Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium Explained

Hill Name:Ōkurayama
大倉山ジャンプ競技場
City:Miyanomori area,
Chūō-ku, Sapporo,
Hokkaidō, Japan
Opened:1931
Renovated:1953, 1970, 1982,
1986, 1996, 1998,
2007
K-Spot:120 m (plastic)
123 m (snow)
Hill Size:134 m (plastic)
137 m (snow)
Longest Jump:148.5 m (487 ft)
Kamil Stoch
(26 January 2019)
Hill Record:148.5 m (487 ft)
Kamil Stoch
(26 January 2019)
Olympics:1972
World Championships:2007
World Cup:1980-1982,
1984-1992,
1994-2017,
2019-2020

The, also known as the is a ski jumping venue located in the Miyanomori area in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Owned mostly by Sapporo City,[1] the ski jump is on the eastern slope of the Mt. Okura. The stadium has hosted a number of winter sports events including 1972 Winter Olympics and FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007. The area of stadium consists of the Winter Sports Museum, the Ōkurayama Crystal House, and the Mt. Okura Observation Platform, as well as the ski jump.

The stadium has area of 8.2 ha[1] which houses 50,000 people at a maximum during a competition, and the ski jump is categorized as the large hill jump. The total height of the jump hill from the top starting point to the bottom of the slope is 133 metres, also the distance to the K-spot (critical point) is 120 metres.[2]

History

In 1931, the Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium was constructed by Kishichiro Okura with an advice and financial aid of Prince Chichibu, a brother of Hirohito, and was donated to Sapporo after the completion. Another name "Ōkurayama-Schanze" originated with the inauguration ceremony in 1931, when the mayor of Sapporo at that time, Masaharu Hashimoto, named the ski jump as "Ōkura Schanze" after its founder. The term schanze means ski jump in German. The jump and stadium ware designed by Olaf Helset, the president of the Norwegian ski federation.[1]

The stadium was renovated with the national expenditure in 1970, which was to suit in coming 1972 Winter Olympics. After the renovation, the stadium had the K-spot at the point of 110 metres, and was capable of housing 50,000 people.[1] At the same time, the word "yama" ("the mountain" in Japanese) was added to its name, thus the stadium was called the "Ōkurayama Jampu Kyōgijō" (Mt. Okura Ski Jump Stadium) . For the 1972 Winter Olympics, the ski jump was the venue of 90 metres class ski jumping competition.[3]

The ski jump was remodeled many times under advice from the International Ski Federation, and the ski lift toward top of the mountain in 1982, and the distance of the K-spot was extended to 115 metres in 1986, and 120 metres in 1996.

The stadium has been under the jurisdiction of the government of Japan until 1995, when it was switched as a facility under the control of Sapporo. In 1998, the ski jump in the stadium was remodeled to include the Summer Hill, a ski jump which enables skiers to jump even in the summer. Also the ski lift was extended, and lighting was installed for night competitions. In 2005, the monument of the Ballad of the Rainbow and Snow, the theme song of 1972 Winter Olympics, was erected.

Overview

The Mt. Okura Ski Jump Stadium is one of the venues of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and also one of the few 90 metre class jumping hills throughout the world.[2] The maximum inclination of the Approach Slope, the area from the starting point to the take-off ramp with 101 metres, is 35 degrees, and the Landing Slope, the area drew lines of P-spot and K-spot, is 37 degrees.[2] The P-spot was displayed by the blue line on the slope, which indicates the standard points for landing of ski jumping, while the K-spot is partitioned by the red line, and is designated as the area which gives ski jumpers additional points in the case of successful landing.

