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From the Olympics Toward Tomorrow
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Cross-Country Venue
The completion ceremony for the Nagano Olympic venue "Hakuba Cross-Country Skiing Venue (Snow Harp)" in Kamishiro, Hakuba Village, Kita-Azumi-gun, was held on Nov. 28, 1996 on site. The total length of the courses is 18.6 km, and is a "model venue that has been made compact and that Japan can be proud of," according to Mr. Akira Wada, Cross-Country Course Certification Inspector for the Federation International de Ski.
The Cross-Country Course site covers an area of 38.6 hectares. In addition to the circuit course within the main stadium, there are A and B courses which are 4.8 km long, and the C course which is 7.8 km long. As the three courses are combined in the competitions, competitors return to the main stadium on a number of occasions, making it more exciting for spectators.
The control building which acts as the base for running the events is a three stored steel-framed concrete structure, with a floor area of 1271 square meters. During the Olympics the Nagano Olympic Organizing Committee (NAOC) will establish a site office, and a doping control room will also be established.
Construction started on the village in August 1994. The venue cost approximately 7 billion yen, of which 3.3 billion yen came from national and prefectural government grants.
Hakuba Village announced that they decided that the nickname for the Olympic venue "Hakuba Cross-Country Skiing Venue" (Kamishiro, Hakuba Village) would be "Snow Harp." After inviting applications from throughout the country, they chose the creation of Masako Kuriyama (aged 62) from Kamishiro, Hakuba Village.
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Copyright 1999 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun