The stage was set for the XX Olympic Winter Games in 2006when the Ikonos satellite captured this image of Pragelato, Italy, onJanuary 10, 2006. Located in the Alps about 120 kilometers from Torino,Pragelato was the site of Nordic skiing events: the ski jump, cross-countryskiing, and the Nordic combined. The two Olympic jumps shown in the center of this imageare the Large Hill at 120 meters in height and the Normal Hill at 90 metersin height. The narrow jumps widen into v-shaped landing areas. Three small training jumps sit to the right of the competitionjumps. The cross-country skiing track is visible in the large image to theleft of the jumps.
In addition to being used for the ski jumping competition, the jumps formthe first stage of the Nordiccombined event. The three Nordic combined events—individualGunderson, individual sprint, and team—require athletes to complete aski jump, then race to the finish line over a cross-country ski course. Thestart time on the cross-country race is determined by how well the athletesperform their jumps, with the best starting first. The individual Gunderson(held on February 11) sends competitors off the 90-meter jump twice for acombined score, followed by a cross-country race of 15 kilometers. In thesprint (February 21), athletes jump off the Large Hill and race through a7.5-kilometer cross-country course. In the team event (February 15-16), thejump is followed by a “4 by 5-kilometer” relay (4 team memberseach race 5 kilometers).
Images of the Olympic Village and other event venues are available in the2006Winter Olympics Explorer provided by GeoEye. Other images taken by astronauts on board the International Space Station and by the Landsat satellite provide an additional perspective on the venues.
References & Resources
© All Rights Reserved: Use of IKONOS, GeoEye, QuickBird and WorldView imagery must be coordinated with Maxar.
Image copyright GeoEye/European Space Imaging. © All Rights Reserved: Use of IKONOS, GeoEye, QuickBird, WorldView, and Digital Globe imagery must be coordinated with Maxar .
