Venues of the 1988 Winter Olympics

For the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, 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) Flames franchise was relocated from Atlanta, Georgia in the 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. Both the Oval and the bobsleigh/luge (now bobsleigh/luge/skeleton) track continue to host the World Championships in their respective sports since the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Scotiabank (then Pengrowth) Saddledome in July 2005. This venue, which hosted the figure skating and ice hockey finals for the 1988 Winter Olympics, was under construction in 1981 when Calgary was awarded the 1988 Games.

Venues
Venue Sports Capacity Ref.
Canada Olympic Park (includes bobsleigh/luge track)Bobsleigh, Freestyle skiing (demonstration), Luge, Nordic combined (ski jumping), Ski jumping25,000 (bobsleigh/luge)
35,000 (ski jumping)
15,000 (freestyle)		 [1]
Canmore Nordic CentreBiathlon, Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined (cross-country skiing)Not listed. [2]
Father David Bauer Olympic ArenaFigure skating, Men's & Women's Compulsories. Ice hockey2,000 [3]
Max Bell ArenaCurling (demonstration), Short track speed skating (demonstration)3,200 [4]
McMahon StadiumCeremonies (opening/closing)60,000 [5]
NakiskaAlpine skiing, Freestyle skiing (demonstration)Not listed. [6]
Olympic OvalSpeed skating4,000 [7]
Olympic SaddledomeFigure skating: Men's Free Skate, Women's Short Program & Free Skate, Pairs Free Skate, Ice Dancing Original Program & Free Skate.
Ice hockey (final)		16,605 [8]
Stampede CorralFigure skating: Men's Short Program, Pairs Short Program, Ice Dancing Compulsories.
Ice hockey		6,475 [9]

Before the Olympics
Olympic Oval in 2006. The venue hosted the speed skating events for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It was one of the first indoor speed skating venues in the world.

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 Finals 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]

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.[26] 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.[27] 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.[28] Jamaica did not compete in the fourth run as a result.[29] In women's singles luge, the final two runs were delayed a day to heavy winds.[30]

Weather delays forced the individual Nordic combined event to be held on a single day on the last day of the Winter Olympics.[31] East German biathlete Jürgen Wirth had test fired in windy conditions before the start of the 4 × 7.5 km relay.[32] At the time of the relay, leadoff skier Wirth had not adjusted his rifle sight to the winds having died down.[32] 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.[32] East Germany would win the silver medal in the event, finishing 1:07.4 behind the Soviet Union.[32]

After the Olympics

The Saddledome continue to play host the Flames, and witnessed two more Stanley Cup Finals with a win over Montreal in 1989 and a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning fifteen years later.[33][34] In 1995, the Saddledome underwent renovations in time to reopen for the 1995–96 NHL season.[22] Reba McEntire gave the first concert held at the Saddledome later that year following the renovations.[22]

The Oval has played host for the World Speed Skating Championships on eleven occasions since the Games. This included the Allround in 1990 (women), 1992 (men), 2006, 2011, and 2015; the Sprint in 1994, 1999, 2003, 2012, and 2017; and the Single Distance in 1998.[35][36][37]

The bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track (Skeleton was added in the early 1990s) have hosted the FIBT World Championships in 1992 (skeleton), 1996 (skeleton), 2001 (women's bobsleigh, men's and women's skeleton), and 2005.[38][39][40][41] It hosted the FIL World Luge Championships in 1990, 1993, and 2001.[42]

Ski jumping has taken place at Canada Olympic Park though the last recorded competition was in 2003.[43] Freestyle skiing took place in 1989 and 1990, but was restarted in 2009 and 2010.[44] Nordic combined's last event in the Calgary area took place in 2002 and it was a mass start event.[45] Canmore Nordic Centre has hosted cross-country skiing events since 1995, including the last cross-country events before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver the weekend before those Games began.[46][47] The last biathlon events that took place at Canmore was in February 2016.

