The 2002 Winter Olympics were expected to feature curling at Cottonwood Heights, women's hockey in Ogden, biathlon at Mountain Dell and men's ice hockey and short-track speed-skating at a proposed Salt Lake ice arena suggested for somewhere near the University of Utah. And to top it off, a nightly medals ceremony at the Gallivan Center.
That was nearly five years ago, when Salt Lake City was awarded the 2002 Winter Games. And the fact that many venues were either existing, under construction or in the planning stages was a major selling point for the Utah bid.
My, how times have changed.
The Ogden Ice Sheet is still in for 2002 — but for men's and women's curling. Utah County, which originally was shut out of a venue site, will host most of the women's ice hockey games and some of the men's preliminary pool games at Provo's Peaks Ice Arena. Soldier Hollow near Midway is subbing for Mountain Dell for the nordic skiing and biathlon events, after the latter was eliminated because of environmental concerns.
The proposed Salt Lake arena for hockey ended up being built across the valley and not in conjunction with the university but jointly by West Valley City and the owners of the IHL Utah Grizzlies hockey team, which moved to Utah from Denver.
And the Gallivan Center is giving way to a new Marriott hotel complex, with medal ceremonies moving over to a block owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and currently used as a parking lot.
However, Salt Lake's shuffling of 2002 venue sites notwithstanding, most of the venues tabbed for Olympic competition are up, running and hosting national and international competition. Only two of the competition venues — the Kearns oval, the speed-skating site, and the ski jump hills at the Utah Winter Sports Park — are still under construction and unable to host substantial events.
That doesn't mean the rest of the venues are complete and merely awaiting the thousands of athletes and hundreds of thousands of spectators who will converge along the Wasatch Front Feb. 8-24, 2002.
For example, Soldier Hollow hosted last month's U.S. Cross Country Championships and the recent U.S. Biathlon Championships — with temporary trailers in use while construction workers continued building the permanent facilities. And final site preparations at all the venues will include sub-press centers and hosting centers and other amenities.
Following is a list of the competition and auxiliary venue sites for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics, as compiled by the Deseret News staff. Most venues are still lacking the sub-press centers, hosting centers, bleachers and other temporary amenities necessary to host Olympic-size crowds:
COMPETITION VENUES
Salt Lake Skating Arena
You know it as: Delta Center.
Location: 301 W. South Temple.
Current Status: Completed.
Sports/events during the 2002 Olympics: Figure skating, short-track speed-skating.
Capacity: 14,000 to 16,000 for figure skating; 20,000 plus for basketball.
Construction dates: Completed.
Estimated cost of the venue: $66 million.
Previous international competition: 1999 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Post-Olympic use: Professional basketball arena (home of the NBA's Utah Jazz); also host to numerous concerts, ice shows and other events.
Notes: The 1999 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships alerted SLOC to several challenges that arise when a basketball arena is converted to accommodate competitive figure skating. Fans complained they could not see the athletes when they skated near the boards (which is where many perform their jumps). Athletes were uncomfortable because they could not see the fans, who, because of the awkward conversion to the longer, wider international-standard ice rink size, were seated several rows back and elevated up from the ice. Video boards were brought in to help spectators see action taking place in the corners, but many skaters asked that they be turned off during performances.
Heather Linhart, SLOC figure skating sports manager, said the organization is working to address those and other issues in preparation for its official test event leading up to the Games, likely the 2001 Four Continents Championship.
West Valley Hockey Arena
You know it as: E Center.
Location: 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive, nine miles from the Main Media Center in downtown Salt Lake City.
Current status: Completed September 1997, in use.
Still to be completed: Minor site preparations.
Sports/events during 2002 Olympics: Men's and women's ice hockey, including all men's medal-round games and the women's gold-medal game.
Capacity: 10,000.
Construction dates/opening dates: Construction began March 1996, opened September 1997.
Estimated cost of venue: $54.1 million.
