The Richmond Olympic Oval sits directly on the banks of the Fraser River, its wave-shaped roofline echoing the wings of a heron in flight.
Long after the medals were handed out at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Richmond Olympic Oval has settled into a second life as one of Metro Vancouver’s most impressive community sport complexes. What began as the long-track speed skating venue for the Vancouver Games is now a 360,000-square-foot playground of ice rinks, running tracks, a towering climbing wall, and an interactive Olympic museum, all wrapped inside one of the most award-winning pieces of sports architecture in the world.
Whether you’re chasing a workout, tracing Olympic history, or simply want to see the famous wood-wave roof up close, the Oval rewards a visit any time of year.
Address
6111 River Road, Richmond, BC V7C 0A2
General Hours
Weekdays 6:00 am – 11:00 pm
Weekends 7:00 am – 11:00 pm
Getting There
Walkable from Lansdowne Station on the Canada Line, or take bus 414 from Richmond–Brighouse Station directly to the Oval.
Admission
Drop-in day pass: $23 ($10 non-peak, weekdays 6am–4pm). Covers the fitness centre, courts, climbing wall, and skating. The Richmond Olympic Experience museum is a separate ticket.
Prices listed are current as of publishing and may change. Please check the official Richmond Olympic Oval website before your visit to confirm current rates.
From Olympic Venue to Community Landmark
The Oval was purpose-built for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, hosting long-track speed skating events that drew more than 100,000 spectators over the course of the Games. Construction ran from 2006 to 2008, and the finished building opened to the public in December 2008, more than a year before the Olympic flame arrived in Vancouver.
Since the closing ceremony, the City of Richmond has reconfigured the ice-only speed skating surface into a flexible, multi-zone facility that now serves the whole community rather than a single sport. It’s a rare example of an Olympic venue that avoided becoming an expensive, underused relic after the Games moved on.
An Award-Winning Roof
The Oval’s most recognizable feature is its roof: hundreds of interlocking wood panels arranged in a wave pattern, engineered largely from timber salvaged from BC forests affected by the mountain pine beetle. The design references the shape of a heron taking flight, a nod to the birds that frequent the nearby Fraser River shoreline.
The building’s structural design won the Institution of Structural Engineers’ top international award for sports and leisure structures, beating out other nominees on the strength of its engineering and sustainable material use. The Oval also achieved LEED Platinum certification thanks to features like a green roof and a heat-recovery system that reuses waste heat from the ice-making plant.
Good to know: A day pass runs $23, or $10 for non-peak weekday admission before 4pm, and covers access to the fitness centre, courts, climbing wall, and skating in one visit, so it’s worth planning your trip around trying more than one activity.
Sport and Fitness for Every Level
Inside, the Oval is split into three main zones that can be reconfigured depending on what’s booked: an ice zone with two hockey-sized rinks, a court zone that can hold multiple basketball or volleyball courts, and a track zone with both a 200-metre and a shorter 110-metre running track.
Beyond the main floor, the facility houses a large fitness centre with cardio and weight training equipment, group fitness and cycling studios, a rowing tank for indoor training, and one of the tallest climbing walls in Metro Vancouver. Drop-in day passes let visitors try any of these spaces without committing to a membership.
Richmond Olympic Experience & Water Sky Garden
Inside the building, the Richmond Olympic Experience operates as Canada’s Olympic museum, pairing galleries of Olympic and Paralympic artifacts with hands-on virtual sport simulators and a short film about athletes chasing the podium. It’s a ticketed add-on, though Richmond residents can access general admission at no cost with proof of residency, and the first Thursday of each month brings a free community access window.
Just outside, the Water Sky Garden is a public plaza and art installation built as part of the surrounding River Green development, with reflecting pools and shaded seating that make it a pleasant stop before or after visiting the Oval itself.
Plan around events: The Oval regularly hosts regional and national sport competitions, and its parkade can fill up quickly on weekends when events are running. Arrive early or plan to use SkyTrain and bus access if you’re visiting on a busy weekend.
“Standing under that wave of wood panels, it’s easy to forget you’re inside a sports centre and not a piece of architecture built purely to be admired.”
— A first-time visitor’s impression of the Oval’s main hallPhoto Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
A drop-in day pass is $23, or $10 for non-peak admission on weekdays before 4pm, and covers the fitness centre, courts, climbing wall, and skating. The Richmond Olympic Experience museum requires a separate ticket, and Oval memberships are also available for regular visitors.
The Oval is within walking distance of Lansdowne Station on the Canada Line. You can also take bus 414 directly from Richmond–Brighouse Station, or bus 407 along River Road.
Drop-in day passes give access to activities like basketball, table tennis, the climbing wall, group fitness classes, and the fitness centre, depending on what’s scheduled on the day of your visit.
No, the museum requires a separate ticket. Richmond residents can get free general admission with proof of residency, and admission is free for everyone during the Community Thursday window on the first Thursday of each month.
Yes, there’s an on-site parkade with roughly 450 spaces and EV charging. It can fill up during major events, so consider transit or arriving early on busy weekends.
Explore More of Richmond
Discover more parks, attractions, and hidden gems across the city.
Explore Richmond