Birkebeineren Skistadion
Encyclopedia
Birkebeineren Ski Stadium is a cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

 and biathlon
Biathlon
Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...

 venue located in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. Situated 3 kilometres (2 mi) from the town center and at 485 metres (1,591.2 ft) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...

, it has two stadium areas, one for cross-country and one for biathlon. The former has a capacity for 31,000 spectators, and the latter for 13,500. The venue was built for the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...

, costing 83.6 million Norwegian krone
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...

 (NOK). It was subsequently used by the 1994 Winter Paralympics
1994 Winter Paralympics
The 1994 Winter Paralympics, the sixth Winter Paralympics, were held in Lillehammer, Norway, from 10–19 March 1994. These Games marked the first time the Paralympic Winter Games were held in the same location as the Winter Olympics, a tradition that has continued through an agreement of cooperation...

 for Paralympic Nordic skiing
Paralympic nordic skiing
Paralympic Nordic skiing is a Winter Paralympics sport consisting of biathlon and cross-country skiing. The sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee....

 and Paralympic biathlon
Paralympic biathlon
Paralympic biathlon is an adaptation of biathlon for athletes with a disability. Paralympic biathlon is one of two Nordic skiing disciplines in the Winter Paralympic Games...

. After the games, ownership was transferred to the municipal Lillehammer Olympiapark. The venue has since been used for one Biathlon World Cup
Biathlon World Cup
The Biathlon World Cup has been held since the winter seasons of 1977/78 and 1982/83, for men and women, respectively ....

, three FIS Cross-Country World Cup
FIS Cross-Country World Cup
The FIS Cross-Country World Cup is an annual cross-country skiing competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation since 1981. The competition was arranged unofficially between 1973 and 1981, although it received provisional recognition on the 31...

 and nine FIS Nordic Combined World Cup tournaments, the latter with the ski jumping competition taking place at the near-by Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena.

Construction

The location of the venue was decided in January 1990, following Lillehammer's successful bid to host the 1994 Winter Olympics. Construction was managed by the Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (LOOC). Architects were 2Ø Arkitekter and the main consultant was Tonning & Lieng. Construction started in early 1991, before planning was completed, and lasted until 1993. The construction work was subcontracted to several companies. Landscaping was completed in 1994. The facilities used concrete and wood as the main materials. The stadium included 3000 square metres (3,588 sq yd) of temporary buildings, a 1620 square metres (1,937.5 sq yd) building converted to a riding center after the Olympics, and a 3200 square metres (3,827.2 sq yd) tent. The land around the venue is a swamp, and most of the surface soil had to be removed and replaced with harder earth. The soil was used as fertilizer or fill in other parts of the arena. A creek had to be bypassed with a 220 metres (721.8 ft) long pipe. The arena is also so flat that a drainage system had to be installed. After the Olympics, four temporary overpasses were removed. Construction of the tracks was done to minimize the impact on the forest.

The venue cost NOK 83.6 million, and was inaugurated on 28 November 1992 with an international biathlon competition. In December 1992, the LOOC stated that they wanted to upgrade the stadium spectator capacity, but that the transport systems would not allow more people. In 1993, the stadium had World Cup tournaments in biathlon and cross-country skiing as a trial before the Olympics. During several events, the computer system controlling the scoreboard
Scoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game or match. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used a mechanical clock and numeral cards to...

 and television scores collapsed. President Johan Baumann of the Norwegian Ski Federation
Norwegian Ski Federation
The Norwegian Ski Federation or Norges Skiforbund, is an organization devoted to skiing in Norway. Headquartered in Oslo, it is the national representative of the International Ski Federation....

 criticized the venue and demanded that a new stadium be built. He stated that the stadium had been built to optimize television pictures, and that it had insufficient facilities for the spectators. In particular, he criticized the fact that the spectators were too far away from the skiers and the lack of a television screen and more scoreboards. In May, the LOOC announced that the stadium would be expanded for another 6,000 people before the Olympics. On 7 September, the ownership of the venue was transferred from the LOOC to Lillehammer Municipality via the subsidiary Lillehammer Olympiavekst, which later changed its name to Lillehammer Olympiapark. In October, the forest along the tracks were partially cleared to allow spectators without tickets to watch the events.

Facilities

The arena covers an area of 200 hectares (494.2 acre), and is 3 kilometres (2 mi) from the town center. For the Olympics, 27 kilometres (16.8 mi) of cross-country tracks and 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) of biathlon tracks were built. There are two stadiums, one for cross-country skiing and one for biathlon. The former has a spectator capacity for 31,000, while the latter has a capacity for 13,500. In addition, up to 75,000 people watched the events the trackside during the Olympics. Permanent buildings include a 214 square metres (255.9 sq yd) finishing house for biathlon, a 155 square metres (185.4 sq yd) finishing house for cross-country, a 355 square metres (424.6 sq yd) plant room. The cross-country stadium is 200 square metres (239.2 sq yd) long, while the biathlon stadium is 150 square metres (179.4 sq yd) long. The biathlon stadium has 30 shooting stations. The facility has a 1,250 kVA transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...

, with an additional transformer used during the Olympics. Critical systems, such as computers and time-keeping equipment, have an uninterruptible power supply
Uninterruptible power supply
An uninterruptible power supply, also uninterruptible power source, UPS or battery/flywheel backup, is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source, typically mains power, fails...

.

As a recreational venue, Birkebeineren connects to 450 kilometres (279.6 mi) of skiing tracks, including a 5 kilometres (3 mi) lighted track which is lit until 22:00 every day during winter, and is open to the public. During the summer, the tracks are available for jogging, running, roller skiing and similar activities. There is a café between the two stadiums, which also have dressing rooms and showers. The biathlon venue can be rented to hold private biathlon competition, with or without skis.

The dominant means of transport during the Olympics was by railway. Spectators heading to Birkebeineren were transported by train to Hovemoen Station on the Dovre Line, and would then be transported by shuttle bus to the stadium. In addition, spectators from certain areas were transported by bus directly to the stadium.

Events

During the 1994 Winter Olympics, the venue hosted ten cross-country skiing events
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

, six biathlon events
Biathlon at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics Biathlon results.The sport of biathlon combines the skills of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.- 10 km :February 23, 1994- 20 km :February 20, 1994One missed target equals a one minute penalty.- 4 x 7.5 km relay :...

 and two Nordic combined events
Nordic combined at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympic Games Nordic Combined results.-Individual:February 19, 1994-3 x 10 km relay:February 23-24, 1994Japan's margin of victory, preceded by their four minute margin of victory at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun the previous year, would lead the FIS to change the...

. Over 203,000 people applied for the 31,000 seats for the relay. During the 1994 Winter Paralympics, the venue hosted the Paralympic Nordic skiing events and Paralympic biathlon.

The FIS Cross-Country World Cup has been hosted three times, in 1993, 2000 and 2002, all in February or March. The FIS Nordic Combined World Cup has been hosted seven times at the stadium, in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010. All tournaments have been held in December, and have seen the ski jumping competition hosted at Lysgårdsbakken, the Olympic ski jumping hill in Lillehammer. Birkebeineren hosted Biathlon World Cup
Biathlon World Cup
The Biathlon World Cup has been held since the winter seasons of 1977/78 and 1982/83, for men and women, respectively ....

 events from 1993 to 1997. The stadium has also since 1992 been used as the goal area for Birkebeinerrennet
Birkebeinerrennet
Birkebeinerrennet is a long-distance cross-country ski marathon held annually in Norway. It is Norway's race in the Worldloppet Ski Federation....

, an annual ski marathon
Ski marathon
A ski marathon is a long distance cross-country skiing race, usually more than 40 kilometers. Skiers can use either classic or freestyle techniques depending on the rules of the race.Races include:...

 with thousands of participants. It has also hosted the Norwegian Nordic Ski Championships in 1993. Lillehammer is the only candidate city for the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics
2016 Winter Youth Olympics
The 2016 Winter Youth Olympics is a major international sports and cultural festival to be celebrated in the tradition of the Youth Olympic Games in the Winter of 2016 during the XXXI Olympiad....

. If selected, the stadium would hold cross-country, Nordic combined and biathlon events.

Results

The following is a list of all Winter Olympics and World Cup events to be held at the stadium. It includes date, sport (cross-country skiing, Nordic combined or biathlon), tournament, distance, and top three athlets (gold, silver and bronze).

Date Sport Tournament Distance Gender Gold Silver Bronze | Ref
Biathlon World Cup  15 km F      
Biathlon World Cup  20 km M      
Biathlon World Cup  7.5 km F      
Biathlon World Cup  10 km M      
Cross-country World Cup
1992–93 FIS Cross-Country World Cup
The 1992–93 FIS Cross-Country World Cup started in Ramsau, Austria, on 12 December 1992 and finished in Strbske Pleso, Slovakia, on 20 March 1993. Bjørn Dæhlie of Norway won the combined men's event, and Lyubov Yegorova of Russia won the women's.-Men:-Women:...

 
5 km C F      
Cross-country World Cup
1992–93 FIS Cross-Country World Cup
The 1992–93 FIS Cross-Country World Cup started in Ramsau, Austria, on 12 December 1992 and finished in Strbske Pleso, Slovakia, on 20 March 1993. Bjørn Dæhlie of Norway won the combined men's event, and Lyubov Yegorova of Russia won the women's.-Men:-Women:...

 
5 km C F      
Combined Olympics
Nordic combined at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympic Games Nordic Combined results.-Individual:February 19, 1994-3 x 10 km relay:February 23-24, 1994Japan's margin of victory, preceded by their four minute margin of victory at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun the previous year, would lead the FIS to change the...

 
15 km  M      
Combined Olympics
Nordic combined at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympic Games Nordic Combined results.-Individual:February 19, 1994-3 x 10 km relay:February 23-24, 1994Japan's margin of victory, preceded by their four minute margin of victory at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun the previous year, would lead the FIS to change the...

 
3 × 10 km team  M   Japan   Norway   Switzerland
Cross-country Olympics
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

 
15 km F  F      
Cross-country Olympics
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

 
30 km F  M      
Cross-country Olympics
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

 
5 km C  F      
Cross-country Olympics
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

 
15 km M pursuit  F      
Cross-country Olympics
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

 
10 km C  M      
Biathlon Olympics
Biathlon at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics Biathlon results.The sport of biathlon combines the skills of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.- 10 km :February 23, 1994- 20 km :February 20, 1994One missed target equals a one minute penalty.- 4 x 7.5 km relay :...

 
15 km  F      
Cross-country Olympics
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

 
25 km M pursuit  M      
Biathlon Olympics
Biathlon at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics Biathlon results.The sport of biathlon combines the skills of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.- 10 km :February 23, 1994- 20 km :February 20, 1994One missed target equals a one minute penalty.- 4 x 7.5 km relay :...

 
20 km  M      
Cross-country Olympics
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

 
4 × 10 km relay
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics – Men's 4 × 10 kilometre relay
The men's 4 × 10 km relay, a part of the cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics, took place on 22 February at Birkebeineren Ski Stadium in Lillehammer, Norway. The race saw Italy beat Norway by 0.4 seconds on the finish line, with Finland finishing third...

 
M   Italy   Norway   Finland
Cross-country Olympics
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

 
4 × 5 km relay  F   Russia   Norway   Italy
Biathlon Olympics
Biathlon at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics Biathlon results.The sport of biathlon combines the skills of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.- 10 km :February 23, 1994- 20 km :February 20, 1994One missed target equals a one minute penalty.- 4 x 7.5 km relay :...

 
15 km  F      
Biathlon Olympics
Biathlon at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics Biathlon results.The sport of biathlon combines the skills of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.- 10 km :February 23, 1994- 20 km :February 20, 1994One missed target equals a one minute penalty.- 4 x 7.5 km relay :...

 
20 km  M      
Cross-country Olympics
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

 
30 km C  F      
Biathlon Olympics
Biathlon at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics Biathlon results.The sport of biathlon combines the skills of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.- 10 km :February 23, 1994- 20 km :February 20, 1994One missed target equals a one minute penalty.- 4 x 7.5 km relay :...

