CALGARY – A look at the main venues built for the 1988 Calgary Olympics and how they’re used today:
Olympic Oval
Home of the Canadian long-track speedskating team and heavily used by the public for recreational sports. Complex also includes a human performance laboratory. A new roof was installed last year.
Canada Olympic Park
Canada’s bobsled, luge and skeleton teams and the ski jump team train at COP. It’s the place where many Calgarians learn to ski and snowboard. The third and final phase of the $204-million Winter Sport Institute is scheduled to be completed in April. Hockey Canada, Alpine Canada and the National Sport School relocated to COP.
Olympic Saddledome
Now the Scotiabank Saddledome, it was built in 1983 and was the first Olympic venue completed. Built by the provincial and federal governments for $97.7 million then, it was the site of the Battle of the Brians and Elizabeth Manley’s silver medal in figure skating. The Calgary Flames lease it from the city for the NHL club, the WHL’s Hitmen and National Lacrosse League’s Roughnecks.
Canmore Nordic Centre
The Nordic Centre 100 kilometres west of Calgary held the cross-country and biathlon races as well as the cross-country portion of the nordic combined event. The Alberta government spent $25.6 million on a refurbishment between 2004 and 2008. Canmore is the training base for the Canadian cross-country and biathlon teams and hosts World Cup races. It’s a mountain bike hotspot in the summer.
Nakiska at Mount Allan
Nakiska, 90 minutes west of Calgary in Kananaskis, hosted all alpine ski events in ’88. Canada’s Karen Percy won two bronze medals there. The Alberta government paid for its construction, but it’s now a private ski resort operated by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. Canada’s alpine ski team uses Nakiska for training in November before the World Cup season opens.
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