| Winter Olympic Games |
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The symbol of the Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
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| Games |
| 1924 The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France...
1928The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics. The...
1932The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4, 1932.- Highlights :...
1936The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
1940The anticipated 1940 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were to be celebrated in 1940 in Sapporo, Japan.The games were cancelled due to the onset of World War II...
1944The anticipated 1944 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games , were to be celebrated in February 1944 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
1948The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II, a twelve year hiatus...
1952The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1952 in Oslo, Norway.- Host City Selection :...
1956The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The Games were held from January 26–February 5, 1956. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out...
1960The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated between February 18 and February 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States . Squaw Valley won the bid in 1955...
1964The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
1968The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on February 6. Thirty-seven countries participated...
1972The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
1976The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4-15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
1980The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 13 through February 24, 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the upstate New York village hosted the Games,...
1984The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was at the time part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and...
1988The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Calgary, Alberta and opened by the 23rd Governor General of Canada: Jeanne Sauvé....
1992The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 in Albertville, France...
1994The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. In 1986, the IOC voted to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same year since the latter's inception in...
1998The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. These Games marked the return of the Winter Olympics to Japan since the 1972 Winter Olympics, when the games were held in Sapporo...
2002The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States...
2006The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic...
2010The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, will be held February 12-28 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the resort town of Whistler nearby...
2014The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, is an international winter multiple sports event that will be held from February 7 to February 23 2014. The host city, Sochi, Russia, was elected on July 4 2007, during the 119th International Olympic Committee Session in...
2018The 2018 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, will be celebrated in 2018, and is an international winter sports athletic event that has yet to be organized by the International Olympic Committee . The organization, under the leadership of Jacques Rogge, received...
2022The 2022 Winter Olympics, formally called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games is an event that the International Olympic Committee has yet to organize. The winning bid will be announced in the Summer of 2015.-Asia: Harbin, China...
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| Sports (details The Olympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. As of 2008, the Summer Olympics include 26 sports with 36 disciplines and about 300 events, and the Winter Olympics include 7 sports with 15 disciplines and about 80 events...
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| Alpine skiing Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since 1936, when a combined event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. From 1948–80, the Winter Olympics also served as the World Championships in Olympic years...
BiathlonBiathlon debuted at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley with the men's 20 km individual event. At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, the men's 4×7.5 km relay debuted, followed by the 10 km sprint event at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York...
BobsledBobsleigh has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the first Winter Games in 1924, with the exception of the 1960 games in Squaw Valley when the organizing committee decided not to build a track in order to reduce expenses. Other than that exception, the four-man competition has been...
Cross‑country skiingCross-country skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the first Winter Games in 1924. The women's events were first contested at the 1952 Winter Olympics. -Events:-Medal table:...
CurlingCurling was included in the program of the inaugural Winter Olympic Games in 1924 in Chamonix. The results of that competition were not considered official by the International Olympic Committee until 2006. Curling was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Games, and then again after a lengthy absence...
Figure skatingFigure skating has been contested in the Olympic Games since the 1908 Summer Olympics. In 1908 and 1920, the figure skating competitions were held in conjunction with the Games of the Olympiad...
Freestyle skiingFreestyle skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville. It was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics, with moguls, aerials, and ballet events. Moguls became an official medal sport at the 1992 games, while aerials and ballet were...
• Ice hockeyIce hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games programme in 1924. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics...
LugeLuge was introduced to the Winter Olympic Games in 1964, with both men's and women's events and a doubles event. Doubles is technically a mixed event, but is almost always competed by a team of two men...
Nordic combinedThe Nordic combined events have been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since 1924. The first competition involved 18 km cross-country skiing, followed by ski jumping. Whoever earned the most points from both competitions won the event. At the 1952 Winter Olympics, the ski jumping was held...
Short track speed skatingShort track speed skating has been contested at the Winter Olympics since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France. Prior to that, it was a demonstration sport at the 1988 games. The sport has been dominated by teams from Asia and North America, namely South Korea , China , Canada and the...
SkeletonSkeleton was part of the Winter Olympic Games program when the games were held in St. Moritz in 1928 and again in 1948, but was then removed from the program. The sport discipline was reintroduced at the 2002 Winter Olympics, with both men's and women's events.-Events:-Medal table:...
Ski jumpingSki jumping has been included in the program of every Winter Olympic Games. From 1924 through 1956, the competition involved jumping from one hill whose length varied from each edition games to the next. Most historians have placed this length at 70 meters and have classified this as the large hill...
SnowboardingSnowboarding has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.-Events:The Olympic snowboarding program has been revised for each Games, with only the halfpipe competition appearing every time...
Speed skatingSpeed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:...
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The
Winter Olympic Games is a winter
multi-sport eventA multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, and featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...
held every four years. They feature winter sports held on snow or ice, such as
Alpine skiingAlpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since 1936, when a combined event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. From 1948–80, the Winter Olympics also served as the World Championships in Olympic years...
,
cross-country skiingCross-country skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the first Winter Games in 1924. The women's events were first contested at the 1952 Winter Olympics.
-Events:-Medal table:...
, figure skating,
bobsleddingBobsleigh has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the first Winter Games in 1924, with the exception of the 1960 games in Squaw Valley when the organizing committee decided not to build a track in order to reduce expenses. Other than that exception, the four-man competition has been...
and ice hockey. Cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey,
Nordic combinedThe Nordic combined events have been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since 1924. The first competition involved 18 km cross-country skiing, followed by ski jumping. Whoever earned the most points from both competitions won the event. At the 1952 Winter Olympics, the ski jumping was held...
,
ski jumpingSki jumping has been included in the program of every Winter Olympic Games. From 1924 through 1956, the competition involved jumping from one hill whose length varied from each edition games to the next. Most historians have placed this length at 70 meters and have classified this as the large hill...
, and
speed skatingSpeed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:...
have been competed at every Winter Olympics since 1924. Other athletic events have been added as the Games have progressed. Some of these events, such as
lugeLuge was introduced to the Winter Olympic Games in 1964, with both men's and women's events and a doubles event. Doubles is technically a mixed event, but is almost always competed by a team of two men...
,
short track speed skatingShort track speed skating has been contested at the Winter Olympics since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France. Prior to that, it was a demonstration sport at the 1988 games. The sport has been dominated by teams from Asia and North America, namely South Korea , China , Canada and the...
, and
freestyle skiingFreestyle skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville. It was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics, with moguls, aerials, and ballet events. Moguls became an official medal sport at the 1992 games, while aerials and ballet were...
have earned a permanent spot on the Olympic programme. Others, like
speed skiingSpeed skiing is the sport of skiing downhill in a straight line as quickly as possible. It is one of the fastest non-motorized sports on land . The current world record is 251.4 km/h , held by Simone Origone...
,
bandyBandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a soccer field. Each team has eleven...
, and
skijöringSkijoring is a winter sport where a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog or a motor vehicle. It is derived from the Norwegian word skikjøring meaning ski driving.- Dog skijoring :...
have been
demonstration sportA demonstration sport is a sport which is played to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events.Demonstration sports were officially introduced in 1912 Summer Olympics, when Sweden decided to include glima, traditional Scandinavian wrestling, in the...
s but never incorporated officially as an Olympic sport.
Fewer countries participate in the Winter Olympics than the
Summer OlympicsThe Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
. The
firstThe 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France...
Winter Olympics were held in
ChamonixChamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics...
, France. Figure skating and ice hockey had been events at the Summer Olympics prior to 1924. The Games were held every four years from 1924 until 1940 when they were interrupted by
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Winter and Summer Games resumed in
1948The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II, a twelve year hiatus...
and were celebrated on the same year until
1992The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 in Albertville, France...
. At that time the Winter Games split from the Summer Games. The Summer and Winter Olympics are currently celebrated on alternating even years. The first Winter Olympic Games to be held on this new schedule was in
1994The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. In 1986, the IOC voted to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same year since the latter's inception in...
in
Lillehammeris a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal...
, Norway.
The Winter Games have undergone significant changes since their inception. The rise of television as a global medium for communication has greatly enhanced the profile of the Games. It has also created an income stream, in the form of the sale of broadcast rights, and advertising, which has become very lucrative. This has also allowed outside interests, such as television companies and corporate sponsors, to influence the various aspects of the Games. The
International Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on 23 June 1894. Its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees....
(IOC) has had to address several internal scandals, and the use of performance enhancing drugs by Winter Olympic athletes. The Winter Games have also been used by countries to demonstrate the superiority of their political systems.
Many countries have played home to the Winter Olympics. France has been host to the Games three times. The
United StatesThe United States has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern Olympic Games, except the 1980 Summer Olympics, which it boycotted.The United States Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee for the United States....
has hosted the Games four times, more than any other country. Several countries including Italy,
JapanJapan first participated at the Olympic Games in 1912, and has competed at almost every Games since then. The nation was not invited to either 1948 Games after World War II, and Japan was part of the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.Japan has hosted the Games on three...
, and Austria have hosted the Games twice. The next host city will be Vancouver,
CanadaCanada has sent athletes to every Winter Olympic Games and almost every Summer Olympic Games, the exceptions the 1896 Summer Olympics and 1980 Summer Olympics, which it boycotted....
in 2010. The Games will then be hosted by Sochi, Russia in 2014. This will be the first time that Russia has hosted a Winter Olympic Games.
Early years
The first international multi-sport event specifically for winter sports were the
Nordic GamesThe Nordic Games was the first international multi-sport event that focused primarily on winter sports, and was held at varying intervals between 1901 and 1926. It was organized by Sweden’s Central Association for the Promotion of Sports, and more specifically by Viktor Balck, a member of that...
, held in 1901 in Sweden. The Nordic Games were organized by General Viktor Gustaf Balck. They were held again in 1903, again in 1905, and then every four years there after until 1926. Balck was a charter member of the
International Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on 23 June 1894. Its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees....
(IOC) and a close personal friend of
Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
founder
Pierre de CoubertinPierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French pedagogue and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and considered father of the modern Olympic Games.-Biography:...
. He attempted to have winter sports, specifically
figure skatingFigure skating is a Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
, added to the Olympic programme. Balck was unsuccessful until the
1908 Summer OlympicsThe 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, which featured four figure skating events.
Ulrich SalchowKarl Emil Julius Ulrich Salchow was a Swedish figure skater, who dominated the sport in the first decade of the 20th century....
(10 time World champion) and
Madge SyersFlorence Madeleine Syers , best known as Madge Syers, was a British figure skater. She was the first woman to compete in the sport, and became the first female World and Olympic champion. She won the Olympic gold medal at age 27; to date, she is the oldest Olympics ladies' figure skating gold...
won the individual titles.
Three years later, Italian count
Eugenio Brunetta d'UsseauxCount Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux was an Italian nobleman.Born in Vercelli into a family of French origin, Brunetta d'Usseaux was educated in Turin. Himself an active rower and rider, the count was very interested in sports, and a meeting with Baron Pierre de Coubertin interested him for the...
proposed that the IOC stage a week with winter sports as part of the
1912 Summer OlympicsThe 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden. For the first time, competitors in the Games came from all five continents symbolized in the Olympic rings...
in
Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
. The organizers opposed this idea, their reasoning was two-fold: they desired to protect the integrity of the Nordic Games; and they were concerned about a lack of facilities that could accommodate winter sports. The idea was resurrected for the
1916 GamesThe anticipated 1916 Summer Olympics, which were to be officially known as the Games of the VI Olympiad, were to have been held in Berlin, Germany.-History:...
, which were to be held in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
. A winter sports week with
speed skatingSpeed skating or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speedskating are long track speedskating, short track speedskating and marathon speed skating...
, figure skating,
ice hockeyIce Hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a puck into the opposing team's goal. It is a fast-paced and physical sport...
and
Nordic skiingNordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski. This includes a wide range of ski equipment and techniques such as classic and skate cross country skiing, ski jumping, biathlon, and telemark skiing...
was planned, but the 1916 Olympics were cancelled after the outbreak of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
.
