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Who owns the Olympic Park? |
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Most of the Olympic Park facilities (Stadium, Montréal Tower, Sports Centre and interior parking lots) belong to the Québec government. The Biodome belongs to the City of Montréal. The Saputo Stadium, owned by Saputo Group, stands on Olympic Park land yielded by a 40-year emphyteutic lease. |
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| Q : |
Who is the architect of the Olympic Stadium? |
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Mr. Roger Taillibert, a French architect retained in 1972 by Montréal’s mayor at the time, Mr. Jean Drapeau. |
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| Q : |
Which construction material was used for the Olympic Park? |
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Concrete is the material most used in our facilities—400,000 cubic metres of it. The type of architecture called for prestressed and post-tensioned concrete. For more details, read our Fact Sheet. |
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| Q : |
When was construction of the Stadium roof completed? |
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The Kevlar roof was raised in April 1987. |
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| Q : |
How much did it cost to build the Olympic facilities? |
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The costs of building and completing the Stadium, the Sports Centre, the Velodrome (including its conversion into the Biodome) and the Olympic Village (including its conversion into rental apartments) came to $1.5 billion. For more details, read our Fact Sheet. |
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| Q : |
re the facilities completely paid for? |
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Yes, since November 2006. It took about 30 years to complete the payments (on all those impressive buildings), which is comparable to a home mortgage. |
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| Q : |
With what funds was the Québec government paying for the Olympic Park facilities? |
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A portion of the provincial tax on tobacco products went into a special Olympic fund to pay the mortgage on the facilities. This special fund was established in 1976. |
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| Q : |
Do the Stadium, the Sports Centre and the Montréal Tower generate revenues? |
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Yes. Since 1976, our own-source operating revenues are, on average, $20 million. |
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| Q : |
What is the Stadium used for? |
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The Stadium plays host to Montréal’s biggest public gatherings, those requiring stadium-style seating. It can accommodate more than 67,000 spectators; the biggest venue next to ours seats 22,000. Large-scale gatherings include sporting events, cultural activities and more. As the only site in Montréal to boast an area of more than 204,000 square feet, column-free, with overhead clearance in excess of 100 feet, the Stadium is also a popular site for major fairs, shows and exhibitions open to the general public. It’s also the perfect place for trade shows since it has the space needed to display oversized objects. For more details, read our Fact Sheet. |
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| Q : |
What are the Stadium´s main attributes? |
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The Stadium is multipurpose in nature. It hosts diverse events: shows, fairs, exhibitions, sporting events, concerts, film shoots, large meetings and more. Its Main Room is the largest in Québec, covering 43,504 m2 (204,400 sq. ft.), without columns, and offering exceptional overhead clearance. Additional rooms can also be used as exhibition spaces for different types of events. The Stadium is also a preferred site thanks to its outdoor waiting area for tractor-trailers, facilities for loading and unloading directly in the Main Room, easy access by metro and motor vehicle, and its some 4,000 parking spaces, most of which are indoors. |
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| Q : |
Can I visit Olympic Stadium? |
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Yes. We offer 30-minute guided tours. For more information, see our Guided Tours section. |
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| Q : |
How many visitors have you had since your facilities opened? |
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Close to 100 million people have visited the Olympic Park or attended an event since 1976. |
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| Q : |
What is the Stadium´s seating capacity for spectator events? |
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The Stadium has more than 56,000 permanent seats spread over five levels of stands. Depending on the event, we can install additional stands at ground level or even several thousand floor seats. |
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| Q : |
How many workers are on duty during a large spectator event at the Stadium? |
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Up to 1,400 workers can be on hand during a large spectator event. Those employed by our organization hold various positions: security guards, ticket clerks, ushers, access control clerks, staff equipment and coat check clerks, cashiers at the ticket booth and in the parking lots, parking attendants, box hostesses, managers, nurses, plumbers, electricians, technicians, engineers, etc. Our suppliers also have several hundred employees on site preparing and selling food and beverages and performing maintenance tasks. For more details, read our Fact Sheet. |
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| Q : |
How many person-hours must be put in before, during and after a big event? |
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A gathering of about 60,000 people takes weeks of preparation. Before, during and after such an event, some 15,200 person-hours of work are put in, both by our employees and those of our service suppliers. One could fly from Montréal to Paris 2,338 times in the same number of hours. For more détails, read our Fact Sheet. |
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| Q : |
What are the biggest events the Stadium has hosted? |
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In addition to the Olympic Games, there have been several Grey Cup matches (1977-1979-1981-1985-2001-2008), soccer matches (CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series, Montréal Impact vs AC Milan) as well as numerous shows, each of which has attracted tens of thousands of spectators: Pink Floyd, The Police, The Rolling Stones, the opera Aida, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, U2, Madonna, Genesis, AC/DC, etc. To learn more, visit the section on this subject and the Fact Sheet. |
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| Q : |
When did the Expos play their very first game under a roof at the Stadium? |
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On April 15, 1977. The first game the Expos played beneath a roof took place in April 1987. The team played its last game on September 29, 2004, before the team was sold to play in Washington D.C. |
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| Q : |
Do activities at the Olympic Park produce any economic spinoffs? |
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Yes. In 2010, in addition to $16.6 million in operating revenue, the RIO generated $52.1 million* in economic spinoffs. This added value for the Québec economy is 2.7 times greater than the balancing subsidy paid out this year by the Québec government. This is a great performance in light of the operating limits imposed by the roof. In addition to the economic spinoffs, the activities taking place at the Stadium, Montréal Tower and Sports Centre generate social benefits that are impossible to quantify, while also projecting a positive image of Montréal and Québec.