Previous international competition: Exhibition women's hockey game, USA vs. Canada, October 1997
Post-Olympic use: Ice hockey (home of the IHL's Utah Grizzlies), multipurpose sports facility, concerts
Notes: Will host Four Nations Tournament, featuring the best players under the age of 18 from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland, Nov. 6-7, 9-10, 2000. The event will serve as a test run for Olympic organizers.
Seven Peaks Hockey Arena
You know it as: Seven Peaks Ice Arena or Peaks Ice Arena.
Location: 100 N. Seven Peaks Blvd., Provo, 54 miles from the Main Media Center.
Current status: Opened in September 1999.
Still to be completed: Bleachers for 6,000 spectators must be added to bring the arena's temporary capacity to 8,000 for the Winter Games.
Sports/events during 2002 Olympics: Men's and women's ice hockey, primarily women's games, including the bronze-medal game.
Capacity: 8,000.
Construction dates/opening date: Construction began Sept. 17, 1997, opened Sept. 30, 1999.
Estimated cost of venue: $12.4 million.
Previous international competition: Oct. 1, 1999, exhibition game between the University of Duluth and University of Calgary women's teams.
Post-Olympic use: Multipurpose skating and sports facility
Notes: The exact schedule and mix of games to be played in the arena during the 2002 Games remains undetermined. Some men's hockey games will be played there, probably during the opening round. . . . The arena will be put to the test during the Four Nations Tournament, Nov. 7-8, 10-11, when the top women's teams from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland will compete. . . . The temporary seats will not be installed until just before the Games, and Olympic organizers hope to stage an exhibition match between the Canadian and U.S. women's teams in January 2002.
Park City Mountain Resort
Location: Park City; 28 miles from downtown Salt Lake City
Current status: Eagle Race Arena — existing giant slalom course; halfpipe to be dug, possibly this season
Still to be completed: Starthouses, halfpipe, reconfigure Eagle Race Arena to accommodate spectators
Sports/events during 2002 Olympics: Snowboarding giant slalom and halfpipe; alpine skiing giant slalom.
Capacity: 10,000 seated, 10,000 standing
Construction dates/opening date: Giant slalom courses for skiing and snowboarding are open; halfpipe possibly ready for March World Cup event.
Estimated cost of venue: Costs for halfpipe and snowmaking are part of resort's own long-term planning.
Previous international competition: World Cup Snowboard meet March 1999
Post-Olympic use: National and international competition for skiing, snowboarding
Notes: Giant slalom will be on C.B.'s Run, which site of the annual America's Opening World Cup races for the past 13 years.
Deer Valley Resort
Location: Deer Valley, about 32 miles from downtown Salt Lake City
Current status: Complete and operational.
Still to be completed: Sub-press centers, hosting facilities and other amenities necessary at the time of the Olympics.
Sports/events during the 2002 Olympics: Freestyle moguls and aerials and alpine skiing's slalom
Capacity: 10,000 seated, 10,000 standing.
Construction dates/opening date: The resort is already open, with final prep work for moguls course and aerials area completed this season.
Previous international competition: World Cup moguls and aerials competition last month.
Post-Olympic use: World Cup and national moguls and aerials events.
Notes: Deer Valley features what is believed to be the longest mogul course on the World Cup circuit, at 235 meters. The length requires extra strength and endurance from skiers. The mogul run on Deer Valley's Bald Eagle Mountain is named "Champion," the nearby aerials at "White Owl," and the slalom on "No, You Don't" run.
Snowbasin Ski Area
Location: Snowbasin Ski Area, 17 miles east of Ogden and 47 miles from downtown Salt Lake City.
Current status: Women's run operational; men's run under construction.
Still to be completed: Men's downhill run.
Sports/events during the 2002 Olympics: Downhill, Super G and combined.
Capacity: 30,000 spectators
Construction dates: Women's course was completed in the summer of 1998, with new lifts finished November 1998. New snowmaking lines were completed at the end of last year, with a new access road currently under construction and targeted for a summer 2001 completion.