The first Olympics after the war, the
1920 GamesThe 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
in Antwerp featured
figure skatingAt the 1920 Summer Olympics, three figure skating events were contested.Gillis Grafström of Sweden captured the first of three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the men's single event in 1920. 1908 gold medalist Ulrich Salchow finished fourth...
with the addition of
ice hockeyIce hockey was introduced to the Olympic Games at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. The matches were played between April 23 and April 29, 1920. All matches took place in the Palais de Glace d'Anvers . The rink measured 56 to 18 meters . All games were played with seven players on each side,...
. At the
IOC Congress held the following year, it was decided that the organizers of the
1924 Summer OlympicsThe 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
, France, would also host a separate "International Winter Sports Week", under the patronage of the IOC. This "week" (it actually lasted 11 days) of events in
ChamonixChamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics...
proved to be a great success. More than 200 athletes from 16 nations, competed in 16 events. Less than 15 of the athletes were women and they were only allowed to compete in figure skating events.
FinnishFinland competed at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France. Finnish athletes won a total of 11 medals. The majority of these were awarded in speed skating, to Clas Thunberg and Julius Skutnabb.- Gold:*Speed skating...
and
Norwegian athletes dominated the events. In 1925 the IOC decided to create a separate Olympic Winter Games, and the 1924 Games in Chamonix were retroactively designated as the
first Winter OlympicsThe 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France...
.
St. MoritzSt. Moritz is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
was appointed by the IOC to host the
second Olympic Winter GamesThe 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics. The...
in 1928. Fluctuating weather conditions made these Olympics memorable. The opening ceremonies were held in a blizzard. In contrast, warm weather conditions plagued the Olympics for the remainder of the Games. Due to the weather the 10,000 metre (6.2 miles) speed skating event had to be abandoned and officially cancelled with no winner. The 50 km (31 miles) cross-country event was officially contested but ended with a temperature of 25 °C (77 °F), which caused significant problems with snow and waxing conditions. The weather was not the only note-worthy aspect of the 1928 Games;
Sonja HenieSonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and actress. She was a three-time Olympic Champion , a ten-time World Champion and a six-time European Champion . Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater...
of
NorwayNorway competed at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Norway ranked first in the total medal count, as they had in the inaugural 1924 Games....
created a sensation when she won the
figure skatingAt the 1928 Winter Olympics, three figure skating events were contested. The competitions were held from Tuesday, February 14, 1928 to Sunday, February 19, 1928.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:...
competition at the age of 15. She became the youngest Olympic champion in history, a distinction she would hold for 74 years.
The
next Winter OlympicsThe 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4, 1932.- Highlights :...
was the first to be hosted outside of Europe. Fewer athletes participated than in 1928, as the journey to
Lake PlacidLake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638. Lake Placid is named after nearby Lake Placid....
, United Sates, was a long and expensive one for most competitors, and there was little money for sports in the midst of the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. These Games were also marred by warm weather. Virtually no snow fell for two months preceding the Games. It was not until mid-January that there was enough snow to hold all the events. Sonja Henie defended her Olympic title.
Eddie EaganEdward "Eddie" Patrick Francis Eagan was an American sportsman. He was the first person to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, and is to date the only person to have won a gold medal at both games.Eagan was born into a poor family in Denver. He studied law at Harvard University...
, who had been an Olympic champion in boxing in 1920, won the gold in the
men's bobsled eventAt the 1932 Winter Olympics, two bobsleigh events were contested. The competitions were held from February 9, 1932 to February 15, 1932.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:Austria, Belgium, and France only competed in the two-man event...
to become the first, and so far only, Olympian to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
The Bavarian towns of
Garmisch and PartenkirchenGarmisch-Partenkirchen is a market town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, not far from the border with Austria.-History:...
joined to organize the
1936 editionThe 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
of the Winter Games, held from February 6–16. 1936 marked the last year that the
SummerThe 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
and Winter Olympics were held in the same country.
Alpine skiingAt the 1936 Winter Olympics at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, alpine skiing was arranged for the first time in the Olympics, a combined event for men and women....
made its Olympic debut in Germany, but skiing teachers were barred from entering because they were considered to be professionals. This decision caused the
SwissSwitzerland competed at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany....
and
AustrianAustria competed at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.-Gold:*Karl Schäfer — Figure skating, men's individual-Silver:*Ilse Pausin and Erik Pausin — Figure skating, pairs-Bronze:...
skiers to refuse to compete in the Olympics.
World War II
The
Second World WarWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
interrupted the celebration of the Winter Olympics. The
1940 Winter OlympicsThe anticipated 1940 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were to be celebrated in 1940 in Sapporo, Japan.The games were cancelled due to the onset of World War II...
had originally been awarded to Sapporo, Japan, but was rescinded in 1938, because of the Japanese invasion of China in the Sino-Japanese War. Subsequently,
St. MoritzSt. Moritz is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, Switzerland, was chosen by the IOC to host the Games, but three months later the IOC withdrew St. Moritz from the Games, because of quarrels with the Swiss organizing team.
Garmisch-PartenkirchenGarmisch-Partenkirchen is a market town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, not far from the border with Austria.-History:...
, the hosts of the previous Olympics, stepped in to host the Winter Games again, but both Summer and Winter Olympics were cancelled in their entirety in November 1939 following Germany's
invasion of PolandThe Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II...
. The
1944 Winter OlympicsThe anticipated 1944 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games , were to be celebrated in February 1944 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
, scheduled to take place in
Cortina d'AmpezzoCortina d'Ampezzo is a town and municipality in the southern Alps and the province of Belluno, Veneto, northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...
, Italy, were cancelled in the Summer of 1941, due to the continuing World War.
1948 to 1960
The IOC selected the Swiss town of St. Moritz to host the first post-war Games in
1948The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II, a twelve year hiatus...
. St. Moritz was untouched by World War II because of Switzerland's neutrality. Since most of the venues were already constructed for the 1928 Games it was a logical choice to become the first city to host a Winter Olympics twice. Twenty-eight countries competed in Switzerland. Athletes from Germany and Japan were not invited. The Games were marred by controversy, and theft. Two hockey teams from the
United StatesThe United States competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.- Medalists :...
arrived. Both teams claimed to be the legitimate U.S. Olympic hockey representative. The Olympic flag presented at the
1920 Summer OlympicsThe 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
in
Antwerp||-||-||-||}Antwerp is a city and municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Antwerp province in Flanders, one of Belgium's three regions. Antwerp's total population is 472,071 and its total area is , giving a population density of 2,308 inhabitants per km²...
, was stolen. Its replacement was also stolen. The Games were declared a success, due mainly to the fact that they were the most competitive in history. Ten countries won gold medals at these Games, more than any Games to that point.
The city of
Oslois the capital and largest city in Norway. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the town was largely destroyed by a fire in 1624. The Danish–Norwegian king Christian IV rebuilt the city as Christiania . Oslo, then an alternative name, became official again in 1925...
, Norway, was selected to host the
1952 Winter OlympicsThe 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1952 in Oslo, Norway.- Host City Selection :...
. The
Olympic FlameThe Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
was lit in the fireplace of the home of skiing pioneer Sondre Nordheim. The torch relay was conducted by 94 participants and held entirely on skis.
BandyBandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a soccer field. Each team has eleven...
, a popular sport in the Nordic countries, was held as a demonstration sport though only
Norway- Gold :* Hjalmar Andersen - Speed skating, Men's 1500, 5000 and 10 000 m* Stein Eriksen - Alpine skiing, Men's Giant Slalom* Arnfinn Bergmann - Ski jumping, Individual normal hill* Hallgeir Brenden - Cross-country skiing, Men's 18 km classical...
,
Sweden, and
Finland- Gold:*Cross-country skiing**Men's 4 x 10 km: Heikki Hasu, Urpo Korhonen, Paavo Lonkila, Tapio Mäkelä**Men's 50 km: Veikko Hakulinen**Women's 10 km: Lydia Wideman- Silver:*Cross-country skiing**Men's 18 km: Tapio Mäkelä...
fielded teams.
After not being able to host the Games in 1944 due to the War,
Cortina d'AmpezzoCortina d'Ampezzo is a town and municipality in the southern Alps and the province of Belluno, Veneto, northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...
, Italy, was selected to organize the
1956 Winter OlympicsThe 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The Games were held from January 26–February 5, 1956. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out...
. At the opening ceremonies the final torch bearer, Guido Caroli, entered the
Olympic StadiumStadio Olympica is an indoor ice hockey arena in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. It was built in 1955 and holds 12,000 people. The ice hockey games, as well as the other skating events and opening and closing ceremonies from the 1956 Winter Olympics were held at this arena...
on ice skates. As he skated around the stadium rink his skate caught on a cable and he fell, nearly extinguishing the flame. He was able to recover and lit the cauldron. These were the first Winter Games to be televised, though no television rights would be sold until the
1960 Summer OlympicsThe 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Rome, Italy, in 1960...
in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
. The Cortina Games were used as an experiment on the feasibility of televising sporting events on such a large scale. These Games marked the debut of the
Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union competed in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.-References:**...
at the Winter Olympics. The Soviet team won more medals than any other nation.
The IOC awarded the
1960 OlympicsThe 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated between February 18 and February 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States . Squaw Valley won the bid in 1955...
to
Squaw ValleyThe Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, is one of the largest and most high-concept ski areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. It is the second-largest ski area at Lake Tahoe , boasting highly-advanced chairlifts , as well as the only Funitel...
, United States. Since the village was underdeveloped, there was a rush to construct roads, hotels, restaurants, and bridges, as well as the ice arena, the speed skating track, ski lifts, and the ski jump hill. The opening and closing ceremonies were produced by
Walt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder Walter Elias...
. These Games were the first to have a dedicated athlete's village, and the first to use a computer (courtesy of
IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation, abbreviated IBM, is a multinational computer technology and IT consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, Town of North Castle, New York, United States. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating...
) to tabulate results. The bobsled events were absent for the first and only time because the organizing committee found it too expensive. Women first took part in speed skating at these Games.
1964 to 1980
The
TyroleanTyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts – called North Tyrol and East Tyrol – by a 20 km-wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian...
city of
InnsbruckInnsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn Valley at the junction with the Wipptal , which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some south of Innsbruck...
was the host in
1964The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
. Despite being a traditional winter sports resort, warm weather caused a lack of snow during the Games and the Austrian army was called in to bring snow and ice to the sport venues.
SovietThe Soviet Union competed at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.-References:**...
speed skating star
Lidia SkoblikovaLidiya Pavlovna Skoblikova is the most successful Olympic speed skater in terms of Olympic gold medals. Representing the USSR Olympic team during the Olympic Winter Games in 1960 and 1964, she won a total of six gold medals, still a record number for a speed skater...
made history by sweeping all four speed skating events. Her career total of six gold medals set a record for the most medals by a Winter Olympics athlete.
LugeA luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Luge is also the name of the sport which involves racing with such sleds...
was first contested in these Olympics, although the sport received bad publicity when a competitor was killed in a pre-Olympic training run.
Held in the French town of
GrenobleGrenoble is a city in south-eastern France situated at the foot of the French Alps where the Drac joins the Isère River. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère. The proximity of the mountains make the city named "Capital of Alps."The history of the...
, the
1968 Winter OlympicsThe 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on February 6. Thirty-seven countries participated...
was the first Olympic Games to be broadcast in color.
FrenchmanFrance was the host nation for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble. It was the second time that France had hosted the Winter Olympic Games , and the fourth time overall .-References:**...
Jean-Claude KillyJean-Claude Killy is a former champion alpine ski racer, who dominated the sport in the late 1960s. He was a triple Olympic champion, winning all three events at the 1968 Winter Olympics...
became only the second person to sweep all the men's alpine skiing events. The effects of television began to show at the Grenoble Games. The organizing committee sold the television rights for $2 million, a significant increase over the price of the broadcast rights for the Innsbruck Games, which totaled $936,667. Venues were spread over long distances requiring three athletes' villages at these Games. The organizers claimed this was required to accommodate technological advances. Critics disputed this, alleging the layout was necessary to provide the best possible venues for television broadcasts at the expense of the athletes.
The
1972 Winter GamesThe 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
, held in Sapporo, Japan, were the first to be hosted outside North America or Europe. The issue of professionalism became very contentious during these Games. Three days before the Olympics, IOC president
Avery BrundageAvery Brundage was an American athlete, sports official, art collector and philanthropist. A controversial figure, he has been widely criticized for attitudes expressed and decisions he made as a member of the United States Olympic Committee and as president of the International Olympic...
threatened to bar a large number of alpine skiers from competing because they participated in a ski camp at
Mammoth MountainMammoth Mountain is a lava dome complex west of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California in the Inyo National Forest of Mono County. It is home to a large ski area.Mammoth Mountain was formed in a series of eruptions that ended 57,000 years ago...
in the United States. Brundage reasoned that the skiers had financially benefited from their status as athletes and were therefore no longer amateurs. Eventually, only
Austrian-References:**...
Karl Schranz, who earned more than all the other skiers, was not allowed to compete. Canada did not send teams to the
1972At the 1972 Winter Olympics held in Sapporo, Japan, one ice hockey event was held: men's ice hockey. Games were held at the Makomanai Ice Arena and at the Tsukisamu Indoor Skating Rink.-Medalists:-Qualification matches:...
or
1976 ice hockey tournamentsAt the 1976 Winter Olympics held in Innsbruck, Austria, the USSR team won the Gold Medal in ice hockey. Star forward, Valeri Kharlamov scored the game-winning goal in the final game. Games were held at the Olympiahalle Innsbruck.-Highlights:...
in protest of their inability to use players from professional leagues. Francisco Ochoa became the only
Spaniard- Gold:*Francisco Fernández Ochoa — alpine skiing, men's slalom-References:**...
to ever win a Winter Olympic gold medal, when he triumphed in the slalom.
Originally, the
1976 Winter GamesThe 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4-15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
had been awarded to
DenverThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the state of Colorado, in the United States. Denver is a consolidated city-county located in the South Platte River Valley on the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, United States, but in 1972 the voters of Colorado expressed unwillingness to host the Games through a state referendum. Innsbruck, which still had maintained the infrastructure from the 1964 Games, was chosen in 1973 to replace Denver. Two Olympic flames were lit because it was the second time the Austrian town had hosted the Games. The 1976 Games also featured the first
combination bobsled and luge trackThe Igls bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Igls, Austria . The most recent version of the track was completed in 1975 and is the first permanent, combination artificially refrigerated bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track, serving as a model...
in neighbouring Igls. The
Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.-Speed skating:* Tatyana Averina* Vladimir Ivanov* Yuri Kondakov* Vera Krasnova* Yevgeni Kulikov* Andrey Malikov* Sergey Marchuk* Valeri Muratov* Sergey Ryabev...
won its fourth straight ice hockey gold medal at these Games.
The
Olympic Winter GamesThe 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 13 through February 24, 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the upstate New York village hosted the Games,...
returned to
Lake PlacidLake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638. Lake Placid is named after nearby Lake Placid....
, which had hosted the 1932 Games. The threat of a boycott of the
1980 Summer OlympicsThe 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
clouded these Olympics, due to the fact that much of the debate regarding this eventuality took place during the Winter Games.
AmericanThe United States was the host nation for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.- Medalists :-Speed skating:* Jim Chapin* Mary Docter* Sarah Docter* Beth Heiden* Eric Heiden* Dan Immerfall* Craig Kressler* Peter Mueller...
Speed skater
Eric HeidenEric Arthur Heiden is an American former long track speed skater who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, United States. He also...
set either an Olympic or world record winning each of the five
events-500 m:Friday February 15 1980 — 37 competitors from 18 countriesWorld record
– 37,00 Yevgeny Kulikov-1,000 m:Tuesday February 19 1980 — 41 competitors from 19 countriesWR
Eric Heiden 1:13.60-1,500 m:...
he competed in.
Hanni WenzelHanni Wenzel is a former alpine ski racer from Liechtenstein. She won the country's first Olympic medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck ....
won both the Slalom and Giant Slalom. Her country,
LiechtensteinLiechtenstein competed at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States.- Gold:*Hanni Wenzel — Alpine skiing, Women's Slalom*Hanni Wenzel — Alpine skiing, Women's Giant Slalom- Silver :...
, became the smallest nation to produce an Olympic gold medallist. In the "
Miracle on IceThe "Miracle on Ice" is the nickname given to a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, which occurred on February 22. The United States team, made up of amateur and collegiate players and led by coach Herb Brooks, defeated the Soviet Union team,...
", the American hockey team beat the favoured
SovietsThe Soviet Union competed at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States.-Speed skating:* Tatyana Averina* Sergey Berezin* Vera Bryndzei* Sergey Khlebnikov* Yury Kondakov* Irina Kovrova* Yevgeny Kulikov* Valentina Golovenkina...
and went on to win the gold medal.
1984 to 1998
The cities of Sapporo, Japan, and Gotheburg, Sweden, were front-runners to host the
1984 Winter OlympicsThe 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was at the time part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and...
. It was therefore a surprise when
SarajevoSarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
,
YugoslaviaThe Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the host nation for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. Prior to these Games, Yugoslavia had never won a medal at the Winter Games, but Jure Franko won a silver medal in the men's giant slalom to become a national hero.- Silver:*Jure Franko...
was chosen to host the Games. The Games were well-organized and displayed no indication of the war that would soon engulf the country. Yugoslavia also won its first Olympic medal when alpine skier
Jure FrankoJure Franko is a Slovenian and Yugoslavian former alpine skier, best known for winning a giant slalom silver medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo....
won a silver medal in the giant slalom. Another sporting highlight was the free dance performance of
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland competed as Great Britain at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.- Gold:*Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean — Figure Skating, Ice Dancing-References:* *...
ice dancers
Jayne TorvillJayne Torvill, OBE is a British ice dancer who with her skating partner Christopher Dean won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics and a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics.-Ice skating:...
and
Christopher DeanChristopher Colin Dean, OBE is a British famous figure skater who won a gold medal in ice dancing at the 1984 Winter Olympics with his skating partner Jayne Torvill...
. Their performance to Ravel's
BoleroBolero is a name given to certain slow-tempo latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms, which are both significant, and which have separate origins. The term is also used for some art music...
earned the pair unanimous perfect scores in artistic impression, and the gold medal.