* Mathematical model for calculating the economic benefits and validation of results provided by Secor. |
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| Q : |
Between the Sports Centre and the Biodôme, there is an area featuring foreign flags. There are flags for countries that no longer exist. What is this site? |
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This is the Gold Memorial. It bears the flags of the 26 countries that won at least one gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games. At the time, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Yugoslavia, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic were still around, which is why the flags from these former countries continue to fly at this site. The Romanian flag is the version that was used from 1948 to 1989 and bears the country’s coat of arms in the centre. |
| Q : |
When was construction of the Montréal Tower completed? |
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In November 1987. To learn more, see the section on the Montréal Tower. |
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| Q : |
When did the Observatory and the funicular open? |
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November 21, 1987. To learn more, see the section on the Montréal Tower. |
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| Q : |
What is at the top of the Montréal Tower? |
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There is the Observatory and a souvenir shop, as well as two reception rooms available for rental. To learn more, see the section on the Montréal Tower. |
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| Q : |
When is the Observatory open? |
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It is open seven days a week, all year long, except from January to mid-February, when the funicular undergoes its annual maintenance. To learn more about our visiting hours and our rates, see the section on the Observatory. |
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| Q : |
Can a wedding reception be held at the top of the Tower? |
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Yes. The Salon Montréal, located two floors below the Observatory, is available for rental. For more information, visit the Montréal Tower Rentals section. |
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| Q : |
Among all the tourists who visit the Olympic Park, which foreign nationalities are most represented? |
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The five most represented nationalities are the French, Italian, German, British and Americans. |
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| Q : |
Which parking lot is closest to the Observatory? |
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Parking lots B1 and B2, located at 3200, rue Viau, between rue Sherbrooke and avenue Pierre-De Coubertin. |
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Who was responsible for bringing the Olympic Games to Montréal? |
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Mr. Jean Drapeau, the mayor of Montréal at the time. To learn more, read our Montréal, an Olympic City section. |
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| Q : |
Which other cities were in the running for the 1976 Games? |
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Los Angeles (U.S.) and Moscow (U.S.S.R.). |
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| Q : |
Who is the architect of Olympic Stadium, the Sports Centre and the Velodrome? |
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Mr. Roger Taillibert, a French architect retained in 1972 by Montréal’s mayor at the time, Mr. Jean Drapeau. |
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| Q : |
How many athlete delegations participated in the 1976 Games? |
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In all, there were 6,028 athletes (1,247 women and 4,781 men) representing 92 nations. To learn more, visit the International Olympic Committee site. |
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| Q : |
How many competitions were held at the 1976 Games? |
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No less than 198 competitions were held in 21 disciplines. To learn more, visit the International Olympic Committee site. |
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| Q : |
Who are the two Canadian athletes who lit the cauldron at the opening ceremonies of the Montréal Olympic Games? |
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Stéphane Préfontaine (age 16) and Sandra Henderson (age 15). |
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| Q : |
Why was Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci dubbed queen of the Montréal Games? |
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Because she was the first gymnast in Olympic history to obtain a perfect score of 10. She got her first 10 on the uneven bars and subsequently received six other perfect scores from the judges. |
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| Q : |
What were the results of the Canadian athletes who participated in the 1976 Olympic Games? |
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Canada won five silver medals and six bronze. To learn more, visit the International Olympic Committee site. |
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What are the safety rules at the Stadium? |
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Cans and bottles are not allowed in the stands, and no smoking is allowed in any of our facilities. To learn more, see the section on this subject. |
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| Q : |
Which parking lot should I use to go to the StarCité movie theatre? |
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Parking lot B2, located at 3200, rue Viau, between rue Sherbrooke and avenue Pierre-De Coubertin or Parking lot C, accessible from avenue Pierre-De Coubertin (corner of rue Sicard). By presenting your parking stub at StarCité, you will automatically receive a $9 credit (toward the purchase of movie tickets or food). So your parking will actually cost you only $3. |
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| Q : |
Which parking lot should I use to go to the Olympic Park administration offices? |
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Parking lot A2, located at 4141, avenue Pierre-De Coubertin. (at the intersection of avenue De LaSalle), near boulevard Pie-IX. |
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| Q : |
How do I apply for a job at Olympic Park? |
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Please see the Job Offers section on this site. |
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| Q : |
How do I get to the Olympic Park? |
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See the How to get here section for directions on how to get to the Olympic Park by car or by metro. |
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| Q : |
Do mobility impaired persons have access to the facilities? |
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Yes. The stands, washrooms, elevators, funicular and pools are accessible to everyone. |
