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Montreal 1976


LA84

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I dont know, the only thing I found about it was that:

"The outer skin of the dome burned off in 1980 but the dome still stands, currently housing a science museum on the theme of water" (Wikipedia)

Event_expo_67_united_states_pavilion.jpg

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That's true.  The old US pavillion (which was very popular with visitors to Expo but generally hated by Americans) is now called the Biosphere and is dedicated to the environment.

Another Expo site still in use is the French pavillion, now the Montreal Casino.

As for the Montreal Tower, it will probably not face the wrecking ball, as it was recently leased to a consortium for 99 years - they are renovating the upper floors for office space.

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I think it was awful that Montreal didn't make the impact that it would have if the facilities were done on time. I'm from Barbados and never visited Montreal but I have heard that it is really beautiful.

I think Canada should be given the chance to redeem itself after Montreal. Somehow, I get the feeling that Canada must do something spectacular if the world is to notice it once more, like the way Expo 67 did.

It's a crying shame that  Toronto has been shut of hosting the Summer Olympic Games since it is such a stunning and sophiticated city. I visited  a while back when i was a boy and the sight of the CN Tower piercing the sky was awe inspiring for me. I have never seen anything like that before anywhere! Very few cities with Toronto's population of eight million can boast of being so resident friendly.

If Toronto should host the games, and I really think it should, I am very confident that it will surpass Sydney by light years! But timing is everything and it seems those in charge of Toronto's future bid/s should look closely at when the time is right for North America to host the games. They should also try to bid for the Commonwealth games and Pan Am games and so on, to test themselves. I really do hope Toronto gets the games in 2020 and show the world how great it is and how wonderful canada is.

:laughlong:

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You can't compare Munich 1972/Montreal 1976 to 9-11/Athens 2004. Completely different situations, history didn't repeat itself.

Munich 72 was an internal attack using the Olympics as its springboard. It could be said problems facing Montreal 1976 were a direct result of this, but not entirely. They were workers strikes, weren't they? Nothing to do with terrorism or security related issues.

Athens 2004 was in trouble long before those planes hit the twin towers. The two issues were completely irrelevant. Lucky Athens pulled itself togeather and will deliver a marvellous games.

Remember, Barcelona 92 was one of the most successful Games ever, and Atlanta followed four years earlier. Seats were still being screwed into place in the main stadium days before Bill Clinton opened the 1996 Olympics.

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The only correlation I was drawing was after Munich, Montreal was forced to pay more for security then it probably would have had Munich not happened.

Same with Athens.  I am sure that after 9/11 the security budget skrocketed.

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In case you were ever wondering why they chose a design with a stadium and tower at Montreal's Olympic complex, the answer is pretty simple....Mayor Drapeau.

For the Olympics, Montreal required a new stadium.  While the IOC required an open air stadium for athletics, Montreal's after Games use for the stadium (baseball, concerts, big events) required that it have some form of protection against the harsh winters of the region.  Hence, the idea of a retractable roof.

Now while this would be the worlds first fully retractable roof stadium, there were other technologies available in the 1970's that could have made for a much simpler mechanism that what was installed at Stade Olympique.  Except that Drapeau wanted an architectural masterpiece and more than that, he wanted a tower.

At Expo 67, Drapeau wanted to build a tower that would be a 20th Century Icon for Montreal combining the height of the Eiffle Tower and the lean of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  The initial plan called for a 325m (1066ft) tall, slender monument to be built near Expo and represent the 325th anniversary of the founding of the city.  It would curve upward and lean over the city.  But it was never built due to the high proposed costs and the large amount of construction needed for Expo.

e001096689.jpg

So when the IOC awarded the Olympics to Montreal in 1970, Drapeau saw his opportunity to re-invent these modest self-financing Games and build his long coveted tower for the city and people of Montreal.  Although, it would be done by the time of the city's 345th anniversary.

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e001096689.jpg

So when the IOC awarded the Olympics to Montreal in 1970, Drapeau saw his opportunity to re-invent these modest self-financing Games and build his long coveted tower for the city and people of Montreal.  Although, it would be done by the time of the city's 345th anniversary.

That is so interesting.  I had never heard that story.

I really have never studied Drapeau, but I am starting to sense that after the success of Expo '67 and Montreal becoming known as the premier city of Canada that he might have developed a Napolean complex in preparing for '76.

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Oh, almost forgot.  One of the zaniest ideas for Expo 67 was to "borrow" the Eiffle Tower for the 6 month World's Fair and put it up in Montreal.  The estimated cost was $12 million...much cheaper than building a tower.  The deal was almost struck, except at the last minute that the owners of the Eiffle Tower backed out over fears that if they moved the tower, they might not be allowed to reassemble it Paris.

Drapeau really wanted that tower!

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Oh, almost forgot.  One of the zaniest ideas for Expo 67 was to "borrow" the Eiffle Tower for the 6 month World's Fair and put it up in Montreal.  The estimated cost was $12 million...much cheaper than building a tower.  The deal was almost struck, except at the last minute that the owners of the Eiffle Tower backed out over fears that if they moved the tower, they might not be allowed to reassemble it Paris.

Drapeau really wanted that tower!

:shocked:  LMAO!....but that would be cool....

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Montreal Opening Ceremony - Highlights

Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm on July 17, 1976, trumpeters sound out the call at Stade Olympique as the flags of the 132 member countries of the IOC are hoisted.

The announcer calls out “Mesdames, messieurs, Sa Majesté la Reine. Ladies and gentlemen, Her Majesty the Queen.”  The 73,000 in attendance cheer on the arrival of the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, and her son, Prince Andrew.  IOC President Lord Killanin, COJO President Roger Rousseau, and other dignitaries greet the Queen in the Royal Box.  The Queen is seated next to Jules Léger, Governor General of Canada.

The 8,200 athletes from the 94 participating nations enter the stadium, circling the track to gather on the infield.  The loudest cheer is reserved for the Canadian team, which round out the 120-minute parade.  The Queen remains standing the entire time, greeting each delegation on its arrival.

At exactly 4:34 pm, Her Majesty opens the Montreal Games…”I declare open the Olympic Games of 1976, celebrating the XXI Olympiad of the modern era.”

The Olympic Hymn commences and 8 athletes carry the Olympic Flag around the track and it is raised.  The announcer then calls out “M. Georges Kronawitter, maire de la ville de Munich, va remettre à Lord Killanin, président du Comité international olympique, le drapeau officiel offert en 1920 par le Comité olympique belge au mouvement olympique. Lord Killanin va transmettre le drapeau au maire de la ville de Montréal, M. Jean Drapeau”.  The mayor of Munich hands over the Antwerp Flag to the IOC president, who in turn passes it off to the mayor of Montreal.

The doves are released and the trumpets announce the arrival of the Olympic flame.  Sandra Henderson of Toronto and Stéphane Préfontaine of Montréal, symbolic of Canada’s French and English heritage, circle the track and climb the podium at the centre of the infield to ignite the white saucer shaped cauldron.

The 94 flag carriers form a semi-circle around Abbie Hoffman, who earlier carried the Canadian flag into the stadium.  Pierre Saint-Jean, a weightlifter, takes the flag in hand, faces the Queen and on behalf of all athletes proclaims the Olympic Oath in both English and French.  Maurice Forget does the same and recites the judges and officials oath.

The choir and orchestra then perform the national anthem of Canada and competitions for the Games of the XXI Olympiad are underway.

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Thanks for that.

Some of my most prized Olympic collectables are from those games.

I have a plastic model of Stade Olympique which has the Montreal logo on the bottom. I still have the box it came in which is kinda cool

2 posters, one of Amick the beaver and the other of Stade Olympique which hung in my office next to my Los Angeles and Lake Placid posters.  

But my most prized is the record album produced for the games.  I have played it of course, but it has been in plastic since 1976 so the cover is in perfect shape.  It was a very good albuw btw!  :grinning:

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By the way, if this post may be off-topic somewhat, but how did the Montreal portion of the 2004 Olympic torch relay get received by Montrealers?
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  • 1 month later...
Montreal Opening Ceremony - Highlights

Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm on July 17, 1976, trumpeters sound out the call at Stade Olympique as the flags of the 132 member countries of the IOC are hoisted.

The announcer calls out “Mesdames, messieurs, Sa Majesté la Reine. Ladies and gentlemen, Her Majesty the Queen.”  The 73,000 in attendance cheer on the arrival of the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, and her son, Prince Andrew.  IOC President Lord Killanin, COJO President Roger Rousseau, and other dignitaries greet the Queen in the Royal Box.  The Queen is seated next to Jules Léger, Governor General of Canada.

The 8,200 athletes from the 94 participating nations enter the stadium, circling the track to gather on the infield.  The loudest cheer is reserved for the Canadian team, which round out the 120-minute parade.  The Queen remains standing the entire time, greeting each delegation on its arrival.

At exactly 4:34 pm, Her Majesty opens the Montreal Games…”I declare open the Olympic Games of 1976, celebrating the XXI Olympiad of the modern era.”

The Olympic Hymn commences and 8 athletes carry the Olympic Flag around the track and it is raised.  The announcer then calls out “M. Georges Kronawitter, maire de la ville de Munich, va remettre à Lord Killanin, président du Comité international olympique, le drapeau officiel offert en 1920 par le Comité olympique belge au mouvement olympique. Lord Killanin va transmettre le drapeau au maire de la ville de Montréal, M. Jean Drapeau”.  The mayor of Munich hands over the Antwerp Flag to the IOC president, who in turn passes it off to the mayor of Montreal.

The doves are released and the trumpets announce the arrival of the Olympic flame.  Sandra Henderson of Toronto and Stéphane Préfontaine of Montréal, symbolic of Canada’s French and English heritage, circle the track and climb the podium at the centre of the infield to ignite the white saucer shaped cauldron.

The 94 flag carriers form a semi-circle around Abbie Hoffman, who earlier carried the Canadian flag into the stadium.  Pierre Saint-Jean, a weightlifter, takes the flag in hand, faces the Queen and on behalf of all athletes proclaims the Olympic Oath in both English and French.  Maurice Forget does the same and recites the judges and officials oath.

The choir and orchestra then perform the national anthem of Canada and competitions for the Games of the XXI Olympiad are underway.

I don't mean to sound like im ripping what is a great account of there ceremony, but I thought only 92 nations competed in '76? The African boycotts, and some coulden't attend because of insurance reasons following Munich.

I know it was Australia's smallest team since Berlin 1936, and we only won some 5 medals, not one of them gold. It was blamed on lack of Aussie sponsership (remember this was pre AIS days).

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woohoo wrote:

and Atlanta followed four years earlier. Seats were still being screwed into place in the main stadium days before Bill Clinton opened the 1996 Olympics.

That's not because of late, put-off construction.  Nearly all of the 1996 facilities were completed on schedule.  The seats at Olympic Stadium still being 'screwd in place' at the last minute were due to  changes in the Opening Ceremony.  At the last minute, they added that jutting-out ramp for the choir (where home base now sits).  And then the atheletes' Entrance ramp was added at the other end of the field -- to create a balance in the field design.  So those last-minute additions caused some seats to be removed; and they had to add a few seats elsewhere to accommodate those belatedly taken out.  It was NOT due to the lackadaisical, cumulative construction delays that were the norm in Athens.

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I believe that a pair of African nations had pulled out of the Games after having marched into the stadium at the Opening Ceremony.  So while they participated in the ceremony, they did not compete in the Games.  The most ill-concieved boycott in Olympic history.
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  • 2 weeks later...

Okay,  I have a question about the swimming venue in Montreal.  When I was in Montreal this past weekend I took a tour of the stadium (it actually ended up being a one on one tour since I was the only one taking the tour at that time)

When we saw the swimming venue I noticed alot of people swimming in there.  Which leads me to my question - can the general public just go in and swim in that pool?  If so,  I think that is very cool!!!  I mean,  swimming in a pool that held an olympic event to me is just great!  Had I been in Montreal longer I would have gone back there and went for a swim :).

BTW,  I thought the Montreal Olympic stadium was very cool.  A little outdated but I can see that it would have been an awesome sight when it was first built.

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