Previous international competition: 1999 U.S. women's downhill championships.
Post-Olympic use: National and international alpine events.
Notes: Weather woes have hampered Snowbasin this season, losing Super Series and World Cup races. The men's Super Series championships are scheduled for later this month.
Utah Winter Sports Park
Location: 3000 Bear Hollow Drive in Park City, about 31 miles from the Olympic Village
Current status: Work is generally complete for the bobsled and luge start and finish houses. The 90-meter (regular) and 120-meter (large) ski jumping hills are under construction.
Still to be completed: Besides the two jump hills, ongoing construction of the venue's common areas, infrastructure, transportation system and entrances is scheduled to be completed by November 2000.
Sports/events during 2002 Olympics: Bobsled, luge and skeleton on the sliding track, ski jumping and jumping in the nordic combined events on the hills.
Capacity: About 14,000 along the track; 20,000 at the jump site.
Construction dates/opening date: Construction began in the spring of 1991. The sliding track officially opened Jan. 25, 1997. Construction on the hills started July 1999 and is expected to be completed this fall.
Estimated cost of venue: $45 million for the entire park, although SLOC is currently in the midst of a $20 million upgrade for parts of Utah Winter Sports Park's 387-acre facility. Cost projections for the hills alone are $14 million.
Previous national and international competition: 1998 World Cup races for men's bobsled and women's bobsled, 2000 U.S. Sliding Championships for bobsled, luge and skeleton. No previous events in ski jumping.
Post-Olympic use: Training and national/international competition site for ski jumping, bobsled, luge and skeleton.
Notes: Both jump hills are being built with a plastic-based summer ski surface that will allow year-round training.
Soldier Hollow
Location: Wasatch Mountain State Park near Midway.
Current status: So far, about 23 kilometers of skiing trails have been cut into the hillside. The biathlon shooting range in the stadium is finished and it has 30 computerized-operated targets. Snow making equipment has been installed.
Still to be completed: An 8,000-square-foot competition management building. The $1.1 million three-story building should be finished in July. Landscaping, paving and other final touches to Soldier Hollow will be added next year.
Sports/events during 2002 Olympics: Biathlon, cross country, and the cross country portions of the nordic combined
Capacity: Projected capacity 20,000.
Construction dates/opening date: A 5K loop was completed in 1998, trail construction on remaining 18K, target and shooting range completed by winter 1999-2000.
Estimated cost of venue: About $21.4 million on building ski trails and making other preparations (another $1.3 million is set aside for Paralympics.)
Previous national competition: 2000 U.S. Cross Country Championships, held last month, and the 2000 U.S. Biathlon Championships held this past week.
Post-Olympics use: Collegiate, national and international cross country and biathlon competitions. The NCAA Cross Country Championships are set for Soldier Hollow March 8-12.
Olympic Speed Skating Oval at Kearns
You know it as: Oquirrh Park Oval
Location: 5624 S. 4800 West, Kearns, 15 miles from downtown Salt Lake City.
Current status: Construction under way, with most of the efforts now focused on foundation, basement, underground passages and outbuildings.
Still to be completed: The actual enclosure, rebuilt 400-meter oval and amenities, plus two Olympic-size hockey rinks within the oval.
Sports/events during 2002 Olympics: Long-track speed-skating.
Capacity: 6,500 during the 2002 Winter Games, from seating to be supplied especially for the event. Spectator seating normally will be minimal.
Construction dates/opening date: Construction began in spring 1999 and is scheduled for completion next fall, when it will be opened to recreational skaters. An international championship competition is scheduled for next February.
Estimated cost of venue: $25 million.
Previous international competition: None.
Post-Olympic use: Training, competition and recreational facility for speed skating, ice hockey and figure skating
Note: From 1996 until early 1999 there was an outdoor ice oval on the site, which was dismantled in the process of building an enclosed oval.