The Republic of ChinaThe Republic of China competed as Chinese Taipei at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo,Yugoslavia. It was the first time the nation had competed under that name; previously it had competed in the Olympic Games as the "Republic of China"....
boycotted the 1980 Olympics due to a conflict with
ChinaThe People's Republic of China competed at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.-Speed skating:* Cao Guifeng* Chen Jiangqiang* Gai Zhiwu* Kong Meiyu* Li Wei* Miao Min* Shen Guoqin* Wang Feifan* Wang Guifang* Wang Nianchun...
over the use of the name "Republic of China". They returned to the 1984 Games after an agreement was reached that the athletes would compete under the new name "Chinese Taipei", and use a special flag and national anthem.
In 1988 the Canadian city of
CalgaryCalgary is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada.The Calgary census metropolitan area is the third most diverse in Canada in terms of visible minorities after Toronto and Vancouver when considering only CMAs with population greater than 200,000...
, hosted the first
Winter OlympicsThe 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Calgary, Alberta and opened by the 23rd Governor General of Canada: Jeanne Sauvé....
to span 16 days. New events were added in ski jumping and speed skating, while future Olympic sports
curlingCurling is a team game with similarities to bowls and shuffleboard, played by two teams of four players each on a rectangular sheet of carefully prepared ice. Teams take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones down the ice towards the target...
,
short track speed skatingShort track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters skate on an oval ice track with a circumference of 111.12 m...
and
freestyle skiingFreestyle skiing is an acrobatic form of technical and aerial skiing. It is organized into a number of different disciplines, although there are no impartial authorities for managing the sport internationally....
made their appearance as demonstration sports. For the first time, the speed skating events were held indoors, on the
Olympic OvalThe Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a covered speed skating oval built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It is now home for the Oval X-Treme female ice hockey team of the National Women's Hockey League. It is located on the University of Calgary campus...
. Dutch skater
Yvonne van GennipYvonne Maria van Gennip was one of the most successful female Dutch all-round speed skaters...
won three gold medals, and set two work records, in speed skating, beating the skaters from the favoured
East GermanEast Germany competed at the Winter Olympic Games for the last time at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada...
team in every race. Her total was equalled by
Finnish- Gold:*Cross-country skiing**Women's 5 km: Marjo Matikainen*Ski jumping**Men's K120 individual : Matti Nykänen**Men's K120 team : Ari-Pekka Nikkola, Matti Nykänen, Jari Puikkonen, Tuomo Ylipulli...
ski jumper
Matti NykänenMatti Ensio Nykänen is a former Finnish ski jumper who won five Olympic medals , nine World championships medals and 22 Finnish championships medals...
, who won all the events in his sport.
Alberto TombaAlberto Tomba is a retired champion alpine ski racer from Italy. He was the dominant technical skier in the late 1980s and 1990s. Tomba won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, and nine World Cup season titles; four in slalom, four in giant slalom, and one overall title...
, an
Italian-Speed skating:* Elena Belci* Bruno Milesi* Roberto Sighel-References:**...
skier made his Olympic debut at these Games winning both the Giant Slalom and Slalom. East German
Christa RothenburgerChrista Luding-Rothenburger is a former speed skater and track cyclist. She was born in Weißwasser, East Germany.- Short biography :...
won the women's 1000 metre speed skating event. Seven months later, she would earn a silver in track cycling at the
Summer GamesThe 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan...
in
SeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, it is one of the world's largest cities. The Seoul National Capital Area, which includes the major port city of Incheon and most of Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million...
. She became the first and only athlete to win medals in both a Summer and Winter Olympics in the same year.
The
1992 GamesThe 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 in Albertville, France...
were the last to be held in the same year as the
Summer GamesThe 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in 1992.-Host city selection:...
. They were hosted in the French
SavoieSavoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps....
region. The town of
AlbertvilleAlbertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...
was the host city though only 18 events were competed in the city. The rest of the events were spread out over the Savoie. Political changes of the time were reflected in the Olympic teams appearing in France. This was the first Games to be held after the fall of Communism and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. Germany competed as a single nation for the first time since the 1964 Games, and former
YugoslavianThe Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the second half of World War II until it was formally dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro,...
republics
CroatiaCroatia competed in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time as an independent nation at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France...
and
SloveniaSlovenia competed in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time as an independent nation at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.-References:*...
made their debut. Most of former
SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
republics still competed as a single team known as the
Unified TeamThe Unified Team at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville was a joint team consisting of six of the fifteen former Soviet republics, namely Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Armenia. The Unified Team's only other appearance was at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona...
, but the Baltic States made independent appearances for the first time since before World War II. At 16 years old,
Finnish- Gold:*Cross-country skiing**Women's 5 km: Marjut Lukkarinen*Ski jumping**Men's K120 individual : Toni Nieminen**Men's K120 team : Risto Laakkonen, Mika Laitinen, Toni Nieminen, Ari-Pekka Nikkola- Silver:*Cross-country skiing...
ski jumper
Toni NieminenToni Nieminen is a Finnish ski-jumper who competed from 1991 to 2004.His biggest success came very early in his career at the age of 16, where he won three medals at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, earning two gold medals in the individual and team large hill events; and a bronze medal in...
made history by becoming the youngest male Winter Olympic champion.
New ZealandNew Zealand competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Annelise Coberger won the nation's first medal at the Winter Olympic Games in the women's slalom event.-References:**...
skier Annelise Coberger became the first Winter Olympic medallist from the southern hemisphere when she won a silver medal in the women's slalom.
In 1986, the IOC voted to separate the Summer and Winter Games and place them in alternating even-numbered years starting in 1994. The
Lillehammer GamesThe 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. In 1986, the IOC voted to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same year since the latter's inception in...
were the first Winter Olympics to be held without the Summer Games in the same year. After the
divisionThe dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, saw Czechoslovakia split into two separate countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia...
of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.It was the first Winter Games since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, and so the Czech Republic and Slovakia competed as independent teams....
and
SlovakiaSlovakia competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.It was the first Winter Games since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, and so the Czech Republic and Slovakia competed as independent teams.-Men's Team Competition:*Team Roster...
made their Olympic debut in
Lillehammeris a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal...
, Norway. The women's figure skating competition garnered significant media attention.
