Canada Olympic Park: Difference between revisions

|name= Canada Olympic Park, Calgary

|external_link= [http://www.winsport.ca Canada Olympic ParkWinSport]

'''Winsport'''Canada Olympic Park''' (COP), (formerly known as Paskapoo Ski Hill), is a ski hill and multi-purpose training and competition facility located in [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], [[Canada]], and is owned and operated by [[WinSport]]. It is currently used both for high performance athletic training and for recreational purposes by the general public. Canada Olympic Park was one of the venues for the [[1988 Winter Olympics]], being the primary venue for [[ski jumping]], [[bobsleigh]], and [[luge]].

The park is located in western Calgary, south of the [[Trans-Canada Highway]], north of the community of [[Cougar Ridge, Calgary|Cougar Ridge]] and, west of [[Bowness, Calgary|Bowness]] and east of [[Valley Ridge, Calgary|Valley Ridge]].

==Activities and Facilitiesfacilities==

In the winter, the park is also used for winter activities including [[downhill skiing]], [[snowboarding]], [[cross-country skiing]], [[Ski Jumping Canada|ski jumping]], [[bobsleigh]] and [[luge]]. In the summer, the park is used for warm-weather activities including [[mountain biking]], summer festivals, [[Ski Jumping Canada|ski jumping training]], zip-lining and summer camps. The park also has a number of indoor facilities which are operated year-round, including arenas, fitness centres, and an indoor ice track.

There are currently 6six lifts that are being used on a regular basis, atwo four-passenger detachable high-speed [[chairlift]], aone four- person standardfixed chairgrip quad, and 4four [[magic carpet (ski lift)|Magic Carpets]]. There is also a single chair that provides access to one of the smaller [[Ski jumping|ski jumps]], and a double chair (which has been recently removed), that takes people from the base area to near the base of the 90 m ski jump tower.

=== Ski Jumpingjumping Facilityfacility ===

[[File:Canada Olympic Park 2013 2.jpg|thumb|left|Calgary Olympic Park Ski Jumping facility in February]]Winsport also operates a ski jumping facility on the east side of the Canada Olympic Park campus. The facility has six jumps ranging in size from K4 to K95. Of the six jumps at Canada Olympic park three are used year-round (the K18, K38, and K63). The K4 and the K89 jumps are used exclusively in the summer months. The largest jump, the K95 is no longer used for ski jumping and serves exclusively as a party venue. Collectively the facility sees on average 28,000 jumps each year. The majority of which are in the summer months. The Ski Jump venue is home of the Altius Nordic SC club.

In 2011, WinSport opened its ice facility that houses four ice rinks (an [[Ice hockey rink|international ice size arena]] seating 30003,000, three [[National Hockey League|NHL]]-size rinks (the Joan Snyder arena, and arenaArena C & D)the visitcalgary.com arena). The arenas have been used for curling, figure skating, power skating (for long and short track speed skating), ringette, and hockey. Also, the arena has hosted concerts, shows, and other sporting events.

During the summer of 2013, [[Hockey Canada]] held its Olympic orientation camp for perspectiveprospective Canadian [[NHL]] athletes heading to the [[2014 Winter Olympics|XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi]]. Due to injury concerns and insurance disputes, drills and scrimmage sessions were held off ice in a "street hockey/ball hockey" format.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nugget.ca/2013/08/26/canadas-olympic-hockey-hopefuls-play-ball-hockey |title=Canada's Olympic hockey hopefuls play ball hockey |publisher=North Bay Nugget |date=27 August 27, 2013}}</ref>

In 2014, WinSport completed the Markin- MacPhail Centre. The centre is named after its benefactors Allan Markin and Keith MacPhail. The high-performance centre was designed as a training hub for Canadian athletes who have reached a provincial level of excellence. The center includes the ice arenas, a gymnasium, medical center for treatment and recovery, and an office tower whowhose residences include the National Sport School as well as several national sport federations.

In October 28, 2008, Calgary was chosen, among nine Canadian cities, to permanently host the [[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame|nation's]] main sports hall of fame(CSHOF).]]<ref>{{cite news| url=http://tsn.ca/other_sports/story/?id=254058&lid=sublink010&lpos=headlines_main| title=CALGARYCalgary TOto BEbe THEthe NEWNew HOMEHome FORfor CANADACanada'Ss SPORTSSports HALLHall OFof FAMEFame| work=[[The Canadian Press]]| date=October 28, 2008| accessdateaccess-date=January 28, 2012| archive-01date=March 30, 2012| archive-28url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330161701/http://tsn.ca/other_sports/story/?id=254058&lid=sublink010&lpos=headlines_main| url-status=dead}}</ref> The foundation and construction of the new facility was laid on donated land by the former Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA), now called the [[Canadian Winter Sport Institute]] or WinSport Canada. The cost of the project was [[Canadian dollar|C$]]50 million (about C$30 million was used to build the venue; another C$20 million for operating costs, through an [[Financial endowment|endowment fund]]). It was opened to the general public on July 1, 2011, to coincide with the [[Canada Day]] festivities.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.sportshall.ca/about-us/history/| title=Our History (Canada's Sports Hall of Fame)| work=CSHoF| accessdateaccess-date=January 28, 2012| archive-01date=December 4, 2011| archive-28url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204014810/http://www.sportshall.ca/about-us/history/| url-status=dead}}</ref> The former ''Olympic Museum and Hall of Fame'' location was turned into a training site for athletes, making it (OMHoF) redundant and the CSHOF the only sports-related museum there.

On June 11, 2012, City Hall councillors voted against WinSport Canada's multimillion-dollar proposal to have some land at COP's base made into a "sprawling retail centre" by a vote of 9–5. However, WinSport has an option of redeveloping the land into smaller projects, over time, which can be "sustainable."<ref>{{cite news| url=httphttps://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Calgary+city+council+scraps+multimillion+dollar+plan/6765486/story.html| title=Council scraps multimillion-dollar big-box plan at Canada Olympic Park in surprise decision (Land sale would have funded athletic programs)| work=[[Calgary Herald]]| first=Jason| last=Markusoff| date=June 11, 2012| accessdate=2012-06access-date=June 11, 2012}}</ref>

{{Commons|Canada Olympic Park}}

* [http://www.winsportcanada.ca/cop/index_cop.cfm/ Canada Olympic ParkWinSport Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209021506/http://www.winsportcanada.ca/cop/index_cop.cfm |date=2013-02-09 }}

[[Category:Venues of the 1988 Winter Olympics venues]]