Olympic Anniversary Celebrations
Montreal continues to celebrate the staging of the 1976 Games every 10 years. First held in 1986, these decennial celebrations have grown in size as the years have passed.
The 10th anniversary was marked by the unveiling of a series of plaques paying tribute to the Games’ gold medallists, while the 20th, in 1996, saw a low-key ceremony. Determined to keep the memory of the Games alive, the City of Montreal staged a series of events when the 30th anniversary came around in 2006. These included a three-month commemorative exhibition looking at various aspects of the 1976 Games, from challenges and innovations to the renewal of sporting venues and a new-found enthusiasm for sport.
The scope of the 40th anniversary celebrations in 2016 was wider, as 40 special events aimed at the local community were staged across a nine-day period. Contested by 3,700 youngsters aged 12 to 17, the finals of the annual Quebec Games were held at several former Olympic venues, including the Olympic Stadium. Meanwhile, free open-air concerts, multimedia shows, Olympic-themed exhibitions, circus acts, and other entertainment took place across the city, attracting sizeable crowds. The star guest of the celebrations was Romania’s Nadia Comaneci, who returned to the city where she became the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in Olympic competition.