AmericanThe United States competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.- Medalists :- Men's team competition :* Team Roster:* Mike Dunham* Garth Snow* Ted Crowley* Brett Hauer* Chris Imes* Peter Laviolette * Todd Marchant...
skater
Nancy KerriganNancy Kerrigan is a two-time American Olympic figure skating medalist and 1993 U.S. champion.-Early life:Kerrigan was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts. She took up skating at age six. She grew up with brothers who played hockey, and often joined in herself. She describes herself as having been a...
had been injured on January 6 in an assault planned by the ex-husband of opponent
Tonya HardingTonya Maxene Harding is a former American figure skating champion. In 1991 she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed second in the World Championships...
. Both skaters competed in the Games, but neither of them won the gold medal, which went to
Oksana BaiulOksana Baiul is a Ukrainian professional figure skater. She is the 1994 Olympic Champion.-Early life:Baiul was born in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR. She was raised solely by her mother, Marina, after her parents divorced when Oksana was two years old...
, who won
Ukraine'sUkraine competed in the Winter Olympic Games as an independent nation for the first time at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway...
first Olympic title.
The
1998 Winter OlympicsThe 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. These Games marked the return of the Winter Olympics to Japan since the 1972 Winter Olympics, when the games were held in Sapporo...
was the first Games to host more than 2,000 athletes. The Games were held in the Japanese city of Nagano. The men's ice hockey tournament was open to all professionals for the first time.
CanadaCanada competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Canada has competed at every Winter Olympic Games.Canada's biggest story at these games was the failure of the men's ice hockey team to win gold. For the first time, Canada's best players were able to compete at the Olympics, so...
and the
United StatesThe United States competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.- Medalists :-Men's Team Competition:*Team Roster*John Vanbiesbrouck*Mike Richter*Guy Hebert*Chris Chelios*Brian Leetch*Gary Suter*Derian Hatcher*Kevin Hatcher...
, with their many
NHLThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league as a joint venture for its self perpetuating membership of 30 franchised member clubs located in the United States and Canada...
players, were favoured for the gold . However, neither nation won any medals, as the
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.The medal hopes were set on ice hockey team and Kateřina Neumannová in cross-country skiing. The ice hockey team won their first gold medal in history. Kateřina Neumannová was also successful, winning one silver and one bronze...
prevailed. Women's ice hockey made its debut at these Games, with the United States winning the gold medal.
Bjørn DæhlieBjørn Erlend Dæhlie is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. He has won eight Olympic titles and nine World Championship titles. A total of 29 medal at Olympic and World Championships. That gives him the honour of the most winning XC skiier at all time...
of
Norway-Speed skating:* Edel Therese Høiseth* Remi Hereide* Steinar Johansen* Grunde Njøs* Brigt Rykkje* Lasse Sætre* Ådne Søndrål* Kjell Storelid* Roger Strøm* Anette Tønsberg-References:**...
won three gold medals in Nordic skiing. He became the most decorated Winter Olympic athlete with eight gold medals and twelve medals overall.
Austrian-Men's Team Competition:*Team Roster*Claus Dalpiaz*Reinhard Divis*Dominic Lavoie*Andreas Puschnig*Martin Ulrich*Tom Searle*Gerhard Puschnik*Simon Wheeldon*Christoph Brandner*Herbert Hohenberger*Michael Lampert*Martin Hohenberger*Patrick Pilloni...
Hermann MaierHermann Maier was an Austrian alpine ski racer.Maier has won four overall World Cup titles , two Olympic gold medals , three World Championship titles and 54 races on the World Cup circuit...
survived a crash during the downhill competition and returned to win gold in the Super-G and the Giant Slalom A wave of new world records were set in
speed skating-500m:-1.000m:February 15, 1998-1.500m:February 10, 1998-5.000m:February 8, 1998-10.000m:February 17, 1998-500m:February 13/February 14, 1998-1.000m:February 19, 1998-1.500m:February 16, 1998-3.000m:February 11, 1998-5.000m:...
due to the use of the
clap skateClap skates are a type of ice skate used in speed skating. Unlike in traditional skates where the blade is rigidly fixed to the boot, clap skates have the blade attached to the boot by a hinge at the front...
.
2002 to present
The
19th Olympic Winter GamesThe 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States...
were held in
Salt Lake CitySalt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. Salt Lake City has a population of 181,698 as of July 1, 2008, making it the 125th largest city in the United States...
, United States.
GermanGermany competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States.-Medalists:Germany finished second in the medal ranking with 12 gold medals...
Georg HacklGeorg Hackl is a German former luger who was three time Olympic and World Champion...
won a silver in the singles luge, becoming the first athlete in Olympic history to medal in the same individual event in five consecutive Olympics.
CanadaCanada competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. Canada has competed at every Winter Olympic Games.These games were the second best ever for Canada, as they finished in fourth place in the medal standings with 17 medals, seven of which were gold.- Gold:*Canada Canada...
achieved an unprecedented double by winning both the men's and women's
Ice Hockey2002 Winter Olympic Games Ice hockey games were held at the E Center and Peaks Ice Arena in Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah. Both the men's and women's tournaments were won by Canada, defeating the host United States in both games.-Men:Source:...
gold medals. Canada became embroiled with
RussiaRussia competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing :MenWomen- Biathlon :MenWomen- Bobsleigh :- Cross-country skiing :DistanceMenWomenSprint- Curling:Women's...
in a
controversyAt the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, the figure skating competition was the source of much controversy and one of the immediate causes for the revamp of scoring in figure skating.-The competition:...
that involved the judging of the
pairs figure skating2002 Winter Olympic Games Figure skating. All events were held at the Salt Lake Ice Center.-Medal table:-Medalists:-Men:Yagudin received 5.9s and 6.0s for his free program after World Champion Plushenko had made several errors in both the short program and long program.-Results:-Ladies:Hughes,...
competition. The Russian pair of
Yelena BerezhnayaElena Viktorovna Berezhnaya is a Russian pair skater. With partner Anton Sikharulidze, she is the 1998 Olympic silver medalist and 2002 Olympic co-champion. Their 2002 gold medal was shared with Canadian pair Jamie Salé and David Pelletier after the controversy regarding the judging of the long...
