Venues of the 1968 Winter Olympics
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For the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, a total of ten sports venues were used. Most venues were constructed between the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck and the 1968 Games. Thawing was an issue for the four-man bobsleigh run. They were limited to only two runs. Thawing also affected the men's 500 m speed skating event. Electronic timing in alpine skiing affected the results of the women's giant slalom event. It gave Canada's Nancy Greene a headache for two days despite her gold medal in the event.
| Venue | Sports | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autrans | Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, Ski jumping (normal hill) | 40,000 (ski jump) | [1] |
| Chamrousse | Alpine skiing (men) | Not listed. | [2] |
| La Patinoire Municipale | Ice hockey | 2,700 | [3] |
| L'Anneau de Vitesse | Speed skating | 2,500 | [4] |
| Le Stade de Glace | Closing ceremonies, Figure skating, Ice hockey | 12,000 | [5] |
| Piste de Bobsleigh | Bobsleigh | Not listed. | [6] |
| Piste de Luge | Luge | Not listed. | [7] |
| Recoin de Chamrousse | Alpine skiing (women) | Not listed. | [2] |
| Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte | Ski jumping (large hill) | 50,000 | [8] |
| Olympic Stadium (Grenoble) | Opening ceremonies | 60,000 | [9] |
Before the Olympics
In 1960, a local paper informed the public in Grenoble that it was making a bid for the 1968 Winter Olympics. They were awarded those games on 28 January 1964 in Innsbruck, the day before the start of the 1964 Winter Olympics.[10] La Patinoire Municipale was constructed in 1963 for the Brûleurs de Loups hockey team.[3] It hosted the European Figure Skating Championships the following year.[3]
In 1965, an aggressive construction scheduled was established using Program Evaluation and Review Technique that was used for both venue construction and all of the support systems, including transportation, communications, and public works to ensure all venues were completed in a timely manner.[11] Le Stade de Glace was the last venue completed, having been done so in November 1967.[5]
Alpe d'Huez hosted the Bobsleigh World Championships in 1967 though the four-man event was cancelled due to warm temperatures causing the ice to melt.[6][12] This was fixed by adding more refrigeration to the exposed area of the track to reduce melting.[6]