McMahon Stadium hosted the Grey Cup in 1993, 2000, and 2009.[48][49][50]

References
  1. 1988 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Part 1. pp. 110–27. Accessed 29 November 2010. (in English and French)
  2. 1988 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Part 1. pp. 100–9. Accessed 29 November 2010. (in English and French)
  3. 1988 Winter Olympics. Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Part 1. pp. 186–9. Accessed 29 November 2010. (in English and French)
  4. 1988 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Part 1. pp. 165–6. Accessed 29 November 2010. (in English and French)
  5. 1988 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Part 1. pp. 166–73. Accessed 29 November 2010. (in English and French)
  6. 1988 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Part 1. pp. 128–43. Accessed 29 November 2010. (in English and French)
  7. 1988 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Part 1. pp. 144–51. Accessed 29 November 2010. (in English and French)
  8. 1988 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Part 1. pp. 152–7. Accessed 29 November 2010. (in English and French)
  9. 1988 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Part 1. pp. 160–3. Accessed 29 November 2010. (in English and French)
  10. Hockeydb.com profile of the Calgary Stampeders: 1951–72, 1978–79. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  11. Hockey-reference.com NHL 1979–80 Atlanta Flames season results. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  12. Hockey-reference.com NHL 1980–81 Calgary Flames season results. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  13. Hockey-reference.com 1982–83 Calgary Flames season results. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  14. Hockey-reference.com NHL 1983–84 Calgary Flames season results. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  15. Hockey-reference.com NHL 2010–11 Calgary Flames season results. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  16. ISU.org Men's World Figure Skating Championships: 1896–2009. Archived 2013-12-05 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 November 2010.
  17. Calgarystampede.com venue listings, including the Stampede Corral. Archived 2010-07-11 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 November 2010.
  18. Stampeders.com history of the Calgary Stampeders. Archived 2011-04-29 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 November 2010.
  19. CFL.ca Grey Cup Calgary McMahon Stadium 23 November 1975 EDM-MON results. Archived 13 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 29 November 2010.
  20. Aldaver.com history of the IOC bid votes: 1896–2016. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  21. Ann Walmsley, THE MEN WHO MADE IT WORK: The road to the Olympics turned into a collision course for several strong personalities. Maclean, 2 Feb 1988
  22. www.scotiabanksaddledome.com history of the Scotiabank Saddledome. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  23. Hockey-reference.com NHL List of All-Star Games. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  24. Hockey-reference.com NHL Playoffs 1986 results. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  25. 1976 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 2. pp. 138–43. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  26. Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 102, 105, 110, 113, 118, 122, 126, 128, 131–3.
  27. Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Bobsleigh: Two-Man". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 158–59.
  28. YouTube.com video of the Jamaican four-man bobsleigh team's crash during the third run of the 1988 Winter Olympics. Accessed 29 November 2010.
  29. 1988 Winter Olympics official report. Part 2. pp. 564–6. Accessed 29 November 2010. (in English and French)
  30. Wallechinsky, David & Jaime Loucky (2009). "Luge (Toboggan): Women". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 171–2.
  31. Wallechinsky, David & Jaime Loucky (2009). "Nordic Combined: Individual". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 274.
  32. Wallechinsky, David & Jaime Loucky (2009). "Biathlon, Men: 4 x 7.5-Kilometer Relay". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 290.
  33. Hockey-reference.com NHL 1989 playoff results. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  34. Hockey-reference.com NHL 2004 playoff results. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  35. ISU.org World Allround Speed Skating Championships: 1893–2009 (men), 1933–2009 (women). Archived 2009-02-25 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 30 November 2010.
  36. ISU.org World Sprint Speed Skating Championships. Archived 2011-06-21 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 30 November 2010.
  37. ISU.org World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships. Archived 2012-02-25 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 30 November 2010.
  38. FIBT.com Men's skeleton Olympic and World Championship results: 1928–2007. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  39. FIBT.com Women's bobsleigh Olympic and World Championship results: 2000-7. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  40. FIBT.com Women's skeleton Olympic and World Championship results:2000-7. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  41. FIBT.com Men's bobsleigh Olympic and World Championship results: 1924–2007. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  42. FIL-Luge.org World Championship Artificial Track results: 1955–2009. Accessed 30 November 2010. (in English and German)
  43. FIS Ski Jumping Continental Cup Calgary 20 July 2003 men's individual normal hill results. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  44. FIS-Ski.com Calgary Freestyle skiing medal results since 1981. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  45. FIS-Ski.com Nordic combined World Cup B Calgary 3 March 2002 15 km mass start results. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  46. FIS-Ski.com Cross-country World Cup Canmore 2–3 December 1995 results. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  47. FIS-Ski.com Cross-country World Cup Canmore 5–6 February 2010 results. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  48. CFL.ca Grey Cup Calgary McMahon Stadium 28 November 1993 EDM-WIN results. Accessed 30 November 2010.
  49. CFL.ca Grey Cup Calgary McMahon Stadium 26 November 2000 BC-MON results. Archived 3 August 2012 at Archive.today Accessed 30 November 2010.
  50. CFL.ca Grey Cup Calgary McMahon Stadium 29 November 2009 MON-SK results. Accessed 30 November 2010.
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