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From the Olympics Toward Tomorrow

Shinano Mainichi

Speed skating Venue

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"M-Wave" (Asahi/Mamejima, Nagano City), the Speed Skating venue for the '98 Nagano Winter Olympics was completed on Nov. 21, 1996, and handed over from the construction company to Nagano City. It was the fourth Olympic Event Facility to be completed within Nagano City.

The upper section of the building is steel-framed, while the lower section is steel-reinforced concrete, with three floors above ground, and one below, and a total floor area of 73,000 square meters. The roof is a suspended roof which uses a laminate of Japanese larch, and the overall shape is like an M, representing the mountains of the Shinshu area. The total cost of construction, including the cost of the site was 33.7 billion yen.

The Arena (with an area of 17,200 square meters) has a 400 m track, and an ice-hockey rink 30 m long and 60 m across. Records and images of events are displayed on two large screens measuring 4 m high by 9 m wide. The stadium seats 6,500 people, and for the Olympics will hold 10,000. There are also 910 car parking spaces.

M-Wave has an expected annual maintenance expense of 524,000,000 yen, and post-Olympic use is an issue which must be addressed. The City set up a new third sector company to which they have entrusted management of the facility, and this company is currently reviewing using it as an ice arena in Winter, and as a multi-purpose facility in other seasons. There are also ideas about attracting a national level training center in order to obtain financial support from the national government.

The city opened the facility up to the public from December 1, 1996. The cost of skating is 1,500 yen for adults and 800 yen for primary and junior high school students. Entry to the center without skating is 500 yen for adults and \100 for primary and junior high school students.

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Copyright 1999 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun