For the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, a total of eight sports venues were used. All of the venues used were new or rebuilt. To make use of television coverage for the first time in the Winter Olympics, the cross-country skiing stadium was constructed to allow the best coverage. Five of the venues used for these games would appear in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only twenty-five years later.
Venues VenueSportsCapacity Ref. Apollonio Stadium Ice hockey 2,000The Official Report of the Organising Committee of the VIIth Winter Olympic Games 1956 at Cortina. (1956) Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). p. 133. Accessed 24 October 2010. Pista Olimpica di Bob - Eugenio Monti Bobsleigh 4,650The Official Report of the Organising Committee of the VIIth Winter Olympic Games 1956 at Cortina. (1956) CONI. pp. 175-9, 191. Accessed 24 October 2010. La pista di Misurina Speed skating 8,550The Official Report of the Organising Committee of the VIIth Winter Olympic Games 1956 at Cortina. (1956) CONI. pp. 180-88, 191. Accessed 24 October 2010. Stadio Olimpico Del Ghiaccio Figure skating, Ice hockey (final) 12,042The Official Report of the Organising Committee of the VIIth Winter Olympic Games 1956 at Cortina. (1956) CONI. pp. 124-32, 191. Accessed 24 October 2010. Lo Stadio della neve Nordic combined, Cross-country skiing 9,650The Official Report of the Organising Committee of the VIIth Winter Olympic Games 1956 at Cortina. (1956) CONI. pp. 155-63, 191. Accessed 24 October 2010. Mount Faloria (Ilio Colli Run) Alpine skiing (men's giant slalom) 7,920The Official Report of the Organising Committee of the VIIth Winter Olympic Games 1956 at Cortina. (1956) CONI. pp. 165-79, 191. Accessed 24 October 2010. Mount Tofana di Mezzo (Olimpia run) Alpine skiing (men's downhill) 9,830 Mount Tofana di Mezzo (Canalone run) Alpine skiing (women's downhill), (women's giant slalom) 6,760 Col Drusciè (A run) Alpine skiing (men's slalom), (women's slalom) 12,080 (men), 6,760 (women) Trampolino Olimpico Italia Ski jumping, Nordic combined (ski jumping) 46,152The Official Report of the Organising Committee of the VIIth Winter Olympic Games 1956 at Cortina. (1956) CONI. pp. 137-55, 191. Accessed 24 October 2010.
Before the Olympics Cortina has been a tourist resort since the mid-1800s and quickly became internationally known due to frequent visits by European nobility.Cortina History Accessed 1 December 2013 Following World War I, Cortina emerged as a sports venue. The first World Championship hosted was the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 1927. Accessed 24 October 2010. The city would host the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships five years later.FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Cortina d'Ampezzo 1 February 1932. Accessed 24 October 2010.
Bobsleigh was first introduced in Cortina in 1905 though the first track long would not be completed until eighteen years later. It made its international debut in 1928 during the International University Winter Games (now part of the Winter Universiade). The track would be rebuilt in 1936 to meet the standards of other tracks in St. Moritz, Switzerland and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. It hosted it first Bobsleigh World Championships (FIBT) in 1937 in the two-man event.FIBT.com Men's World Championships and Olympic Games: 1924-2007 results. Accessed 24 October 2010. The track was renovated again in 1948 after World War II where all of the turns were rebuilt and the track was lengthened to long and 16 turns. World Championships between 1937 and the 1956 Games took place in 1939 (four-man), 1950, and 1954. Cortina was awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics in 1939, but the games were cancelled due to World War II.The Official Report of the Organising Committee of the VIIth Winter Olympic Games 1956 at Cortina. (1956) CONI. p. 80. Accessed 24 October 2010.
During the Olympics Lo Stadio della neve () was one of the first venues constructed to meet the needs of television station RAI, Italy's national broadcaster. The Stadium was constructed in an oblong area in an east-west direction with the Grand Stands facing south.
Prior to the construction of La pista di Misurna (), the International Skating Union (ISU) had expressed concern over the upkeep, but after a test event the year before the 1956 Games, changed their minds. A sports official for the ISU later stated that the track was easier to maintain than that of Davos, Switzerland even though the track was made of natural ice.
After the Olympics When Squaw Valley, California in the United States did not construct a bobsleigh track for the 1960 Winter Olympics, the track served as host for the bobsleigh World Championships in 1960. The death of West German bobsledder Toni Pensperger at the FIBT World Championships 1966 during the four-man event forced the track to improve safety standards. Another Bobsleigh World Championships would not take place until 1981. During the 1981 championships, American bobsledder James Morgan was killed during the four-man event.Sports-reference.com profile of James Morgan. Accessed 24 October 2010. After Morgan's death, and the death of a stuntman during the filming of the James Bond 1981 film For Your Eyes Only, the track length was reduced to and 13 curves.FIBT track profile of Cortina d'Ampezzo. Accessed 24 October 2010. The track would host the Bobsleigh World Championships twice more in 1989 and 1999. Following the death of Cortina native Eugenio Monti in December 2003, the track was renamed in Monti's honor. Accessed 24 October 2010. In June 2007, the track was selected to host the 2011 world championships. The track withdrew their hosting of the 2011 championships in February 2009 due to issues with the city of Cortina over the track itself. (28 February 2009 accessed 24 October 2010.) The bobsleigh track is current inactive, but can be re-activated when needed.
The ski jump was used as a World Cup venue six times between 1979 and 1985. Accessed 24 October 2010. Its last World Cup competition in 1985 was won by Norway's Roger Ruud.FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Cortina d'Ampezzo men's individual normal hill results. Accessed 24 October 2010. The last known competition of any kind at the jump took place in 1990.Skisprungschanzen profile of the Cortina ski jump. Accessed 24 October 2010.
Stadio Olympica is open to the general public and also serves as home to SG Cortina's ice hockey team.Dolomiti.org profile of the ice stadium. Accessed 24 October 2010. S.G. Cortina official website. Accessed 24 October 2010.
Cortina was first used as an alpine skiing World Cup event in 1981. It was an annual stop for women's alpine skiing from the 1992–93 to the 2008–09 seasons.FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup history of Cortina d'Ampezzo. Accessed 24 October 2010.
Besides the bobsleigh track in For Your Eyes Only, other venues that appear in the movie are the ski jump, Tofane, Apollonino Stadium, and Stadio Olympica.Movie-locations.com profile of For Your Eyes Only. 23 March 2009 article accessed 24 October 2010.
The only venue to be demolished was the temporary Lo Stadio della neve with all other venues still existing or in use.
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