Venues of the 1988 Winter Olympics
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For the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, a total of nine sports venues were used. Calgary tried twice to host the Winter Olympics in the 1960s without success before finally winning the 1988 Winter Games in 1981. Stampede Corral was built in 1950 while McMahon Stadium was built in 1960. When the National Hockey League (NHL) Calgary Flames franchise was relocated from Atlanta, United States, during the summer of 1980, a new arena was needed. The Saddledome construction was underway in late 1981 when Calgary was awarded the 1988 Games. Completed in 1983, the Olympic (Scotiabank since October 2010) Saddledome has played host to the Flames ever since, including three Stanley Cup Finals (championship in 1989) and the NHL All-Star Game in 1985. An innovation for the games was the first indoor long-track speed skating venue which has served as a model for future Olympics. The bobsleigh and luge track was the first combination track in North America and was noted for the Jamaican bobsleigh team crash during the four-man event. The Oval continues to host the World Championships in their respective sports since the 1988 Winter Olympics while the bobsleigh/luge/skeleton track was demolished in 2019.
| Venue | Sports | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada Olympic Park (includes bobsleigh/luge track) | Bobsleigh, Luge | 25,000 | [1] |
| Freestyle skiing (demonstration) | 15,000 | ||
| Nordic combined, Ski jumping | 35,000 | ||
| Canmore Nordic Centre | Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined (cross-country skiing) | Not listed. | [2] |
| Father David Bauer Olympic Arena | Figure skating, Men's & Women's Compulsories. Ice hockey | 2,000 | [3] |
| Max Bell Arena | Curling (demonstration), Short track speed skating (demonstration) | 3,200 | [4] |
| McMahon Stadium | Ceremonies (opening/closing) | 60,000 | [5] |
| Nakiska | Alpine skiing, Freestyle skiing (demonstration) | Not listed. | [6] |
| Olympic Oval | Speed skating | 4,000 | [7] |
| Olympic Saddledome | Figure skating: Men's Free Skate, Women's Short Program & Free Skate, Pairs Free Skate, Ice Dancing Original Program & Free Skate. Ice hockey (finals) | 16,605 | [8] |
| Stampede Corral | Figure skating: Men's Short Program, Pairs Short Program, Ice Dancing Compulsories. Ice hockey | 6,475 | [9] |
Before the Olympics
Stampede Corral was constructed in 1950, hosting the Calgary Stampeders ice hockey team from 1950 until they went out of business in 1972, then played again in 1978–79 under five different minor hockey leagues.[9][10] Following the 1979–80 National Hockey League (NHL) season, the Flames franchise moved from their original founding at Atlanta in the United States to Calgary.[11] The first place the Flames relocated to in Calgary as a venue was Stampede Corral which they used from the 1980–81 to the 1982–83 NHL seasons.[12][13] After that, the Flames moved to the Olympic Saddledome (Scotiabank Saddledome since October 2010) for the 1983–84 NHL season where they remain as of 2019.[14][15] The Corral hosted the World Figure Skating Championships in 1972 and continues to be of use for the annual Calgary Stampede rodeo events.[16][17]
The Canadian Football League (CFL) Calgary Stampeders moved into McMahon Stadium in 1960.[5][18] In 1975, McMahon Stadium hosted the Grey Cup where the Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Montreal Alouettes 9–8.[19]
Calgary first bid for the Winter Olympics was in 1959 for the 1964 Games, losing to Innsbruck. Their second Winter Olympic bid attempt was for the 1968 Winter Olympics, losing to Grenoble by three votes in 1964. The third time was the charm for Calgary in 1981 when they were awarded the 1988 Winter Olympics over Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.[20]
It was Bill Pratt, the former contractor who took over as Calgary Organizing Committee president in 1983, and who supervised the enormous construction project. Says Donald Jacques, general manager of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede: “Because of him, everything was built on time and on budget.” But Pratt rubbed many colleagues the wrong way. As a former co-worker predicted in 1983: “He will get everything built. There may not be many left around to enjoy it, but he’ll get it done.” [21]
The Saddledome was under construction in 1981 when Calgary was awarded the 1988 Games.[8][22] At its 1983 completion, the first sporting event held was on 15 October against the Edmonton Oilers.[14][22] The 1985 NHL All-Star Game took place at the Saddledome.[23] The Flames lost the 1986 Stanley Cup Final to the Montreal Canadiens in five games of which three were played at the Saddledome while two were played at the Montreal Forum, a 1976 Summer Olympic venue.[24][25]
Canmore's construction ran from 1983 to 1986.[2] Canada Olympic Park was constructed between 1984 and 1986.[1] The Olympic Oval's construction was modeled on the Olympic Oval used for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York in the United States.[7] There would be one exception with this being domed, a first for speed skating provided Olympic organizers received approval from the International Skating Union (ISU).[7] The ISU approved this and construction of the first indoor long-track speed skating venue ran from 1985 to 1987.[7] Father David Bauer Arena was constructed between 1985 and 1987.[3] Naskiska was constructed between 1983 and 1987.[6] Max Bell Arena had its facilities renovated for the 1988 Winter Olympics though no stated timeframe was given in the official Olympic report.[4]
Prior to being selected by the Canadian Olympic Committee as Canada's official bid, CODA sought to put the bobsled track in Spray Valley Provincial Park, however when consulted former Canadian gold medalist Vic Emery noted the spot was too steep. The conversation took place during a September 1979 site investigation by COC while at the mountain, and Frank King CODA's chairman quickly selected a gentler hill next to the original location.[26]
During the Olympics
At the Oval, every speed skating event had an Olympic Record and all but three of those events had World Records set during those games.[27] At the bobsleigh and luge track, East German bobsledder Wolfgang Hoppe complained about the track's condition during the two-man event, stating that it was like "running on sandpaper", especially during the event's second run.[28] The bobsleigh four-man event was highlighted during the third run when the Jamaican bobsleigh team crashed after exiting the Kriesel turn, sliding all the way down the rest of the track.[29] Jamaica did not compete in the fourth run as a result.[30] In women's singles luge, the final two runs were delayed a day to heavy winds.[31]
Weather delays forced the individual Nordic combined event to be held on a single day on the last day of the Winter Olympics.[32] East German biathlete Jürgen Wirth had test fired in windy conditions before the start of the 4 × 7.5 km relay.[33] At the time of the relay, leadoff skier Wirth had not adjusted his rifle sight to the winds having died down.[33] He missed three of his first five shots, dropping the East German team to 12th place with a deficit of almost two minutes after the first exchange.[33] East Germany would win the silver medal in the event, finishing 1:07.4 behind the Soviet Union.[33]
