New lease on life for Calgary's Olympic Oval
The Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary is getting some much-needed TLC.
The federal government has revised the trust arrangement under which the facility has been operated since it was built for the 1988 Olympic Winter Games.
Instead of relying on interest payments from the Olympic Endowment Fund, which was also created for the '88 Games, the oval will receive a $10 million withdrawal from the fund to address immediate infrastructure needs.
Olympic Oval director Kameron Kiland said that after the 2008 economic downturn, the interest they were working off of dwindled to nothing.
The oval survived by cutting staff and operating hours, and finding support from the university and Canada's Own the Podium Olympic program.
Now, priority No. 1 is fixing a leaky roof, which allows water to drip onto the ice and is a safety concern for skaters.
"It was just like making little mountains of water, and when you're going 60 clicks an hour around corners and you step on one of those little imperfections on the ice … something has to give," said Marcel Lacroix, associate director of long track speed skating at the oval. "[Whether] it's a femur, [whether] it's an ankle. So for us it was quite dangerous."
Under the restructuring, WinSport Canada — the non-profit organization that oversees operations at the oval — will also receive $2.4 million annually to continue athlete and coaching development.
"This building and the people inside it helped lead me to four Olympic Games and three Olympic medals," said Catriona Le May Doan, veteran speed skater and associate director of the oval.
"It wasn't just the coaches and the coaching staff, but the staff at the oval. The icemakers: they're so good I even decided to marry one of them."
Over the years, more than 35 athletes who trained at the facility have stood on Olympic medal podiums.
The new funding model will allow the oval to operate for at least 20 more years.
The facility boasts a 400-metre ice surface for long-track skating and two rinks used for hockey and short-track, as well as a weight room and track and field facilities.