2pints-mate 0 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I noticed the little hut with the Olympic rings, but I'd have thought there would have been more of an Olympic feel to Happo when I was there. There wasn't that much (that I was aware of anyway). Wasn't there a problem before the Olympics about the length of the main downhill course as well - the Olympic people wanted it to start higher up or something but the Japanese said it couldn't go into some national park area or something. Can someone remind me of that? Link to post Share on other sites
ausi ski bum 1 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Most Olympic venues have to remove the references to the Olymics after the event, even the venues in Sydney have very little sign that they were an Olympic stadium. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted June 2, 2007 Author Share Posted June 2, 2007 Really. Now that is interesting. Why is that? I would have thought that it would be one thing they could use forever if they had been the venue... Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Some places really stay in the mind. NAGANO. SAPPORO. BEIJING. Link to post Share on other sites
ausi ski bum 1 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 They are not allowed to look like an Olympic venue after the event so the following city remains unique, for example the torch used has to be removed, Sydney turned theirs into a fountain near the stadium. Link to post Share on other sites
samurai 0 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 maybe the torch has to be removed, but if you ever visit Squaw Valley, USA, you'll see huge olympic rings at the entrance to the parking lot. Every visitor who puts Squaw on their tourist list knows it was an Olympic venue. Same is true with the Hannenkahm. (which Zao so conviently named a run of thiers...) Surely the torch has to be removed, but I have visited many other places that also ran downhills, etc. Surely starting gates are removed, but any resort that fails to use their Olympic venue as a marketing ploy sincerely lacks any marketing skills whatsoever. I'll say it again; Nagano SERIOUSLY dropped the ball. You visit Nagano and you'll see rusty, empty buildings... and no skiers there because that destination has an Olympic quality. I'm sorry, but Japan is not doing a good job of reminding people that they have world-class, olympic-quality venues. Link to post Share on other sites
fb_steve 0 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I noticed in Nagano the stage where the athletes received their medals is now a carkpark, with the stage and 1st/2nd/3rd stands all still there. Really meant to get a photo of that it made me laugh. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 The big problem with the Olympics here was, that they were held at the peak or near the peak of the bubble bursting. Very hard to make things work when the country is flat dead broke. The womens start hut is still up. Link to post Share on other sites
@tokyo 14 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Surely the Olympic people have some say in all that or do they accept that 'the country is broke'? What about the course - did they extend it in the end or was there a compromise? Link to post Share on other sites
TJ OZ 0 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 The olympic sign that was constantly shown on the television during the telecast of events is still there and looking good. Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Compromise Reached on Olympic Course Tuesday, December 2, 1997 Though there has been no official comment, a compromise has allegedly been reached in the more than five-year battle between Japanese officials and the governing body of skiing over the length of the men's Olympic downhill course in Nagano, Japan. On Monday, the NAOC (Nagano Olympic Organizing Committee) allegedly agreed to lengthen the downhill course by 279 feet to 5,791 feet. The International Ski Federation (FIS) has been demanding the course be extended to 5,906 feet. FIS had contended the existing course was too short and not of Olympic caliber. The change would increase the race times by 15 to 20 seconds. The NAOC has, until now, remained steadfast in its refusal to lengthen the course as the new starting point would encroach on national park land, thus breaking Japanese law. FIS had not accepted this argument because recreational skiing has all along been allowed in the area and it says the new start would border, not be in, the park land. Last month, the NAOC responded by proposing a ban on the recreational skiing. This "Band-Aid" response to the debate caused FIS president Marc Hodler to threaten to remove all disciplines of skiing from the February Nagano Games. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Thanks stemik interesting. I'm surprised rather important details like that aren't finalised when a place gets awarded the games. Link to post Share on other sites
samurai 0 Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Nonetheless, Nagano IS world class skiing. Yet, their marketing to the outside world is crap. They completely dropped the ball in their olymic debut. They didn't attract visitors. And for that... they rust. The travel industry could give a rat's ass about a few meters living up to FIS regulations. Give me a break. "We can't fill our hotels because our downhill isn't long enough." Yeah, right. Link to post Share on other sites
pjem 0 Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 I can`t recall anyone actually suggesting as such...... Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I'm surprised too muikabochi. Surely they thrased out details like that. Did anyone go back on any word given out earlier? Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 Which is that sign TJ OZ? Link to post Share on other sites
Roger's head 0 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 The only signs I have seen are on that road entrance to Wadanomori (?) and at the bottom of the ski jump. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Originally Posted By: ausi ski bum They are not allowed to look like an Olympic venue after the event so the following city remains unique, for example the torch used has to be removed, Sydney turned theirs into a fountain near the stadium. Atlanta still has the Olympic park...I am proud to say I own a brick in that park too... Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 my memory is fuzzy, but i'm pretty sure nakiska (88 winter olympics in calgary) retains alot of the olympic feel. when we were there they had quite alot of slalom-style courses etc pegged out, but olympic signage everywhere. it was fast and icy. we left after an hour and went to fortress instead Link to post Share on other sites
skidaisuki 0 Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 The best consequence of the Olympics for Nagano was the shinkansen - a massively costly luxury given the amount that it is now used (though of course people like Fattwins and his fellow lodge operators, as well as users like me, obviously appreciate it). Fatts - I always had the peak of the bubble around the early 90s, which was when the Nikkei started plummeting and property values crashed. By 1998 the recession was well and truly under way... Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 The olympic flags on the road. the sign board. the ski jump rings etc. The peak of the ski bubble really popped for hakuba after the games. The shink is good and bad. When the roads and transport were bad more people tended to stay longer. For overseas vistors though getting here easy is a must. Link to post Share on other sites
miller 1 Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 I'm sure I read that they expect the Nagano Shinkansen to be used much more when the new section to it opens in however many years time. I think they said it will take business away from the Niigata stretch of the Joetsu. Link to post Share on other sites
@tokyo 14 Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 Yes I think they do, it will be more useful when it is connected up. The Joetsu meanwhile just goes through Niigata once it gets past Takasaki. Link to post Share on other sites
Snow-Woman 0 Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 During the olympics were the resorts open for normal guests at all? Were any of you Hakuba dudes there during that time? Link to post Share on other sites
1 4 Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I'm not best to answer this but seeing as though none of the Hakuba peeps are shouting up. Yes I remember the resorts/courses that weren't being used being open and not crowded.. possibly people thought it would be packed out and avoided but it wasn't. Link to post Share on other sites
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