cancelled. Norway
Norway at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Norway sent 74 athletes to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. At the 2002 Winter Olympics Norway won the most gold medals, and before the Turin games, Norwegian sports officials were aiming for more than the 25 medals they won in Salt Lake City — the president of the Norwegian Skiing...
's Kjetil André Aamodt
Kjetil André Aamodt
Kjetil André Aamodt is a Norwegian former alpine ski racer, and is the most decorated in history....
won the event.
San Sicario Fraiteve had its women's downhill alpine skiing course modified at the request of Austria
Austria at the 2006 Winter Olympics
- Medalists :- Alpine skiing :Men'sWomen'sNote: In the men's combined, run 1 is the downhill, and runs 2 and 3 are the slalom. In the women's combined, run 1 and 2 are the slalom, and run 3 the downhill.- Biathlon :...
's Michaela Dorfmeister
Michaela Dorfmeister
Michaela Dorfmeister is a professional alpine skier from Austria. Her specialities are both the Downhill and Super-G disciplines, although she skis in and has had success in Giant Slalom.-Biography:...
who complained that the course was too easy. Modifications included bigger jumps and steeper banks and it was after a women's Super-G event that was a test event in 2005.
During the ski jumping portion of the Nordic combined team
Nordic combined at the 2006 Winter Olympics – Team
The Men's team Nordic combined competition for the 2006 Winter Olympics was held in Pragelato, Italy. It was originally scheduled for 15 February, but high winds meant that only part of the ski jumping competition was completed on that day, with the conclusion, and the cross-country race, taking...
event, it was postponed halfway through to strong winds. They resumed the next day with Germany
Germany at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Germany competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, winning once again the most total medals of any nation. The Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Deutschland nominated a total of 162 athletes to compete, as the 5th largest team, in all 15 of the Winter Olympic...
having a 10-second lead over Austria going into the cross-country portion of the event. At the halfway point of the final leg, Austria's Mario Stecher
Mario Stecher
Mario Stecher is an Austrian Nordic combined skier who has competed since 1994. Competing in five Winter Olympics, he won three medals in the 4 x 5 km team event with two golds and a bronze...
overcame a 20-second deficit to defeat Germany's Jens Gaiser
Jens Gaiser
Jens Gaiser is a German nordic combined skier who has competed since 1998. He won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin in the 4 x 5 km team event...
by 15.3 seconds.
After the Olympics
Oval Lingotto hosted the World Fencing Championships in 20062006 World Fencing Championships
The 2006 World Fencing Championships were held at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy. The event took place from September 29 to October 7, 2006.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:-References:*...
. Several of the venues used for the 2006 Games were also used for the Winter Universiade
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
the following year
2007 Winter Universiade
The 2007 Winter Universiade, the XXIII Winter Universiade, took place in Turin, Italy from January 17 to January 27, 2007.-Opening ceremony:The Opening Ceremony of the XXIII Winter Universiade Torino 2007 was held with a cast of acrobats, circus performers and dancers.The evening began with the...
. They included Bardonecchia, Pragelato, Cesana San Sicario, Palavela, Pinerolo, and Oval Lingotto. San Sicario Friateve's last World Cup event in alpine skiing was in 2007. Pragelato's last World Cup ski jumping event was in 2008. Bardonecchia's last snowboarding World Cup event was in 2009. Palavela hosted the World Figure Skating Championships
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
in 2010
2010 World Figure Skating Championships
The 2010 World Figure Skating Championships were the World Figure Skating Championships for the 2009–2010 season. Commonly called "Worlds", they are an annual figure skating competition in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
. Cesana Pariol hosted the FIL European Luge Championships in 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...
and the FIL World Luge Championships three years later
FIL World Luge Championships 2011
The FIL World Luge Championships 2011 took place 28-30 January 2011 in Cesana, Italy at the Cesana Pariol bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track. A total of 19 countries competed.-Medalists:-Men's singles:...
.