Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre | |
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Storhamar Ishall (left) and Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre |
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Full name | Nordlyshallen |
Location | Storhamar, Hamar, Norway |
Opened | August 1981 (Storhamar Ishall) November 1992 (Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre) |
Owner | Hamar Municipality |
Operator | Hamar Olympiske Anlegg |
Construction cost | NOK 83 million |
Architect | HRTB |
Capacity | 6,091 (Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre) 1,200 (Storhamar Ishall) |
Tenants | |
Storhamar Dragons Storhamar IL 1994 Winter Olympics 1999 IIHF World Championship 1999 World Women's Handball Championship 2012 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships 2016 Winter Youth Olympics |
Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre (Norwegian: Hamar OL-Amfi or Hamar Olympiske Amfi), officially known as Nordlyshallen ("The Northern Light Hall") is an indoor sports arena in Hamar, Norway. It is mostly used for ice hockey, but is also used for short track speed skating, figure skating, handball, events and concerts. The venue has a capacity for 6,091 spectators was built for the 1994 Winter Olympics, where it was used for short track speed skating and figure skating. Other mayor events at the arena include hosting the 1999 IIHF World Championship in ice hockey, the 1999 World Women's Handball Championship and the scheduled 2012 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships and 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.
Next to the Olympic venue is Storhamar Ishall. Solely used for ice hockey, it opened in 1981 and has a capacity for 1,200. Since the opening of the Olympic venue, Storhamar Ishall has been used for training, and the two rinks share common dressing rooms and other facilities. Construction of Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre started in August 1991 and it was inaugurated on 25 November 1992. The venues are owned by Hamar Olympiske Anlegg, a subsidiary of Hamar Municipality.
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Storhamar IL established an ice hockey team following growing interest after the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. The club's pitch was iced for the winter with wooden 15-centimeter (5.9 in) boards. The club established an ice hockey group in 1955 and received funding from the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation to purchase 120-meter (390 ft) tall boards. The pitch was renovated for NOK 4,000 in 1957, financed through a municipal grant. Among the upgrades was insulating the club house, a barracks from the Second World War. A contractor which had a storage facility close by kept receiving visits from youth jumping the fence and taking material for the work. He eventually met up at the club house and gave them a key to the facility, somewhat involuntarily becoming the club's first sponsor.[1]
Storhamar traditionally played ice hockey on natural ice. In 1977, the club was promoted to the First Division, where the regulations required that the team play on artificial ice. To avoid having to play all their games away, the municipality agreed to finance an outdoor artificial rink at Storhamar. With the increased interest for hockey and attendance with the town's team playing in the top league, Storhamar started planning an indoor venue.[2]
State grants and a municipal guarantee were secured in 1980, with construction starting in the fall.[2] The arena was built around the existing artificial rink.[3] Because the hall could not be completed in time for the 1980–81 season, Storhamar was permitted to play the season in the Second Division.[2] It was the 11th indoor ice hockey rink in Norway[4] when it opened in August 1981.[3] The venue was to be partially financed through renting it out during the summer, including to an annual town fair. These ideas fell through and the municipality was forced to take over the venue.[2]
In the unsuccessful Lillehammer bid for the 1992 Winter Olympics, ice hockey events were proposed laid to Hamar and Gjøvik. In the Lillehammer bid for the 1994 Winter Olympics, all ice events were moved to Lillehammer proper,[5] after pressure from the International Ice Hockey Federation who wanted all the ice hockey events to take place in the same town. This would involve building two temporary ice rinks at Stampesletta in Lillehammer, and after the Olympics moving them to Gjøvik and either Moelv, Brumunddal or Kongsvinger. By 1989, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to include short-track speed skating, which increased the need for ice halls from two to three. By April, the Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (LOOC) therefore proposed building permanent ice rinks in Hamar and Gjøvik.[6]
The IOC also required that the long-track speed skating be done indoors. Hamar was awarded the venue, Vikingskipet, after Hamar Municipality guaranteed to cover all costs exceeding NOK 200 million. This provided sufficient leverage for Hamar to host additional events.[5] LOOC supported the construction of Vikingskipet in on 15 December 1989 and at the same supported proposals to renovate Storhamar Ishall to host Olympic ice hockey matches. A second, temporary training rink was also to be built in Hamar.[7][8] In addition, the Hamar venue would be used for short track speed skating, while figure skating would be run in Lillehammer.[9] In March, the plans were changed, so Hamar would receive an all-new ice rink in addition to a renovation of Storhamar Ishall.[10]
Financing of the venue was officially granted by the Parliament of Norway in April 1990.[11] The International Skating Union wanted to collect all skating in Hamar, and in October 1990, LOOC confirmed that they would reallocate the events so that all the skating events would take place in Hamar, and that a separate Olympic Village would be built in Hamar for skaters.[12] The original plans called for a capacity for 4,500 and construction to cost NOK 65. By June 1991, LOOC decided to increase the size of the venue, as IOC would only let the venue host figure skating if its size was increased to 6,000.[13] Financing of the expansion was granted in August, with the cost rising to NOK 83.3 million.[14] Early plans called for the venue to be built in concrete, but a research project coordinated by the Norwegian Institute of Technology make it possible to build the venue in wood.[15]
The contract to build the venue was awarded to Martin M. Bakken, a local contractor, and construction started in August 1991.[16] The laminated wood beams for the roof were delivered by Moelven Industrier.[17] Ice was laid on the on 12 November 1992[18] and the arena was officially completed on 1 December.[19] However, the opening show took place on 25 November[18] and the first official match, between Storhamar and Stjernen Hockey, took place on 8 December.[3] The venue was the 26th indoor ice hockey arena in Norway to open.[4] After the Olympic arena was built, Storhamar Ishall was renovated, and the spectator capacity reduced through the construction of storage facilities and VIP areas.[3] The Olympic Amphitheatre installed Norway's first media cube in 2004.[20]
The twin areas are located at Storhamar, a residential area west of the town center of Hamar.[15] Similar to Vikingskipet, the venue has two official names, Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre and Nordlyshallen. The former cannot be used commercially by non-Olympic events, such as in merchandise.[21] The venue is owned by Hamar Olympiske Anlegg, which also owns and operates Vikingskipet and is owned by the municipality. The operating deficits is covered by a post-Olympic operation fund, which for the two Hamar venues was NOK 60 million. Unlike Lillehammer and Gjøvik, Hamar only uses the interest and none of the capital of their funds, and does not give municipal grants to operation.[22]
Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre is oval and has wood as the main construction material, both for the interior and the exterior.[23] Overall it is 95 meters (312 ft) long, 75 meters (246 ft) wise and 22 meters (72 ft) tall.[24] Architect Ola Mowè of HRTB chose the shape to connect together various spacial designs and types of buildings in the neighborhood. The dark color was chosen to counteract the otherwise lively array of colors in the surroundings. The roof was built using laminated wood lattice girders.[25] The longest beam span is 70 meters (230 ft).[24] The exterior walls are clad with boards, panels and decorative molding.[23] The interior wall are covered with pine panel.[15]
The surface area of the building is 11,000 square meters (120,000 sq ft), of which 7,000 square meters (75,000 sq ft) is on the ground floor.[24]The venue has an official capacity for 6,091 spectators.[3] For handball, the capacity is 6,480.[26] Storhamar Ishall has standing-only capacity for 1,500 spectators.[3] During the Olympics, the main hall had 330 VIP seats, 60 seats for commentators and 200 press seats.[24] The main rink has a eight-sided, 75 square meters (810 sq ft) media cube.[20]
During the 1994 Winter Olympics, Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre was used for figure skating and short track speed skating. It hosted 13 events, drawing an average 5554 spectators.[27] During the Olympics, Storhamar Ishall was used for warming up and training.[28]
Short track speed skating was dominated by South Korea, who won four of the six events.[29] Chae Ji-Hoon won the men's 500 meters and Kim Ki-Hoon the 1000 meters,[30] while the men's 5000 meter relay was won by Italy.[31] Cathy Turner defending her 1992 gold on the 500 meters,[32] while Chun Lee-Kyung won the women's 1000 meters and South Korea won the 3000 meter relay. At 13, Kim Yoon-Mi became the world's youngest Olympic gold medalist.[33]
