For the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, a total of thirteen sports venues were used. Val-d'Isère has been part of the Alpine Skiing World Cup since the late 1960s while Tignes served as host of the first Freestyle World Ski Championships in 1986. Most of the venues used were constructed between 1987 and mid 1990 with the test events taking place in late 1990 and early 1991. It was the last Winter Olympics with an outdoor speed skating rink which led to weather issues for three of the ten events. Three cross-country skiing events were run in snowstorms while the men's 20 km biathlon was found to be too short. The downhill events in alpine skiing were criticized for being too steep. Freestyle skiing made its official debut at these games with the men's winner being stormed after his win while the women's winner won her event in a snow storm. La Plagne hosted the skeleton World Championships in 1993 while Val-d'Isère hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships in 2009. Some of the venues will be used again during the 2030 Winter Olympics, when the main host city will be Lyon.
Venues VenueSportsCapacity Ref. L'anneau de vitesse Speed skating 10,0001992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 84-7. Accessed 5 December 2010. La halle de glace Olympique Figure skating, Short track speed skating 9,0001992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 83, 87. Accessed 5 December 2010. La Plagne Bobsleigh, Luge Not listed.1992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 92-95, 350-5. Accessed 5 December 2010. Les Arcs Speed skiing (demonstration) Not listed.1992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 96-99. Accessed 5 December 2010. Les Menuires Alpine skiing (men's slalom) Not listed.1992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 100-1. Accessed 5 December 2010. Les Saisies Biathlon, Cross-country skiing 12,5001992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 102-5. Accessed 5 December 2010. Méribel Alpine skiing (women) 3,0001992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 106-9. Accessed 5 December 2010. Méribel Ice Palace Ice hockey 6,420 Patinoire olympique de Pralognan-la-Vanoise Curling (demonstration) 2,3001992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 110-1. Accessed 5 December 2010. Théâtre des Cérémonies Ceremonies (opening/ closing) 35,000 Tignes Freestyle skiing Not listed.1992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 112–3. Accessed 5 December 2010. Tremplin du Praz Nordic combined, Ski jumping 20,000 (jumping)15,000 (Nordic combined - cross-country skiing) 1992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 88-91. Accessed 5 December 2010. Val-d'Isère Alpine skiing (men's downhill, super-giant slalom, giant slalom, and combined) Not listed.1992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 114-7. Accessed 5 December 2010.
Before the Olympics Albertville is part of the Rhône-Alpes region in France that had hosted the Winter Olympics twice with Chamonix in 1924 and Grenoble in 1968. Rhone Alpes tourism website. Accessed 5 December 2010. , & (Taiwanese) Jean-Claude Killy, the triple gold medalist in the men's alpine skiing event at the 1968 Grenoble Games, had become a successful businessman when he suggested the idea of the 1992 Winter Olympics in December 1981 to Michel Barnier, a politician in the Savoie department.1992 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 12-27. Accessed 5 December 2010. A proposal was sent to the Albertville town council six months later, followed regional studies done during 1983–5. Presentation and media operations for the bid took place from 1983 to its awarding in 1986 by the International Olympic Committee. After five rounds of voting, Albertville was selected 51-25-9 over Sofia, Bulgaria & Falun, Sweden.
Val-d'Isère had its first alpine skiing World Cup events run in December 1968.FIS-ski.com Alpine Skiing World Cup Val-d'Isere 11-12 December 1968 podium results. Accessed 5 December 2010. The Olympic test held there in December 1990 was won by 1980 Winter Olympics men's downhill gold medalist Leonhard Stock of Austria. Accessed 5 December 2010.
Tignes hosted of the first FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships in February 1986.FIS-ski.com Freestyle World Ski Championships Tignes 2-6 February 1986 results. Accessed 5 December 2010.
Construction on most of the venues took place between 1987 and mid 1990 in time for the late 1990 and early 1991 test events.1992 Winter Olympics official report. Accessed 5 December 2010. pp. 78-81, 314-7.
During the Olympics This was the last Winter Olympics in which speed skating was held outdoors.Sports-reference.com 1992 Winter Olympics speed skating overview. Accessed 5 December 2010. As a result, weather played a factor in three of the ten events run. In the women's 500 m on 10 February, the start of the event was delayed one hour the let the outdoor oval ice harden.Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). "Speed Skating, Women: 500 Meters". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 122-3. Warm weather delayed the women's 1,500 m event for an hour on the 12th.Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). "Speed Skating, Women: 1500 Meters". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 129. The following day, the men's 5,000 m event was held in a steady rain.Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Speed Skating, Men: 5000 Meters". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. Norway's Geir Karlstad, the gold medalist in the men's 5000 m, commented in the post race press conference that "I didn't like soft ice up to now, but now I do". This led to the International Skating Union passing a rule after the 1992 Winter Games stating that all Olympic speed skating competitions should be held indoors which it has been since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.
For the alpine skiing downhill courses, complaints were given that the courses were too steep.Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 188-9, 201-2. On the men's side, the complaints from downhill skiers that it was more like a super giant slalom course rather than a classical downhill course. The women's course was long and had the steepest vertical drop ever at . Further making the women's downhill a challenge was an impending snowstorm that forced race officials to move up the start time and send the skiers out at shorter-than-usual intervals. An intermittent fog also set in during the women's downhill.
Cross-country skiing had snowstorm in the men's 10 km, men's 10 km + 15 km combined pursuit, and women's 5 km events.Wallechinsky, David & Jaime Loucky (2009). The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics. London:Aurum Press Limited. pp. 230, 241, 256. Meanwhile, the course of the biathlon men's 20 km individual event was found to be too short.Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Biathlon, Men: 20 Kilometers". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 286.
The men's freestyle skiing event had France's Edgar Grospiron as its winner.Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Freestyle Skiing, Men: Moguls". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 301. Grospiron's fan broke through the security fence that lined the course to embrace the champion and hoist Grospiron on their shoulders. Meanwhile, the women's event was won by Donna Weinbrecht of the United States while skiing to an accompaniment of The Ramones' "Rock 'n' Roll High School" in a snowstorm.Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Freestyle Skiing, Women: Moguls". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 304.
After the Olympics La Plagne hosted the skeleton part of the FIBT World Championships in 1993.FIBT.com World and Olympic champions in men's skeleton: 1928-2007. Accessed 5 December 2010 (Source has 1993 listed as Albertville.). The venue was part of Annecy's unsuccessful bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics in July 2011. If selected, La Plagne would have hosted the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events.Annecy2018.com map of the proposed venues. Accessed 5 December 2010.
Val-d'Isère hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2009. Accessed 5 December 2010. The venue continues to host be a host of the annual FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.FISApline.com profile of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. Accessed 5 December 2010.
The speed skating venue was converted into an athletics and football venue after the Olympics. Halle de Glace Olympique is since 1992 in use Halle Olympique de Albertville official website. Accessed 5 December 2010. and the Théâtre des Cérémonies was dismantled following the Games, and its various parts were scattered around the world.Some venues will be used again during the 2030 Winter Olympics as part of a regional project.
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