Ричмонд Олимпиадалық овал: Құрылысы, тарихы және қолданылуы

The Richmond Olympic Oval is an indoor multi sports arena in the Canadian city of Richmond, British Columbia. The oval was built for the 2010 Winter Olympics and was originally configured with a speed skating rink. The venue has since been reconfigured and now serves as a community multi sport park and includes two ice hockey rinks, two running tracks, a climbing wall, a rowing tank and a flexible area which can be used for, among other sports, basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer and table tennis. The Olympic bid called for the oval to be located on the grounds of Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, but Richmond was instead selected in 2004. Although twice the price of the SFU alternative, the location was selected because the city offered to cover all costs exceeding $60 million. Construction started in 2006, cost $178 million CAD and the venue opened on 12 December 2008. In addition to speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the venue has hosted the 2009 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships. Designed by CannonDesign, the oval's elements are made to resemble the heron.

Work on Vancouver's bid process started in 1998 by the Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Bid Society, replaced by the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation in 2002. SFU started planning their grounds as a potential speed skating oval in 2000, SFU pledged to finance $5 million of the venue, in addition to the land. The 2010 Games Operating Trust was established in November 2002 with a capital of $110 million, equally financed by the provincial and federal governments, to subsidize post Olympic operation of selected venues. Forty percent of the payouts would be used to cover the operating costs of the speed skating oval. The bid book called for the speed skating oval to be located on the premises of Simon Fraser University atop Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby. This would result in both of Greater Vancouver's major universities receiving a new sports venue, as the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre ice hockey rink would be built at the University of British Columbia. The bid book cited a construction cost of $63.7 million, which would give a arena and met all requirements for speed skating at the Olympics. The post Olympic operating costs of the oval, along with the Whistler Sliding Centre and Whistler Olympic Park, were according to the bid book to be covered by $71 million endowment trust. The legacy plans for the venue were to convert it to a multi sports park, with the speed skating track being removed. VANOC announced on 17 August 2004 that they had selected Richmond as the site of the Olympic oval. VANOC stated that in addition to a cost cap, the Richmond alternative featured better transport, as it would be located on the SkyTrain's Canada Line. The city allocated its funding for the venue from several sources: $50 million in revenue sharing with River Rock Casino Resort, $54 million from the nearby real estate development, and the remainder from sponsorships and fees on near by projects. The venue's main architect was Bob Johnston, of Canon Design, who had previously worked on the Olympic Oval in Calgary and the Utah Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City. A feng shui consultant was used during the design process as its implementation is important to the large Chinese Canadian population in Richmond. The initial design cost $206 million, but this was cut back by removing features. One that was kept was an underground parking lot under the venue, which increased construction cost by $23 million. The city split the construction work into 23 separate contracts. The city sent delegations to sixteen ovals around the world, costing $459,000. It was topped off on spending $120,000 to send nine officials, including the mayor and a councilor, to attend the 2006 Winter Olympics. The plot of land next to the venue was placed for sale during the development. Initially asking for $40 million, the lot was sold for $141 million. Additional land was bought by developers, resulting in the oval being surrounded by luxury condos. The neighborhood was planned to be pedestrian friendly, and there were no at grade parking. The River Green project is part of Richmond's plan to become more urban and less suburban and build up community centers, backed with the arrival of the Canada Line. A 2005 geological report concluded that the venue would have geological challenges, similar to those which had been used as argument to move them from Burnaby Mountain. The venue is built in a river delta on top of up to of silt, and the report warned that despite the design measures, significant seismic activity prior to the Olympics could mean that the venue bed would not be flat enough. The International Skating Union only allows a deviation of per of track, and along the entire course. VANOC's official back up plan was, in case of a major earthquake, to move speed skating events to Calgary. Construction began with the compressing of the ground, which included bolstering two thousand columns of rock down and the piling of of sand on the site. A December 2005 report found that this was not sufficient, resulting in franki piles also being installed. To finance this, $1.9 million was cut by reducing the building's width by To minimize the risk of flooding, the height of the dike between the venue and the river was raised from
Construction required the pouring of of concrete, the use of 5,600 tonnes of steel and 305 board kilometers (one million board feet) of pine beetle wood. The roof was completed in January 2008, but in April fungi and algae were discovered in the lower insulation layer of the roof. To get at the area, seventy percent of the roof's membrane needed to be detached and replaced. The replacement cost $2 million, with the city claiming the amount compensated from the contractor. When the venue opened on 12 December 2008, it was the last of the Olympic venues to be completed. The Richmond Olympic Oval Corporation was created as a municipal corporation in 2010, with the sole purpose of operating the venue. Following the Olympics, the venue was transformed into a community multi sports park, which opened in April 2010. Bleachers for 800 spectators were sold to be used for the Vancouver Island University gymnasium. Costing $300,000 new, they were sold for $4000.

The facility is located on at 6111 River Road in Richmond, immediately south of Vancouver, on the south shore of the Fraser River. The oval's roof uses pine beetle damaged wood, which was selected as a showpiece to aid the use of a material which has caused a negative economic impact in many British Columbia communities. The building received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. Environmental design includes the capture of rain water on the roof and the recycling of waste heat energy from the refrigeration system for the ice surfaces. The oval is within walking distance of Lansdowne Station on the SkyTrain's Canada Line. Alternatively, the venue can be reached using the C94 bus, which connects to Richmond–Brighouse Station. The venue is in the immediate vicinity of Vancouver International Airport. The other three entries nominated for the award were the roof of Wimbledon Centre Court, the elephant house at the Copenhagen Zoo, and Beijing National Stadium (also known as the Bird's Nest) used for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

Prior to the venue being official opened, there were international World Cup trials conducted from 17 to 20 October 2008. Major post Olympic events include the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships, the 2011 World Masters Badminton Championships and 2012 ISKF National Karate Championship.

The Richmond Olympic Oval is located at above mean sea level (AMSL). The higher air pressure compared to high elevation venues means that the venue will have slow ice, with the organizers not expecting any world records to be beaten during the Olympics. Three Olympic records were set in the oval; As of 2013, the Richmond Olympic Oval is ranked as the world's eleventh fastest ice. + Track records Distance Gender Skater Nationality Time Date Note 500 m Men Lee Kang seok South Korea 34.80 2009 — 1000 m Men Shani Davis United States 1:08.94 2010 — 1500 m Men Mark Tuitert Netherlands 1:45.57 2010 — 3000 m Men Sven Kramer Netherlands 3:40.51 2010 5000 m Men Sven Kramer Netherlands 6:14.60 2010 Olympic record 10000 m Men Sven Kramer Netherlands 12:55.32 2009 — Team pursuit8 laps Men Jan BlokhuijsenSven KramerMark Tuitert Netherlands 3:39.95 2010 Olympic record 500 m Women Jenny Wolf Germany 37.72 2009 — 1000 m Women Christine Nesbitt Canada 1:16.28 2009 — 1500 m Women Christine Nesbitt Canada 1:56.89 2009 3000 m Women Martina Sáblíková Czech Republic 4:02.53 2010 — 5000 m Women Martina Sáblíková Czech Republic 6:50.92 2010 — Team pursuit6 laps Women Kristina GrovesChristine NesbittBrittany Schussler Canada 2:58.25 2009 —