Olympics poster, “The Olympic Village” (1976)

The Village for the 1976 Olympic Games will be a meeting place for youth where athletes of the world will be able to get to know and appreciate one another in an atmosphere of brotherhood and mutual respect. Life in the Village is designed to respond to the needs and tastes of some 11,000 young people without exaggeration and with a simplicity that characterizes Canadian hospitality. A variety of cultural and recreational programs have been planned for residents and all the services normally found in a city will be readily available.

Located in the eastern section of Montréal adjacent to Olympic Park, the Village consists of four 19-storey half-pyramids. Male athletes will occupy three of these half-pyramids while the fourth will be reserved in part for female competitors.

The ultra modern structure contains 980 living units plus a number of accommodation modules set up on the ground floor. It is fully air-conditioned and will be furnished in functional style.

Each floor of the pyramids includes a large terrace for use as a common room. These will be equipped with television sets, stereos, newspapers, magazines and games for the enjoyment and relaxation of the athletes.

Catering, administrative, medical, security and tele-communications facilities will be located on the lower floors along with saunas, service areas, storage spaces and depots.

For the comfort of the athletes, the residential zone will be linked to an adjacent international zone where all sorts of services will be offered and athletes will be able to find countless recreational and social facilities as well as some 20 boutiques.

This international area, location in a six-storey school, will also feature restaurants, discotheques, an amphitheatre, a library, a cinematheque, pastoral services, sports information rooms, lounges and rooms for exhibitions, music listening, interviews and conferences.

Outdoor facilities have not been overlooked. In the spacious areas adjacent to the pyramids and international centre there will be a swimming pool, an outdoor theatre, the Place des Nations, refreshment kiosks and parking spaces for the delegation vehicles.

A vast park where athletes can train, jog or just relax completes these outdoor amenities.

The buildings and installations occupy only four acres of the 80-acre site to allow maximum contact with nature and the outdoors.

Only 800 metres away from the Village is Olympic Park, main site of competitions for the 1976 Games. The park houses the main stadium, the velodrome, the Maurice Richard Arena and the Maisonneuve Sports Centre. The whole area is linked to downtown Montréal by the Métro subway system.

Village residents may reach the park very easily. A special transit system will supplement regular municipal un facilities to allow quick transfer from the Village to the competition sites.

The Olympic Games are not only a sports offering but an adventure and experience involving travel to a far-off continent, a stay in a foreign land and an experience of strange surroundings. For this reason, many tour excursions will be made available to visiting athletes permitting them, outside of their training and competition schedule, to discover the geography, history, arts and culture of Québec, Canada and North America.

Life in the Village will be a continuous round of busy activity suited to every taste and frame of mind. Athletes will be able to mingle with folk dancers, hum along with folk singers, observe craftsmen at work and visit flea markets where they can exchange badges, pins and souvenirs from their native lands.

A film festival will provide daily shows and sports information rooms will keep all abreast of competition results.

Life in the Olympic Village will be a rewarding experience for visiting athletes, an enriching international happening within the framework of a joyful Canadian welcome.