In figure skating, relaxation of the amateurism rules led to several former stars returning.[34] The ladies' singles has resulted in the as-yet highest United States Winter Olympic television viewership,[35] thanks to Tonya Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly hiring Shane Stant to club fellow female figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in the knee.[36] The ladies' singles was won by Ukraine's Oksana Baiul,[37] while the men's singles was won by Russia's Alexei Urmanov,[38] the ice dancing was won by Russians Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov[39] and the pair skating won by Russians Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov.[40]
The Olympic Amphitheatre is the home venue of Storhamar Dragons, the ice hockey division of Storhamar IL. The Dragon's youth groups train in Storhamar Ishall, which is also used by the club's bandy group.[41] The Dragon's have played continuously in the Elite League since the 1982–83 season. The Dragon's highest average league attendance was in the 1994–95 season, when they drew 3731 spectators. While playing in Storhamar Ishall, the highest average attendance was in the 1984–85 season, with 2,097. From the 1991–92 to the following season, when the Olympic venue opened, the Dragon's average attendance doubled, from 1,412 to 2,875.[42] The Dragon's best attendance is 7,405,[3] set during game seven of the 2004–05 Playoffs where the Dragon's beat Vålerenga in overtime.[43]
After the opening of Storhamar Ishall, it was used for two Norway men's national ice hockey team matches. On 2 January 1982, Norway lost 3–5 against Romania;[44] and on 13 September 1983, Norway beat Italy 4–2.[45] The venue hosted, along with Lillehammer, Group A of the 1992 IIHF European U18 Championship.[19] Norway's senior inaugural international match at the Olympic arena saw Norway lose 4–6 against Canada on 9 February 1993.[46] The 1999 IIHF World Championship in ice hockey was hosted at Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre, Håkons Hall in Lillehammer and Jordal Amfi in Oslo. Fourteen group-stage matches were held in Hamar.[47]
Storhamar Ishall is the regular training venue for Storhamar IL's figure skating group.[48] Between them, the two venues have hosted the Norwegian Figure Skating Championships three times: Storhamar Ishall in 1983, and the Olympic Amphitheatre has been used in 2005[49] and 2011.[50] In October 1993, the Olympic Amphitheatre hosted Piruetten 1993, a pre-Olympic figure skating event. Although featuring stars such as Nancy Kerrigan, it only attracted 150 spectators.[51] The venue has hosted the ISU Junior Grand Prix in 1999–2000 and 2000–01.[52][53] and the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 2002.[54]
Storhamar Ishall hosted Norway's first international short track speed skating event in November 1991.[55] The 1995 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships were scheduled to take place at the arena, but were moved to Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall because the Hamar venue would be used by Storhamar Dragons for the play-offs.[56] The Olympic Amphitheatre has hosted matches of the Norway men's national handball team, with the first tournament being played in January 1993.[57] It has also been used for Norway women's national handball team matches.[58] The venue was one of seven venues used for the 1999 World Women's Handball Championship.[59]The venue held nine group-stage matches and three of the quarter-finals between 2 and 9 December.[26] The venue was also the site of two matches during Møbelringen Cup 2006.[60] In September 2007, the Olympic arena hosted Fédération Cynologique Internationale's world championship in dog agility.[61][62] The 2012 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships is scheduled to take place at the Olympic Amphitheatre.[63] Lillehammer is scheduled to host the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics,[64] with Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre to host the figure skating events.[65]
Since 2001, Hamar Olympic Amphitreatre has hosted the annual Idrettsgallaen, a show to honor the past year's Norwegian sports and athletes achievements. The choice of Hamar was because the event's main sponsor, Norsk Tipping, the national lotteries, has its head office in Hamar. It is held in early January, when a lot of winter sports athletes are home and the summer athletes are off season. In 2010, Idrettsgallaen was hosted in Lillehammer because the weekend crashed with the 2010 European Allround Speed Skating Championships in Vikingskipet and Hamar lacks sufficient hotel capacity to host both simultaneously.[66] Concerts hosted at the arena include the opening concert with Fats Domino on 25 November 1992,[18]Little Richard in 1993,[67] Vamp in 2005,[68] Willie Nelson in 2008[69] and José Carreras in 2010.[70]