 
4 × 7.5 km relay  F   Russia   Germany   France
Biathlon Olympics
Biathlon at the 1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics Biathlon results.The sport of biathlon combines the skills of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.- 10 km :February 23, 1994- 20 km :February 20, 1994One missed target equals a one minute penalty.- 4 x 7.5 km relay :...

 
4 × 7.5 km relay  M   Germany   Russia   France
Cross-country Olympics
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics
-10 km:17 February 1994-15 km pursuit:19 February 1994-30 km:14 February 1994-50 km:27 February 1994-4 x 10 km relay:22 February 1994...

 
50 km C  M      
Biathlon World Cup  15 km F      
Biathlon World Cup  20 km M      
Biathlon World Cup  7.5 km F      
Biathlon World Cup  10 km M      
Biathlon World Cup  15 km F      
Biathlon World Cup  20 km M      
Biathlon World Cup  7.5 km F      
Biathlon World Cup  10 km M      
Biathlon World Cup  10 km M      
Biathlon World Cup  7.5 km F      
Biathlon World Cup  20 km M      
Biathlon World Cup  15 km F      
Combined World Cup  15 km M      
Combined World Cup  7.5 km M      
Cross-country World Cup
1999–2000 FIS Cross-Country World Cup
The 1999–2000 FIS Cross-Country World Cup began on 27 November 1999 in Kiruna, Sweden and finished on 19 March 2000 in Bormio, Italy. Johann Mühlegg of Spain won the combined men's cup, and Bente Skari of Norway won the women's.- Overall :...

 
5+5 km F      
Cross-country World Cup
1999–2000 FIS Cross-Country World Cup
The 1999–2000 FIS Cross-Country World Cup began on 27 November 1999 in Kiruna, Sweden and finished on 19 March 2000 in Bormio, Italy. Johann Mühlegg of Spain won the combined men's cup, and Bente Skari of Norway won the women's.- Overall :...

 
10+10 km M      
Combined World Cup  15 km M      
Combined World Cup  7.5 km M      
Cross-country World Cup
2001–02 FIS Cross-Country World Cup
The 2001–02 FIS Cross-Country World Cup started in Kuopio, Finland on 24 November 2001 and finished in Lillehammer, Norway on 23 March 2002. Per Elofsson of Sweden won the overall men's cup, and Bente Skari of Norway won the women's.-Men:-Women:...

 
58 km C MS F      
Cross-country World Cup
2001–02 FIS Cross-Country World Cup
The 2001–02 FIS Cross-Country World Cup started in Kuopio, Finland on 24 November 2001 and finished in Lillehammer, Norway on 23 March 2002. Per Elofsson of Sweden won the overall men's cup, and Bente Skari of Norway won the women's.-Men:-Women:...

 
58 km C MS M      
Combined World Cup  15 km M      
Combined World Cup  7.5 km M      
Combined World Cup  15 km M      
Combined World Cup  7.5 km M      
Combined World Cup
2009–10 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup
The 2009–10 Nordic Combined World Cup was an international winter sports competition organized by the FIS, consisting of combined ski jumping and cross country skiing...

 
10 km M      
Combined World Cup
2009–10 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup
The 2009–10 Nordic Combined World Cup was an international winter sports competition organized by the FIS, consisting of combined ski jumping and cross country skiing...

 
10 km M      
Combined World Cup
2010–11 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup
The 2010–11 Nordic Combined World Cup was an international winter sports competition organized by the FIS, consisting of combined ski jumping and cross-country skiing. It started on 26 November 2010 in Kuusamo, Finland and ended on 12 March 2011 in Lahti, Finland.-Individual events:-Team events...

 
10 km M      
Combined World Cup
2010–11 FIS Nordic Combined World Cup
The 2010–11 Nordic Combined World Cup was an international winter sports competition organized by the FIS, consisting of combined ski jumping and cross-country skiing. It started on 26 November 2010 in Kuusamo, Finland and ended on 12 March 2011 in Lahti, Finland.-Individual events:-Team events...

10 km M      
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