Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre

Historie

Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre, officially known as Nordlyshallen is an indoor sports arena in Hamar, Norway. It is mostly used for ice hockey, but is also used for short track speed skating, figure skating, handball, events and concerts. The venue has a capacity for 6,091 spectators and was built for the 1994 Winter Olympics, where it was used for short track speed skating and figure skating. Other major events held at the arena include the 1999 IIHF World Championship in ice hockey, the 1999 World Women's Handball Championship, the 2012 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships and the scheduled 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.
Adjacent to the Olympic venue lays Storhamar Ishall. Solely used for ice hockey, it opened in 1981 and has a capacity for 1,200. Since the opening of the Olympic venue, Storhamar Ishall has been used for training, and the two rinks share common dressing rooms and other facilities. Construction of Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre started in August 1991 and it was inaugurated on 25 November 1992, with construction costing 83 million Norwegian krone. The venues are owned by Hamar Olympiske Anlegg, a subsidiary of Hamar Municipality.