Visitors must use the moving staircase from the parking lot to the place where the stadium is located. The Ōkurayama Crystal House, a building which houses a souvenir shop and a restaurant, is located near the entrance, and the Winter Sports Museum is located in the other side. The construction of the museum was completed in December 1999, and opened to the public on April 22, 2000.[1] It has 3 stories, and exhibits a number of materials related to the history of skiing, instruments, and media contents. To reach at the Mt. Okura Observation Platform located on the top of the ski jump, it is required to buy tickets to ride the lift toward the Observation Platform at the shop in front of the Ōkurayama Crystal House. Another route, a trail leading to the platform on the side of the ski jump, is also available. The places for observation are located both in the second and third floor, and visitors enjoy the view of the entire ski jump and Sapporo city from a height of 300 metres.[4]

Hill record

Unofficial or absolute records are all jumps that were at that time longer than official records but set in a lower circuit competitions such as continental cup, nationals etc., not actually counting.

Official

DateMetresFeet
1932 Kenji Hama 34.0 112
1932 Shiro Yamada 44.5 146
1932 Shunji Tatta 47.0 154
1932 Kenji Hama 48.0 157
1932 Kinya Kojima 49.5 162
1932 Shigetada Matsuyama 51.5 169
1933 Takeo Asagi 56.0 184
1934 Shunji Tatta 61.5 202
1934 Masaji Iguro 67.0 220
1937 Noboru Hoshino 70.0 230
1938 Gor Adachi 70.0 230
1939 Fumio Asagi 79.0 259
1952 Shibono Hiroaki 84.0 276
1955 Hiroji Yoshizawa 86.5 284
1956 Sadao Kikuchi 87.0 285
1957 Koichi Sato 90.0 295
1957 Sadao Kikuchi 91.0 299
1958 Koichi Sato 92.0 302
1961 Takashi Matsui 94.0 308
1962 Sadao Kikuchi 94.0 308
1963 Sadao Kikuchi 102.0 308
1964 Sadao Kikuchi 103.5 340
1969 104.0 341
DateMetresFeet
11 February 1972 111.0 364
12 January 1980 113.0 371
12 January 1980 113.5 371
12 January 1980 114.0 374
22 January 1984 114.0 374
26 January 1986 120.0 394
25 January 1987 121.0 397
15 December 1991 122.0 400
20 December 1992 122.0 400
23 January 1994 125.0 410
19 January 1997 126.0 413
19 January 1997 129.0 423
19 January 1997 134.5 441
23 January 1999 135.5 445
24 January 1999 139.0 456
25 January 2003 139.0 456
6 February 2005 139.0 456
22 January 2006 140.0 459
26 January 2014 140.0 459
25 January 2015 140.0 459
29 January 2016 141.0 463
31 January 2016 141.5 464
31 January 2016 143.5 471
12 February 2017 144.0 472
12 February 2017 144.0 472
26 January 2019 148.5 487

Unofficial

DateMetresFeet
7 January 1971   112.5 369
20 March 1971   Akitsugo Konno 114.5 376
13 January 1974   115.0 377
16 January 1977   115.5 379
15 January 1978   Bjarne Næs 118.0 387
7 March 1982   119.0 390
16 February 1985   122.5 402
14 January 1990   123.5 405
11 January 1992   123.5 405
7 March 1992   123.5 405
24 January 1993   124.5 408
29 January 1994   127.0 417
30 January 1994   135.0 443
9 March 1997   138.0 453
1 February 1998   138.5 454
1 February 1998   140.5 461
13 January 2002   141.0 463
25 March 2005   145.0 476
11 January 2010   145.0 476
21 January 2012   145.5 477
21 January 2012   146.0 479
18 January 2015   146.5 481

Access

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: the history of the Mt. Okura Ski Jump Stadium . 2007-10-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071024015006/http://www.sapporo-dc.co.jp/okurayama/mame/mame_main.html . 2007-10-24 . dead .
  2. http://web.city.sapporo.jp/nordic/okurayama-e.html Webcity Sapporo, The Mecca of Ski Jumping, Home to Many Ski Jumpers The History and Profile of Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium
  3. http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1972/orw1972.pdf 1972 Winter Olympics official report.
  4. http://www.sapporo-dc.co.jp/eng/okurayama/tenboudai/tenboudai_lounge.html The Mt. Okura Observation Platform, Observation Lounge