VANCOUVER , British Columbia—An overzealous effort to keep the domed fabric roof of a downtown Vancouver sports stadium inflated ended up helping it fail, according to a preliminary engineering report released on Friday.
But officials at B.C. Place Stadium on Canada 's Pacific Coast said the incident—which one witness likened to watching a souffle implode—did not signal long-term trouble at the 24-year-old facility, which is scheduled to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The Teflon-coated fabric over the 60,000-seat stadium, which is normally held up by air pressure, fell onto the playing field during a rain and snow storm on Jan. 5. Officials initially called it a "collapse" but now describe it as a "controlled deflation."
Engineers said stadium workers noticed the roof was hanging lower than usual during the storm and, following standard operating procedures, increased air pressure inside the facility to push the fabric back up.
But two workers began turning on fans independent of each other so the pressure jumped too high. That, combined with the strong winds outside, caused an already weakened roof panel to rip open.
"Basically, it was the perfect storm. It all came together at the same time," stadium manager Howard Crosley told reporters.
Air pressure was then reduced to allow the roof to drop to the ground. The stadium, owned by the province of British Columbia, was not being used at the time of the accident and there were no injuries.
An inspection in August 2006 found the roof was in good condition, but Vancouver has been buffeted by more than a dozen storms in the past two months, some of them severe.
Organizers of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver downplayed the impact of the incident on their plans. It is the first Winter Games to schedule an indoor opening ceremony.
"Our overall venue management program includes broadly assessing each of our venues to ensure they are ready and safest, and that measures are in place to address any possibilities," the Vancouver Organizing Committee said in response to the engineer's report.
A replacement panel has been brought in and officials hope to have the roof re-inflated next week.
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