The Ice Sheet at Ogden
You know it as: Weber County Ice Sheet
Location: 4390 Harrison Blvd. in Ogden, northwest of Weber State University's Dee Events Center.
Current status: Fully operational. New concrete floor was installed last summer at a cost of $275,000.
Still to be completed: Some facilities to be modified for the Winter Olympics, but nothing permanent.
Sports/events during 2002 Olympics: Curling — two tournaments, one each for the men and women.
Capacity: 2,000 seats.
Construction dates/opening date: Constructed 1993-94. Grand opening was April 3, 1994.
Estimated cost of venue: $6.2 million.
Previous international competition: None.
Post-Olympic use: Same as now — hockey, figure skating, curling, short-track speed skating and recreational ice skating.
Notes: The site will host the National Curling Championships March 3-11, with the Junior World Curling Championships scheduled for March 2001.
AUXILIARY VENUES
Medals Plaza
You know it as: Block 85, "The Parking Place"
Location: Located east of the Triad Center and northeast of the Delta Center, between North Temple, 300 West, South Temple and 200 West.
Current status: Parking-lot block owned by the LDS Church
During the 2002 Olympics: Plaza for medal ceremonies and cultural performances during the Games.
Still to be completed: All necessary facilities.
Capacity: Expected to draw estimated daily crowds of 20,000 to 40,000.
Construction dates/opening dates: Yet to be determined.
Estimated value of venue use: $5 million, with the LDS Church agreeing to fix up the property for the medals plaza.
Post-Olympic use: Undecided
Notes: This block is the site of last summer's destructive tornado, which ripped through the Outdoor Retailers show set up on the block. Funding for site development will come from profits generated by church-owned businesses and not from the tithing fund, church leaders said. The site benefits from its proximity to the Delta Center, Salt Palace Convention Center and Abravanel Hall, and no structures need to be demolished for site development.
Olympic Village
You know it as: The old Fort Douglas site
Location: University of Utah/Fort Douglas
Current status: Partially complete
During 2002 Olympics: Residence for athletes and officials during the 2002 Games
Capacity: Estimated 3,500 athletes and officials
Construction dates/opening date: Parts already open; expected to be complete by this summer
Estimated cost of venue: $120 million
Post-Olympic use: Student housing at the U.
Notes: SLOC will leave the village for $28 million during the Games. The Olympic Village becomes a small city of sorts, complete with movie theaters, banks and eateries.
Olympic Stadium
You know it as: Rice-Eccles Stadium
Location: University of Utah
Current status: Complete and functional
Still to be added for Olympics: Jumbotron scoreboard, temporary seating.
Events during 2002 Olympics: Opening and closing ceremonies
Capacity: 45,634 seats; temporary seating to be added to raise the capacity to 56,000.
Construction dates: Expansion and renovation done from November 1997 to September 1998.
Estimated cost of venue: $50 million expansion project ($8 million from SLOC, $10 million from Eccles Foundation)
Post-Olympic use: U. football stadium and special-events site.
Notes: The plaza south of the stadium will host the Olympic flame during the Games. The northwest tunnel is slated for Olympic processions. Previous seating capacity was 32,500. Most striking feature is the addition of press box, loges and three-story atrium at the stadium.
Main Media Center
You know it as: Salt Palace Convention Center
Location: 100 S. West Temple
Current status: Expansion under construction.
Still to be completed: The south-end expansion project that will add 200,000 square feet of space and 600 parking stalls.
During 2002 Olympics: Headquarters for media members and services from throughout the world.
Capacity: 9,000 members of broadcast and press services.
Construction dates/opening date: Construction was expected to be complete by July 2000, but delays for geologic studies in 1999 may delay the debut of the expansion.
Estimated cost of venue: $47.5 million expansion to the convention center, which originally was renovated and reopened May 1996.
Post-Olympic use: Multipurpose facility and convention center.
Notes: Talk about alphabet soup: The Main Media Center (MMC) will be home to two separate hubs — the International Broadcast Center (IBC) and the Main Press Center (MPC).