1952 Winter Olympics - Venues

Venues

With a seating capacity of 29,000, the Bislett Stadion became the centrepiece of the Games. It was the venue for the speed skating events and the figure skating competition. Bislett was large enough for a 400 m (1,300 ft) speed skating track, and a figure skating ice-rink of 30 by 60 m (98 by 200 ft); a snow bank separated the track and the rink. Because Bislett was an outdoor arena, the organizing committee chose Tryvann Stadion and Hamar Stadion as secondary alternative skating venues to be used the case of bad weather. In 1994 Hamar became the venue for the speed skating events at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

The Oslo Winter Games were the first to feature an Olympic ice hockey tournament held on artificial ice. A new stadium was built for the hockey tournament in a residential area of eastern Oslo, called Jordal Amfi, which accommodated 10,000 spectators in stands rising steeply from the rink. Twenty-three of the 36 hockey matches were played at Jordal Amfi, with the remaining matches played at Kadettangen, Dælenenga idrettspark, Lillestrøm Stadion and Marienlyst Stadion.

The cross-country races and ski-jump competition were held at Holmenkollbakken, located roughly 8 km (5 mi) from the center of Oslo. The expected number of spectators caused concerns about traffic, so a new road was constructed and the existing thoroughfare widened. Holmenkollbakken was built in 1892 and improvements were needed to meet international standards. The original wood ski-jump was replaced with a concrete tower and jump that was 87 m (285 ft) long. New stands were built to seat 13,000 people, and an area was added at the base of the hill to accommodate 130,000 spectators.

The hills and terrain in the surrounding area met the competitive demands for an elite cross-country ski event. A notice board was posted at the start and finish lines to help spectators monitor the progress of the competitors. The cross-country and nordic combined races began and ended at the base of the ski jump hill. The stands for the ski jump competition had to be removed during the cross-country races; spectators had only a small area from which to watch the races but were allowed on the course to cheer on the competitors.

The alpine skiing events were split between Norefjell and Rødkleiva. The slalom courses were at Rødkleiva, located on the same mountain as Holmenkollen and Frognerseteren. The course had an elevation difference, from start to finish, of 200 m (660 ft) and was 480 m (1,570 ft) in length. A rope tow had to be built to bring the skiers from the bottom to the top of the hill. The downhill race and the giant slalom—which made its Olympic deput in 1952—were held at Norefjell, which was 113 km (70 mi) from Oslo and the only venue located away from the capital city. Work had to be done to make the area suitable for Olympic competition. A bridge across Lake Krøderen was built to help alleviate transportation congestion. A new hotel, two ski lifts, and a new road were also constructed.

There was no permanent bobsleigh run in Norway. Instead the organizers built a temporary course out of snow and ice. Korketrekkeren was selected as the site for the bobsleigh events, where a 1,508 m (4,948 ft) long, thirteen-turn course was designed and built. The bobsleigh run was first constructed and tested in 1951, then rebuilt for the Games in 1952.