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From the Olympics Toward Tomorrow
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Figure Skating / Short Track Speed Skating Venue
Construction of "White Ring," the Figure Skating/Short Track Speed Skating
Venue for the '98 Nagano Winter Olympics located in Mashima, Nagano City was
completed by Nagano City on Mar. 29, 1996. It was the second facility
following the Ice Hockey Stadium A (Big Hat) to be completed as a venue for
Olympic Events in Nagano City.White Ring is located on a site of approximately 6 hectares. The dome-shaped main stadium is a steel-reinforced concrete 3 floor construction with a floor space of 16,000 square meters, and is 40 m high. The stadium was constructed to resemble a drop of water, in harmony with the surrounding paddy fields. A practice rink (3,500 square meters) was also constructed on the northwest side of the main stadium. Construction started in September 1993, and the total cost of the project was 14.8 billion yen.
The main stadium features a 30 x 60 m rink. The rink will be iced as for test in December. The second and third floors seat a total of 5,300 spectators, and electronic display boards are installed in two locations. The rink was designed so that it can be covered with a wooden floor so the facility can be used for indoor sports other than skating.
After the Games, the plan is to use the Venue as a sports facility for residents, and the formal name will be "Mashima Sports Arena." A 300-space car park is currently under construction.
 East Japan Figure Skating Championships (Dec. 14, 1996) |
 Short Track Speed Skating World Championships (Mar. 29, 1997) |
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Copyright 1999 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun