2006 Winter Olympics

Multi-sport event in Turin, Italy Torino 2006 Turin 2006 the Winter Paralympics 2006 Winter Paralympics May 2020 2006 Winter Olympics Torino 2006 logo.svg 240 Emblem of the 2006 Winter Olympics Turin, Italy Passion Lives Here(Italian: La passione vive qui) 80 2,563 (1,608 men and 955 women) 84 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) 2006 02 10 yes 2006 02 26 yes President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi IOC President Jacques Rogge Stefania Belmondo Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino Salt Lake 2002 Vancouver 2010 Athens 2004 Beijing 2008 The 2006 Winter Olympics (it 2006 Olimpiadi invernali), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games (it XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. Turin was selected as the host city for the 2006 Games in June 1999. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter Olympics, the first being in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, and the third would be the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo which was 20 years after the 2006 event. Italy had also hosted the Summer Olympics in 1960 in Rome. Host city selection Bids for the 2006 Winter Olympics In a surprising way, Turin was chosen as the host of the Olympics at the 109th IOC Session in Seoul, South Korea on 19 June 1999.http://www.gamesbids.com/english/archives/past.shtml Olympic Bid Election History—Voting Records and Results GamesBids 19 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20080510132655/http://www.gamesbids.com/english/archives/past.shtml 10 May 2008 live This decision was the first bidding process, after the IOC had adopted new election procedures during the 108th Extraordinary IOC Session in light of the controversies surrounding the votes for the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.http://www.worldgames-iwga.org/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,1044-163474-180689-13798-0-file,00.pdf World Games News International World Games Association 19 April 2007 April 1999 https://web.archive.org/web/20070614134114/http://www.worldgames-iwga.org/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,1044-163474-180689-13798-0-file,00.pdf 14 June 2007 usurped Since IOC members were forbidden from visiting the candidate cities (in the interests of reducing bribery), the 109th IOC Session elected a special body, the Selection College, to choose finalist cities from the pool of candidate cities after each had made their final presentations to the full IOC Session. The full IOC Session then voted on the cities chosen as finalist cities by the Selection College. Although six European cities presented their projects. Only two would advance to the final stage, which was the choice of the host city. At the first phase, all had to make the preliminary presentation in full IOC Session. All the members of the Selection College had to be present at the audience and it was their responsibility to decide which would be the two finalists. They decided that the cities were: the big favorite Sion and the dark horse of the process: Turin. The bids of Helsinki, Finland; Poprad-Tatry, Slovakia; Zakopane, Poland; and Klagenfurt, Austria were dropped by the Selection College after all six bidding cities made their presentations.http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/torino/election_uk.asp Turin 2006—Election International Olympic Committee 19 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20100609164614/http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/torino/election_uk.asp 9 June 2010 live The selection of Turin over Sion came as a surprise around the world since the Swiss city was seen as the overwhelming favorite in part because the IOC had their headquarters in Switzerland.USA Today https://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2006-10-18-hodler-obit_x.htm Olympic corruption whistle-blower Hodler dies 18 October 2006 19 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20110604100427/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2006-10-18-hodler-obit_x.htm 4 June 2011 live Some analysts attribute the choice of Turin as a reaction to Swiss IOC member Marc Hodler's role in exposing the bribery scandal surrounding Salt Lake City's bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics.Associated Press/ESPN http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter02/gen/news?id=1340126 Italian city prepares for next Winter Olympics 24 February 2002 19 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20110604100518/http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter02/gen/news?id=1340126 4 June 2011 dead The information below comes from the International Olympic Committee Vote History https://web.archive.org/web/20080525070757/http://www.aldaver.com/votes.html 25 May 2008 web page. + 2006 Winter Olympics bidding resultshttp://www.gamesbids.com/eng/past.html GamesBids.com - Past Results 24 January 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110124022022/http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/past.html 24 January 2011 deadhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgx6Ds_7R0o 2006 Winter Olympic Games Announcement 30 August 2013 www.youtube.com 20 December 2016 6 November 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191106233426/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgx6Ds_7R0o&gl=US&hl=en live City Country Round 1Turin 53Sion 36 Cost and cost overrun The Oxford Olympics Study established the outturn cost of the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics at US$4.4 billion in 2015-dollars and cost overrun at 80% in real terms.2804554 The Oxford Olympics Study 2016: Cost and Cost Overrun at the Games Flyvbjerg Bent Stewart Allison Budzier Alexander Saïd Business School Working Papers (Oxford: University of Oxford) 2016 Oxford 9–13 This includes sports-related costs only, that is, (i) operational costs incurred by the organizing committee for the purpose of staging the Games, e.g., expenditures for technology, transportation, workforce, administration, security, catering, ceremonies, and medical services, and (ii) direct capital costs incurred by the host city and country or private investors to build, e.g., the competition venues, the Olympic village, international broadcast center, and media and press center, which are required to host the Games. Indirect capital costs are not included, such as for road, rail, or airport infrastructure, or for hotel upgrades or other business investment incurred in preparation for the Games but not directly related to staging the Games. The cost and cost overrun for Torino 2006 compares with costs of US$2.5 billion and a cost overrun of 13% for Vancouver 2010, and costs of US$51 billion and a cost overrun of 289% for Sochi 2014, the latter being the most costly Olympics to date. Average cost for Winter Games since 1960 is US$3.1 billion, average cost overrun is 142%. Sports Events at the 2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics featured 84 medal events over 15 disciplines in 7 sports.http://olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=2&OLGY=2006 Turin 2006—XXth Olympic Winter Games International Olympic Committee 18 April 2007 9 June 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060609161212/http://olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=2&OLGY=2006 live Unlike the previous four editions of the Winter Games, no new sport/discipline was introduced. Eight new events were added in disciplines already on the Olympic program, including mass start in biathlon, team sprint in cross-country skiing, boarder cross in snowboard, and team pursuit in speed skating, all with both men's and women's competitions.http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_851.pdf Factsheet—Olympic Winter Programme 7 February 2007 International Olympic Committee 18 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070418115011/http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_851.pdf 18 April 2007 dead The International Ski Federation introduced an alternating system for cross-country skiing styles in certain events. Long-distance races (30 km for women and 50 km for men) that were contested in the classic style during the 2002 Winter Olympics were freestyle events in Torino. The sports and disciplines that were contested at the 2006 Games: Alpine skiing 10 Biathlon 10 Bobsleigh 3 Cross-country skiing 12 Curling 2 Figure skating 4 Freestyle skiing 4 Ice hockey 2 Luge 3 Nordic combined 3 Short track speed skating 8 Skeleton 2 Ski jumping 3 Snowboarding 6 Speed skating 12 Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each separate discipline. Calendar All dates are in Central European Time (UTC+1) OCOpening ceremony●Event competitions1 Event finalsEGExhibition galaCCClosing ceremony February 10thFri11thSat12thSun13thMon14thTue15thWed16thThu17thFri18thSat19thSun20thMon21stTue22ndWed23rdThu24thFri25thSat26thSunEvents20px|alt=|link= Ceremonies OC CC 20px|alt=|link= Alpine skiing | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | 10 20px|alt=|link= Biathlon | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | 10 20px|alt=|link= Bobsleigh | | | | | | | | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | 3 20px|alt=|link= Cross country skiing | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | 12 20px|alt=|link= Curling | | | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | 2 20px|alt=|link= Figure skating | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffdead|EG | | | 4 20px|alt=|link= Freestyle skiing | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | 4 20px|alt=|link= Ice hockey | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | 2 20px|alt=|link= Luge | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 20px|alt=|link= Nordic combined | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | | | 3 20px|alt=|link= Short track speed skating | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|3 | | 8 20px|alt=|link= Skeleton | | | | | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | | | | | | | 2 20px|alt=|link= Ski jumping | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | | | | 3 20px|alt=|link= Snowboarding | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | | | 6 20px|alt=|link= Speed skating | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#3399ff|● | bgcolor=#ffcc00|2 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | bgcolor=#ffcc00|1 | | 12 Total events 4 8 4 6 4 8 3 9 3 5 4 7 5 4 7 3 84Cumulative total 4 12 16 22 26 34 37 46 49 54 58 65 70 74 81 84 February 10thFri11thSat12thSun13thMon14thTue15thWed16thThu17thFri18thSat19thSun20thMon21stTue22ndWed23rdThu24thFri25thSat26thSunEvents Medal table 2006 Winter Olympics medal table thumb|300px|Victory ceremony at Medals Plaza thumb|Medals of 2006 Winter Olympics The top ten listed NOCs by number of gold medals are listed below. #ccf Host country (Italy) solid 1px #AAAAAA To sort this table by nation, total medal count, or any other column, click on the File:sort both.gif icon next to the column title. flagIOC 2006 Winter 11 12 6 9 9 7 9 7 7 8 6 8 7 10 7 7 2 5 6 3 2 5 4 5 5 0 6 yes 3 2 4 3 2 4 Podium sweeps +DateSportEventNOCGoldSilverBronze14 FebruaryLuge Women's singlesGER 2006 WinterSylke OttoSilke KraushaarTatjana Hüfner25 FebruaryAlpine SkiingMen's slalomAUT 2006 WinterBenjamin RaichReinfried HerbstRainer Schönfelder Highlights Chronological summary of the 2006 Winter Olympics thumb|2006 Olympics logo on display in the Carlo Felice Square, in Turin Day 1 (Opening Ceremony) Stefania Belmondo, a 10-time Olympic medalist in cross-country skiing, lit the Olympic Cauldron during the opening ceremony on 10 February. Before that, the ceremony celebrated the best of Italy and Sport including a segment honoring the Alps. The FilmMaster Group K-events (from March 2012: Filmmaster Events) created and produced the opening and closing ceremonies of the XX Winter Olympic Games in Turin in 2006. Marco Balich was the executive producer, Alfredo Accatino the content supervisor, while Lida Castelli was the arts director. Monica Maimone of Studio Festi directed the section From Renaissance To Baroque, part of the opening ceremony.http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=olymp/2006/archive/summary10.htm Olympic Daily News 10 February 2006 The Sports Network 18 April 2007 https://www.webcitation.org/5wfdPToxz?url=http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=olymp%2F2006%2Farchive%2Fsummary10.htm 21 February 2011 dead http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/torino/torch_relay/full_story_uk.asp?id=1670 Torino 2006: Flame in the Tallest Cauldron 11 February 2006 International Olympic Committee 18 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20090730042446/http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/torino/torch_relay/full_story_uk.asp?id=1670 30 July 2009 live Day 2 The first gold medal of the 2006 Games was awarded in the 20 kilometre biathlon, won by German Michael Greis on the first day of competition. Ice hockey began with the women's competition; Sweden defeated Russia 3–1 in the first match while Canada's team opened with the second most lopsided win in Olympic history by beating the host Italians 16–0. Germany's Georg Hettich was the surprise winner of the 15 km individual event in Nordic combined.Georg HETTICH https://www.olympics.com/en/athletes/georg-hettich International Olympic Committee 2026-09-29 Day 3 On 12 February, Latvia won its first winter Olympic medal when Mārtiņš Rubenis took the bronze in the men's luge. Armin Zöggeler's win in that event gave Italy its first gold medal of the Games and gave Zöggeler medals at four consecutive Olympics, including two golds in a row. In Alpine skiing, the men's downhill was won by Antoine Deneriaz of France. Day 4 Chinese figure skating pair Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, trailing a dominant Russian pair, attempted a throw quadruple salchow jump—an element which had never been successfully completed in competition. Zhang Dan fell, injuring her knee, but the pair finished their program to a standing ovation and took the silver medal. Russia finished the third day of competition with two gold medals, as did the United States. Day 5 The fourth day saw Evgeni Plushenko of Russia set a world record score in the men's figure skating short program; his 90.66 points exceeded the nearest opponent's score by more than 10 points. The men's combined alpine skiing was riddled with disqualifications, including front-runners Bode Miller and Benjamin Raich. American Ted Ligety won the event in what was considered an upset. Day 6 Canada had another strong day on 15 February, setting new Olympic records in both men's and women's pursuit team speed skating events as well as opening the men's ice hockey competition with a win against Italy. Italy finished the day with the men's pursuit team Olympic record, however, after the Netherlands bettered Canada's time only to have Italy improve upon theirs. China won its first gold of 2006 with Wang Meng's victory in the women's individual 500-metre short track speed skating. A pair of Austrian brothers Andreas Linger and Wolfgang Linger won the men's doubles luge while Michaela Dorfmeister gave the nation another championship in the women's downhill. Day 7 Kristina Šmigun won her second gold medal of the Games with a victory in the women's 10 kilometre classical cross-country skiing on 16 February, remaining the only Estonian to medal. In men's curling action, Great Britain edged Germany 7–6, Switzerland kept New Zealand winless by winning 9–7, Canada beat Norway 7–6, and the United States defeated Sweden, 10–6. Evgeni Plushenko of Russia won the gold in the men's singles artistic skating. Day 8 On 17 February, Tanja Frieden of Switzerland took the gold in women's snowboard cross after Lindsey Jacobellis of the United States fell on the second-to-last jump while performing an unnecessary method grab. Jacobellis settled for silver (she would have won gold if she had not performed the grab), while Canada's Dominique Maltais took bronze after recovering from a crash. Duff Gibson of Canada took gold in the skeleton just ahead of fellow Canadian Jeff Pain, becoming the oldest individual gold medalist in Winter Olympics history. In the women's ice hockey semifinals, the United States lost a shootout to Sweden, marking the first time in international competition that the United States had lost to anyone other than Canada.espn.com Scott Burnside 17 Feb 2006 Semifinal stunner changes women's hockey map https://www.espn.com/olympics/winter06/hockey/columns/story?id=2334389 2020-07-07 8 July 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200708012336/https://www.espn.com/olympics/winter06/hockey/columns/story?id=2334389 live Canada's win maintained its record of never having lost to anyone other than the United States.James H. Marsh https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ice-hockey The Canadian Encyclopedia Ice Hockey in Canada July 21, 2013 2020-07-07 Canada and the US were again widely considered to be the gold and silver medal contenders, but Sweden managed to eke out the US to play the final match with Canada. Team Canada claimed gold with a 4–1 victory. It was the first time that both Canada and US had faced serious contenders in international women's hockey besides each other. 29 April 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220429030451/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ice-hockey live Day 9 Kjetil André Aamodt won gold for Norway in the men's super-G on 18 February, beating Hermann Maier of Austria. Germans Kati Wilhelm and Martina Glagow finished first and second in the 10 kilometre biathlon pursuit. The host Italians defeated Canada in men's curling, while Switzerland did the same in men's ice hockey to put the Canadians on the wrong end of two major upsets on the same day. The United States men's ice hockey team suffered its first loss of the tournament as Slovakia and Russia continue their dominance of the pool. Day 10 Lascelles Brown became the first Jamaican-born competitor to win a medal at the Winter Olympics on 19 February, competing on the Canadian 2-man bobsleigh team which finished second in an extremely tight competition. The German pair was only .21 seconds ahead of the Canadians, themselves only .14 ahead of the Swiss team. Finland continued to be unbeaten in men's ice hockey, handing Canada its second loss. The day also saw the most hyped event of these games, at least in Europe, as the Men's 10 km Cross Country Relay was scheduled. The battle stemmed from the Lillehammer games 12 years ago in which Italy out-dueled Norway in that very same event. To that extent, many Norwegians wanted to win this event in order to embarrass the Italians on their home turf, but it was not to be as Italy crushed the field winning over Germany by over 15 seconds to take their 5th straight gold in this event. Norway failed to medal for the first time since 1988. Day 11 The final day of curling pool play was 20 February; Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Canada advanced to the women's semifinals while Finland, Canada, the United States, and Great Britain qualified in the men's competition. Austria took their first team gold medal in ski jumping, while Canada took their second in women's ice hockey. Day 12 Slovakia and Finland both won their final men's ice hockey games on 21 February to win their respective pools with 5–0–0 records. Enrico Fabris gave the host nation another gold medal in speed skating by winning the men's 1500 metres. Day 13 On 22 February, the twelfth day of competition, Anja Pärson won her first gold medal in the women's slalom; it was her fifth overall Olympic medal and third of the 2006 Games. Chandra Crawford took a quicker route to the top of the podium, winning the 1.1 kilometre cross-country sprint gold in her Olympic debut. In the men's ice hockey quarterfinals, the previously undefeated Slovaks lost to the Czech Republic while Russia, Finland, and Sweden eliminated Canada, the United States, and Switzerland, respectively. Philipp Schoch successfully defended his snowboarding giant slalom gold against his brother Simon. Day 14 Sweden took the women's championship in the curling finals held on 23 February. Shizuka Arakawa gave Japan its first gold medal of the Games and first figure skating gold medal, winning the ladies' figure skating competition in part by being able to finish without falling, as Sasha Cohen and Irina Slutskaya both tumbled. Russia wrested the gold medal in women's team biathlon from Germany. Day 15 24 February was the day of the men's curling finals, in which Canada won its first gold medal and the United States won its first medal in the sport as Canada defeated Finland and the United States beat Great Britain for the second time. The figure skating gala was also held, with top placers in all of the events performing exhibitions. Sweden and Finland won their men's ice hockey semifinal games, defeating the Czech Republic and Russia. thumb|Gold medal won by Team Gushue in curling for Canada Day 16 The Austrians swept the men's alpine slalom medals on 25 February, led by Benjamin Raich. Germany took gold medals in the men's 15 kilometer biathlon and the men's individual bobsleigh. Apolo Anton Ohno won his second short track speed skating gold medal. South Korea's Jin Sun-Yu wins her third gold of the Games in the women's 1000 m. Compatriot Ahn Hyun-Soo wins his third gold medal of the Games, medaling in every men's short track event and bringing his total number of medals in Turin to four. Day 17 (Closing ceremony) The final day of competition and the closing ceremony, were held during the Sunday Carnival on 26 February. The Swedish men's ice hockey team handed Finland their first loss in the final to take the gold medal. In the closing ceremony, Manuela Di Centa, a seven-time Olympic medalist from Italy and then-member of the International Olympic Committee, was scheduled to present the medals for the men's 50-kilometre cross-country skiing event. This resulted in her presenting the gold medal to her own brother when Giorgio Di Centa won the event to take his second gold medal. Venues Venues of the 2006 Winter Olympics Olympic areas Olympic events were mainly held in Turin, but other events (namely skiing, snowboarding, and the track sports) were held in mountainous outlying villages. Turin Many venues were located in the Olympic District in central Turin, including: Oval Lingotto – Speed skating Torino Esposizioni – Ice hockey Palasport Olimpico – Ice hockey (final) Stadio Olimpico – Opening and closing ceremonies Palavela – Figure skating, short-track speed skating Piazza Castello - awarding ceremonies Olympic Village Other locations thumb|Location of venues Bardonecchia – Snowboarding Cesana Pariol – Bobsleigh, Luge, Skeleton Cesana San Sicario – Biathlon Pinerolo – Curling Pragelato – Nordic combined (ski jumping), Ski jumping Pragelato Plan – Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined (cross-country skiing) San Sicario Fraiteve – Alpine skiing (women's combined (downhill), downhill, and super-g) Sauze d'Oulx – Freestyle skiing Sestriere Borgata – Alpine skiing (men's combined (downhill), downhill, super-g) Sestriere Colle – Alpine skiing (combined (slalom), giant slalom, slalom) Olympic villages Bardonecchia Sestriere Turin Official Olympic training sites Chiomonte Claviere Prali Alpe Lusentino - Domodossola (VB) (Alpine Skiing) Riale - Formazza (VB) (Nordic Skiing) Olympic mountain training site Torre Pellice Participating National Olympic Committees 300px|thumb|right| Number of athletes sent from participating NOCs: green: 1–9; blue: 10–49; orange: 50–99; red: 100 or more. A record 80 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) entered athletes at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. This was an increase of two from the 78 represented at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants that NOC contributed. It was the first appearance for Albania, Ethiopia and Madagascar. It was the only appearance at the Winter Olympics for Serbia and Montenegro, coming between the country's name change in 2003 from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Montenegro's then-pending vote for independence in May 2006. Algeria returned to the Winter games after a 14-year absence, Senegal returned to the Winter games after a 12-year absence, and Luxembourg, North Korea and Portugal returned after 8 years. Six countries, Cameroon, Fiji, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago which were at the 2002 Games, did not participate in 2006. Participating National Olympic Committees17em ALB 2006 Winter 1 ALG 2006 Winter 2 AND 2006 Winter 3 ARG 2006 Winter 9 ARM 2006 Winter 5 AUS 2006 Winter 40 AUT 2006 Winter 73 AZE 2006 Winter 2 BLR 2006 Winter 28 BEL 2006 Winter 4 BER 2006 Winter 1 BIH 2006 Winter 6 BRA 2006 Winter 9 BUL 2006 Winter 21 CAN 2006 Winter 191 CHI 2006 Winter 9 CHN 2006 Winter 76 TPE 2006 Winter 1 CRC 2006 Winter 1 CRO 2006 Winter 22 CYP 2006 Winter 1 CZE 2006 Winter 84 DEN 2006 Winter 5 EST 2006 Winter 26 ETH 2006 Winter 1 FIN 2006 Winter 102 FRA 2006 Winter 82 GEO 2006 Winter 3 GER 2006 Winter 162 GBR 2006 Winter 41 GRE 2006 Winter 5 HKG 2006 Winter 1 HUN 2006 Winter 19 ISL 2006 Winter 5 IND 2006 Winter 4 IRI 2006 Winter 2 IRL 2006 Winter 4 ISR 2006 Winter 5 ITA 2006 Winter 185 (host) JPN 2006 Winter 110 KAZ 2006 Winter 56 KEN 2006 Winter 1 KGZ 2006 Winter 1 LAT 2006 Winter 57 LIB 2006 Winter 3 LIE 2006 Winter 5 LTU 2006 Winter 7 LUX 2006 Winter 1 MKD 2006 Winter 3 MAD 2006 Winter 1 MDA 2006 Winter 6 MON 2006 Winter 4 MGL 2006 Winter 2 NEP 2006 Winter 1 NED 2006 Winter 33 NZL 2006 Winter 18 PRK 2006 Winter 6 NOR 2006 Winter 69 POL 2006 Winter 45 POR 2006 Winter 1 ROU 2006 Winter 25 RUS 2006 Winter 190 SMR 2006 Winter 1 SEN 2006 Winter 1 SCG 2006 Winter 6 SVK 2006 Winter 58 SLO 2006 Winter 36 RSA 2006 Winter 3 KOR 2006 Winter 40 ESP 2006 Winter 16 SWE 2006 Winter 106 SUI 2006 Winter 140 TJK 2006 Winter 1 THA 2006 Winter 1 TUR 2006 Winter 6 UKR 2006 Winter 52 USA 2006 Winter 204 UZB 2006 Winter 4 VEN 2006 Winter 1 ISV 2006 Winter 1 Number of athletes by National Olympic Committee 2,494 athletes from 80 NOCs participated in the 2006 Winter Olympics. IOC Letter Code Country Athletes USA USA 2006 Winter 204 CAN CAN 2006 Winter 191 RUS RUS 2006 Winter 190 ITA ITA 2006 Winter 185 GER GER 2006 Winter 162 SUI SUI 2006 Winter 140 JPN JPN 2006 Winter 110 SWE SWE 2006 Winter 106 FIN FIN 2006 Winter 102 CZE CZE 2006 Winter 84 FRA FRA 2006 Winter 82 CHN CHN 2006 Winter 76 AUT AUT 2006 Winter 73 NOR NOR 2006 Winter 69 SVK SVK 2006 Winter 58 LAT LAT 2006 Winter 57 KAZ KAZ 2006 Winter 56 UKR UKR 2006 Winter 52 POL POL 2006 Winter 45 GBR GBR 2006 Winter 41 AUS AUS 2006 Winter 40 KOR KOR 2006 Winter 40 SLO SLO 2006 Winter 36 NED NED 2006 Winter 33 BLR BLR 2006 Winter 28 EST EST 2006 Winter 26 ROU ROU 2006 Winter 25 CRO CRO 2006 Winter 22 BUL BUL 2006 Winter 21 HUN HUN 2006 Winter 19 NZL NZL 2006 Winter 18 ESP ESP 2006 Winter 16 ARG ARG 2006 Winter 9 BRA BRA 2006 Winter 9 CHI CHI 2006 Winter 9 LTU LTU 2006 Winter 7 BIH BIH 2006 Winter 6 PRK PRK 2006 Winter 6 MDA MDA 2006 Winter 6 SCG SCG 2006 Winter 6 TUR TUR 2006 Winter 6 ARM ARM 2006 Winter 5 DEN DEN 2006 Winter 5 GRE GRE 2006 Winter 5 ISL ISL 2006 Winter 5 ISR ISR 2006 Winter 5 LIE LIE 2006 Winter 5 BEL BEL 2006 Winter 4 IND IND 2006 Winter 4 IRL IRL 2006 Winter 4 MON MON 2006 Winter 4 UZB UZB 2006 Winter 4 AND AND 2006 Winter 3 GEO GEO 2006 Winter 3 LIB LIB 2006 Winter 3 MKD MKD 2006 Winter 3 RSA RSA 2006 Winter 3 ALG ALG 2006 Winter 2 AZE AZE 2006 Winter 2 IRI IRI 2006 Winter 2 MGL MGL 2006 Winter 2 ALB ALB 2006 Winter 1 BER BER 2006 Winter 1 CRC CRC 2006 Winter 1 CYP CYP 2006 Winter 1 ETH ETH 2006 Winter 1 HKG HKG 2006 Winter 1 KEN KEN 2006 Winter 1 KGZ KGZ 2006 Winter 1 LUX LUX 2006 Winter 1 MAD MAD 2006 Winter 1 NEP NEP 2006 Winter 1 POR POR 2006 Winter 1 SMR SMR 2006 Winter 1 SEN SEN 2006 Winter 1 TPE TPE 2006 Winter 1 TJK TJK 2006 Winter 1 THA THA 2006 Winter 1 VEN VEN 2006 Winter 1 ISV ISV 2006 Winter 1 Organization Out of 40,000 applicants, 20,000 volunteers were selected to help the athletes, spectators, and journalists, and to prepare the competition sites. They were selected by the recruiting program Noi2006.http://www.torino2006.org/ENG/OlympicGames/spirito_olimpico/volontari.html Noi2006 – The Volunteers Programme 19 April 2007 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060827190417/http://www.torino2006.org/ENG/OlympicGames/spirito_olimpico/volontari.html 27 August 2006 Construction Sixty-five sporting facilities, various infrastructures, sport villages for athletes and media, and transportation infrastructures were constructed for a total of 1.7 billion euros.http://www.thechronicle.us/news.php?id=975 Winter Olympics Return to Italy Opening Ceremonies Begin February 10 in Turin https://web.archive.org/web/20060208163059/http://www.thechronicle.us/news.php?id=975 8 February 2006 Villani, Ron 19 April 2007 Among the most important sporting facilities that were used: The Stadio Olimpico (Turin) (formerly known as Stadio Comunale); Five sports halls (three new, two rearranged): the Palazzo a Vela re-designed by Gae Aulenti (to host short track and ice skating), the Oval Lingotto (speed ice skating), Torino Esposizioni (ice hockey), the Ice stadium in corso Tazzoli, the Palasport Olimpico designed by Arata Isozaki (ice hockey); The Olympic arch of Turin; Olympic villages of Turin, Bardonecchia and Sestriere; The ice stadium in Pinerolo, re-arranged and enlarged, to host the curling competition; A new stadium in Torre Pellice (ice hockey); Twelve new intermediate-level ski lifts in Cesana Torinese, Cesana San Sicario, Sestriere, Bardonecchia, Claviere, Sauze d'Oulx, Pragelato; The tracks for bobsled, luge, and skeleton in Cesana (the second international track in Italy, along with the one in Cortina d'Ampezzo); The most important transport infrastructure works were: The Turin Metro (VAL system), which for the Olympic Games connected Collegno to the railway station of Porta Susa. The upgrade of 11 state roads and motorways connecting Turin with other Olympic sites, including the Motorway between Turin and Pinerolo, which was host to the Curling events. In the city, the main developments were the Palafuksas, a glass building designed by Massimiliano Fuksas, the new Modern Art Gallery and the great project of the "Spina", that will provide urban regeneration over an area of 2 million square meters through the construction of an underground urban railway and the re-utilization of abandoned industrial areas. Marketing Emblem and motto thumb|"Passion lives here", the Turin 2006 motto written by the Italian calligrapher Francesca Biasetton it The Games' logo depicted a stylized profile of the Mole Antonelliana building, drawn in white and blue ice crystals, signifying the snow and the sky. The crystal web was also meant to portray the web of new technologies and the Olympic spirit of community. The official motto of Torino 2006 was "Passion lives here".http://www.torino2006.org/ENG/OlympicGames/bin/page/C_3_page_eng_283_paragraphs_paragrafo_0_attachments_allegato_7_object.pdf Italian Passion in the Motto of Torino 2006 Torino 2006 18 April 2007 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080216091149/http://www.torino2006.org/ENG/OlympicGames/bin/page/C_3_page_eng_283_paragraphs_paragrafo_0_attachments_allegato_7_object.pdf 16 February 2008 Mascots The 2006 Olympic mascots were Neve ("snow" in Italian), a female snowball, and Gliz, a male ice cube.http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/torino/open_mascotte_uk.asp Torino 2006 Mascots IOC olympic.org 18 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20100526214256/http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/torino/open_mascotte_uk.asp 26 May 2010 live Sponsors Sponsors of the 2006 Winter Olympics Worldwide Olympic Partners 15em Atos Origin Coca-Cola General Electric Kodak Lenovo John Hancock Financial McDonald's Omega SA Panasonic Samsung Electronics Visa Inc. Main Sponsors 15em Fiat Sanpaolo IMI Telecom Italia Official Sponsors 15em Alfa Romeo Alpitour Alpitour it Alpitour Anheuser-Busch Asics Berloni Berloni it Berloni Eutelsat Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Jet Set Sports Johnson & Johnson Kyocera Lancia Leonardo-Finmeccanica Reale Mutua Assicurazioni Official Suppliers 15em Adecco Automobile Club d'Italia Ceriel Cicrespi Cofatech DB Schenker Europcar Fast-Buyer Fontanafredda Winery Garrett Metal Detectors Intercom Dr. Leitner Italcar Italgas Kearney Liski Nortel Ottaviani Pininfarina Recchi Seteco SITAF Technogym TicketOne TicketOne it TicketOne Broadcasting About 40% of the television coverage of the Olympics was in high definition.Olympics goes all-HD for the first time https://web.archive.org/web/20200903234857/https://www.computerworld.com/article/2532236/olympics-goes-all-hd-for-the-first-time.html 3 September 2020 - Martyn Williams, Computer World, 8 August 2008 The 2006 Winter Olympic Games were broadcast worldwide by a number of television broadcasters: CountryBroadcasterRefArgentinaTyCAsiaABUAustraliaSeven NetworkSteffens Miriam Seven Network 2nd-Half Profit Falls 13% on TV Costs (Update5) https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aR0K3Fc17HX4&refer=australia 21 April 2013 Bloomberg 23 August 2005 4 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150904082901/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aR0K3Fc17HX4&refer=australia liveBrazilSporTVCanada CBC/Radio-Canada TSN RDSCanadians to experience Olympic Winter Games in HD for the first time http://www.channelcanada.com/canadian-channels/nets/cbc/canadians-to-experience-olympic-winter-games-in-hd-for-the-first-time 21 April 2013 Channel Canada 26 January 2006 4 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150904082901/http://www.channelcanada.com/canadian-channels/nets/cbc/canadians-to-experience-olympic-winter-games-in-hd-for-the-first-time liveCaribbeanCMCPeople's Republic of ChinaCCTVChinese TaipeiCTS TTVEstoniaETVEuropeEBU EurosportIOC Changes Broadcast Rights Sales http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/index.php?news=1064508384 21 April 2013 GamesBids.com 25 September 2003 18 September 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230918045622/https://gamesbids.com/eng/?news=1064508384 liveWinter Olympics exceeds expectations on European broadcaster Globosport http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k6/mar/mar152.htm 21 April 2013 Indiantelevision.com 11 March 2006 16 November 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181116072408/http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k6/mar/mar152.htm liveFinlandYleFranceFrance TélévisionsThe Games on Television http://www.torino2006.org/ENG/OlympicGames/gare_e_programma/tv_sport.html Torino2006.com 21 April 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20060830195653/http://www.torino2006.org/ENG/OlympicGames/gare_e_programma/tv_sport.html 30 August 2006 GermanyARD ZDFAkamai Supports European Broadcasting Union with Streaming of 2006 Olympic Winter Games http://www.akamai.com/html/about/press/releases/2006/press_030106.html 21 April 2013 Akamai 1 March 2006 9 October 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131009234334/http://www.akamai.com/html/about/press/releases/2006/press_030106.html liveIcelandRÚVItalyRAITurin Olympics to set audience record for Winter Games http://english.eastday.com/eastday/englishedition/sports/userobject1ai1821271.html 21 April 2013 English.eastday.com 28 January 2006 4 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150904082902/http://english.eastday.com/eastday/englishedition/sports/userobject1ai1821271.html liveJapanNHKLatin AmericaOTIMalaysiaRTM AstroMexicoAztecaHiestand Michael NBC has company in the Olympic TV business http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/torino/2006-02-24-international-tv-coverage_x.htm 21 April 2013 USA Today 24 February 2006 24 February 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130224065657/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/torino/2006-02-24-international-tv-coverage_x.htm liveMiddle EastASBUNetherlandsNOSNew ZealandTVNZTorino 2006 Broadcast http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reports/EN/en_report_1143.pdf International Olympic Committee Olympic.org 21 April 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20110823150153/http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reports/EN/en_report_1143.pdf 23 August 2011 deadNorwayNRKPuerto RicoTelemundoMartzke Rudy NBC keeps rights for Olympic broadcasts through 2012 http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2003-06-06-nbc_x.htm 21 April 2013 USA Today 6 June 2003 4 November 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121104051646/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2003-06-06-nbc_x.htm liveRomaniaTVRSerbia and MontenegroRTS RTKPraznik u Torinu http://www.vreme.co.rs/cms/view.php?id=441608 2 February 2016 Vreme 2 February 2006 6 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160206153103/http://www.vreme.co.rs/cms/view.php?id=441608 liveHistori e Shkurtër http://www.rtklive.com/new/rtk/?cid=1,2&p=histori 2 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160409074716/http://www.rtklive.com/new/rtk/?cid=1,2&p=histori 9 April 2016 deadSouth AfricaSuperSportSouth KoreaKBS SBSSwedenSVTSwitzerlandSRG SSRUnited KingdomBBCBBC coverage of Winter Olympics https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/winter_sports/schedule/4581754.stm 21 April 2013 BBC Sport 8 February 2006 27 February 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120227180945/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/winter_sports/schedule/4581754.stm liveUnited StatesNBCMahan Colin NBC set to begin coverage of 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy http://www.tv.com/news/nbc-set-to-begin-coverage-of-2006-winter-olympics-in-torino-italy-3220/ 21 April 2013 TV.com 10 February 2006 4 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150904082901/http://www.tv.com/news/nbc-set-to-begin-coverage-of-2006-winter-olympics-in-torino-italy-3220/ dead Controversies The Games had issues with covering costs and international attendance. Due to a lack of funding by the Italian Government, TOROC risked dissolution. Metro The metro was finally opened to the public on 4 February 2006, after a 45-day delay. It operated on a shorter stretch (XVIII Dicembre (Porta Susa) to Fermi – 11 stations) than originally forecast; it finally reached the main railway station (Porta Nuova) and the rest of the city centre more than one year after the Games, in October 2007. For the duration of the Games, a single ticket (5 euros) covered use of both the metro and other means of public transportation for a whole day. However, during the Games, metro service stopped at 6:00 pm, making it impractical for spectators of evening events. Furthermore, the metro did not reach any of the Olympic venues. On the other hand, the bus service was heavily improved for the Games, although still inadequate at night hours.June 2007 Doping During the games, Italian police raided the Austrian athletes' quarters in search of evidence of blood doping. The raid was conducted due to suspicions over the presence of biathlon coach Walter Mayer, who had been banned from all Olympic events up to and including the Vancouver Olympic Games in 2010 due to previous doping convictions. Around the time of the raid Mayer and two Austrian biathletes, Wolfgang Perner and Wolfgang Rottmann, tried to escape and fled back to Austria. Later, the Austrian ski federation president said that the two athletes told him they "may have used illegal methods". Six skiers and four biathletes were also taken for drug screens by the IOC.Ariel David https://www.scribd.com/document/102464771/2006-02-22 Austrians change tune about inquiry 22 February 2006 24 October 2016 The Associated Press The University Daily Kansan Lawrence, Kansas, US 3B 25 October 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161025044302/https://www.scribd.com/document/102464771/2006-02-22 live Those substance screens later returned negative results. On 25 April 2007, six Austrian athletes (Roland Diethard, Johannes Eder, Wolfgang Perner, Jürgen Pinter, Wolfgang Rottmann and Martin Tauber) were banned for life from the Olympics for their involvement in the doping scandal at the 2006 Turin Olympics, the first time the IOC punished athletes without a positive or missed doping test. The Austrians were found guilty of possessing doping substances and taking part in a conspiracy, based on materials seized by Italian police during the raid on the living quarters. The Austrians also had their competition results from Turin annulled.The Associated Press http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2007-04-25-austrians-banned_N.htm Six Austrians banned from Olympics in Turin doping scandal USA Today 26 April 2007 24 October 2016 11 November 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161111091019/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2007-04-25-austrians-banned_N.htm live List of athletes with doping convictions in these Games: Russian Olga Pyleva was stripped of her silver and other medals in the 15 km biathlon event after testing positive for carphedon.http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,185095,00.html Russian Biathlete Expelled From Torino for Doping Fox News 16 February 2006 en-US 6 August 2016 https://archive.today/20120703025129/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,185095,00.html 3 July 2012 dead Brazilian bobsled athlete Armando dos Santos, ejected from the Games after a preventive antidoping test came positive (the results were from a test conducted in Brazil).Dos Santos expelled from Brazilian bobsled team for doping https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=2330182&type=story Associated Press 22 February 2009 26 October 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121026072636/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2330182&type=story live The IOC has retested nearly 500 doping samples that were collected at the 2006 Turin Games. In 2014, the Estonian Olympic Committee was notified by the IOC that a retested sample from cross-country skier Kristina Šmigun had tested positive. On 24 October 2016, the World Anti-Doping Agency Athletes' Commission stated that Šmigun, who won two gold medals at the Turin Games, faces a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing before the end of October.http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1042965/smigun-vahi-facing-cas-hearing-after-positive-retest-at-turin-2006 Šmigun-Vähi facing CAS hearing after "positive" retest at Turin 2006 INSIDETHEGAMES.BIZ Nick Butler 24 October 2016 24 October 2016 Dunsar Media Company Limited 25 October 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161025115726/http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1042965/smigun-vahi-facing-cas-hearing-after-positive-retest-at-turin-2006 live In December 2017, IOC announced that re-analysis of samples resulted in no positive cases.https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1059102/estonian-cross-country-skier-looks-to-be-in-clear-as-ioc-announce-no-positive-results-in-turin-2006-re-analysis Estonian cross-country skier looks to be in clear as IOC announce no positive results in Turin 2006 re-analysis 13 December 2017 www.insidethegames.biz Nick Butler 21 February 2022 21 February 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220221173207/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1059102/estonian-cross-country-skier-looks-to-be-in-clear-as-ioc-announce-no-positive-results-in-turin-2006-re-analysis live Ratings and attendance February 2010 A number of events reported low spectator attendance despite having acceptable ticket sales. Preliminary competition and locally less popular sports failed to attract capacity crowd as expected. Organizers explained this was because blocks of seats were reserved or purchased by sponsors and partners who later did not show up at the events.February 2010 Several news organizations reported that many Americans were not as interested in the Olympics as in years past.Ciao to the Winter Games https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/26/AR2006022600137_pf.html 26 February 2006 Shipley, Amy The Washington Post 19 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20121105125306/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/26/AR2006022600137_pf.html 5 November 2012 live It has been suggested that reasons for this lack of interest include the tape delayed coverage, which showed events in prime-time as much as 18 hours later in the Western United States.https://www.espn.com/olympics/winter06/columns/story?id=2345588 The best, and real, drama is always at Olympics 26 February 2006 ESPN Caple, Jim 19 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20111207030153/http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter06/columns/story?id=2345588 7 December 2011 live Primetime viewing figures in Canada were also disappointing, especially after the early exit of the Canadian men's hockey team,https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060223.wxolyblues0223_3/BNStory/Torino2006/home Olympic hockey loss misses the net for CBC ratings McArthur, Keith Robertson, Grant 23 February 2006 19 April 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20160124113816/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060223.wxolyblues0223_3/BNStory/Torino2006/home 24 January 2016 dead Toronto The Globe and Mail though overall viewing figures were up from 2002.Olympics lose against fake games Brioux, Bill 23 February 2006 Olympic legacy thumb|Torino's Olympic Oval hosting the 2009 European Athletics Indoor The Olympics provided an opportunity to reshape the city's image, transitioning it from its industrial identity by showcasing its cultural life and architecture. Following the Games, Turin became one of Italy's primary tourist destinations and an important sporting center in Europe.http://www.olympic.org/news/turin-enjoys-on-going-tourism-legacy-of-2006-winter-games/222028 Turin enjoys on-going tourism legacy of 2006 Winter Games 21 July 2016 www.olympic.org 27 January 2014 28 January 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140128113227/http://www.olympic.org/news/turin-enjoys-on-going-tourism-legacy-of-2006-winter-games/222028 live Since 2006, TOP (Torino Olympic Park) has been the agency in charge of managing the Olympic facilities. Security measures As with every Olympics since the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics and then increasingly since the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, there was heavy security due to fears of terrorism. The organizers further increased security measuresThe Washington PostJune 2021 medicmedic in connection with the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy and insisted that the Olympic Games were going to be safe, which they were; the Olympics concluded without a major breach of security occurring. See also 2006 Winter Olympics 2026 Winter Olympics-Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo :Category:Competitors at the 2006 Winter Olympics Neve and Gliz Bids for Olympic Games References External links 2006 Winter Olympics Official site City of Turin – English The program of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics woly Salt Lake City XX Olympic Winter GamesTurin 2006 Vancouver Olympics Italy Sports 2000s Category:Sports competitions in Turin Category:Olympic Games in Italy Category:Winter Olympics by year Olympics Category:2006 in multi-sport events Category:February 2006 sports events in Italy Category:Winter sports competitions in Italy Category:2000s in Turin