and
Anton SikharulidzeAnton Tarielyevich Sikharulidze is a Russian pair skater. With Elena Berezhnaya, he is the 1998 Olympic silver medalist and 2002 Olympic co-champion...
competed against the Canadian pair of
Jamie SaléJamie Rae Salé is a Canadian pair skater. With husband and partner David Pelletier, she is the 2002 Olympic Champion and 2001 World Champion. Sale & Pelletier are also notable for being "the Canadians" during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games figure skating scandal.-Early life and career:Salé was born...
and
David PelletierDavid Jacques Pelletier is a Canadian pairs figure skater. With partner and wife Jamie Salé, he is the 2002 Olympic co-champion.-Early life and career:...
for the gold medal. The Canadians appeared to have skated well enough to win the competition, yet the Russians were awarded the gold. The judging broke along
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
lines with the exception of the
French- Gold:* Alpine skiing**Women's Downhill: Carole Montillet**Men's Slalom: Jean-Pierre Vidal* Figure Skating*Ice Dance: Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat* Snowboarding**Women's Giant Parallel Slalom: Isabelle Blanc- Silver:...
judge,
Marie-Reine Le GougneMarie-Reine Le Gougne, often known simply as "the French Judge", was a central figure in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games figure skating scandal....
, who awarded the gold to the Russians. An investigation revealed that she had been pressured to give the gold to the Russian pair regardless of how they skated; in return the Russian judge would look favourably on the French entrants in the ice dancing competition. The IOC decided to award both pairs the gold medal in a second
medal ceremonyAt the Olympic Games, the Ceremonies commemorate the opening and closing of a specific celebration of the Olympics, and the awarding of medals. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, one of the forefathers of the Modern Games, wanted to model the revival of the Games after their ancient Olympic counterpart...
held later in the Games.
AustralianAustralia competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States, winning two gold medals in the nation's best performance at the Winter Games.- Overview :...
Steven BradburySteven John Bradbury
OAM is a former Australian short track speed skater and 4 time Olympian, who won the 1,000 m Gold Medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics after all of his opponents were involved in a last corner pile-up.- 1992 Olympics :In 1991, Bradbury was part of the...
became the first gold medallist from the Southern Hemisphere when he won the 1,000 metre short-track speed skating event.
The Italian city of
TurinTurin is a major city as well as a business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River surrounded by the Alpine arch...
hosted the
2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic...
. It was the second time that Italy held the Winter Olympic Games. South Korean athletes dominated the short-track speed skating events at these Games.
Sun-Yu JinJin Sun-Yu is a Korean short-track speed skater.She was the winner of the gold medal in the 1500 meters and the silver medal in the 1000 meters at the 2005 World Championships, as she ended up as the overall champion...
won three gold medals while her teammate Hyun-Soo Ahn won three gold medals and a bronze. In the women's
Cross-CountryThe cross-country skiing events at the 2006 Winter Olympics featured 12 events, from February 11 2006 to 26 February 2006 at Pragelato in Turin.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:-Participating nations:...
team pursuit
CanadianCanada competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, with a team of 196 athletes and 220 support staff.As host of the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada was pressured to do well at the 2006 Games...
Sara RennerSara Renner is a Canadian cross country skier who has competed since 1994. With Beckie Scott, she won the silver medal in the team sprint event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and earned her best individual finish of 8th in the 10 km classical event in those same games...
broke one of her poles. When he saw her dilemma,
NorwegianNorway sent 74 athletes to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. At the 2002 Winter Olympics Norway won the most gold medals, and before the Turin games, Norwegian sports officials were aiming for more than the 25 medals they won in Salt Lake City — the president of the the Norwegian...
coach
Bjørnar HåkensmoenBjørnar Håkensmoen was the head coach of the Norwegian cross-country skiing team at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He rose to fame after offering Canadian skier Sara Renner his ski pole after hers broke during the Women's team sprint event...
decided to lend her a pole. In so doing she was able to help her team win a silver medal in the event. Norway finished fourth.
Duff GibsonDuff Gibson is a Canadian skeleton racer who competed from 1999 to 2006. He was born in Vaughan, Ontario. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, He won the gold medal in the men's skeleton, narrowly beating out his teammate Jeff Pain...
of
CanadaCanada competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, with a team of 196 athletes and 220 support staff.As host of the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada was pressured to do well at the 2006 Games...
became the oldest athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold medal in an individual event. He won the skeleton event at 39 years of age.
Future
In 2003 the IOC awarded the
2010 Winter OlympicsThe 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, will be held February 12-28 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the resort town of Whistler nearby...
to
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
, thus allowing Canada to host its second Winter Olympics. With a population of more than 2.5 million people, Vancouver will be the largest metropolitan area to ever host a Winter Olympic Games. Vancouver is a low-altitude, seaport city with a
relatively mildThe climate of Vancouver, British Columbia is a moderate oceanic climate tempered by the warm Japan Current. The city is also sheltered by the mountains of Vancouver Island, to the west...
oceanic climateAn oceanic climate is the climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the world's continents, and in southeastern Australia...
. Most of the venues will be located in the Vancouver metropolitan area, with the exception of the alpine and sliding events, which will be held in
WhistlerWhistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
.
The decision for the location of the
2014 Winter OlympicsThe 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, is an international winter multiple sports event that will be held from February 7 to February 23 2014. The host city, Sochi, Russia, was elected on July 4 2007, during the 119th International Olympic Committee Session in...
was made on 4 July 2007.
SochiSochi is a Russian resort city, situated in Krasnodar Krai just north of the southern Russian border. It sprawls along the shores of the Black Sea and against the background of the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. At , Greater Sochi claims to be the longest city in Europe. As of the...
, Russia, was elected as the host city over the other two finalists:
Salzburg' is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Salzburg's "Old Town" with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city is noted for its...
, Austria, and
PyeongchangPyeongchang County is a county in Gangwon province, South Korea and the third largest county in the country. It is located in the Taebaek Mountains region, and is home to a number of Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. The county is around 180 km to the east of Seoul, the capital of South...
, South Korea. Sochi will be the first city with a
subtropical climateHumid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and cool winters. This climate type covers a broad category of climates, and the term "subtropical" may be a misnomer for the winter climate....
to host the Winter Games. The Olympic Village and Olympic Stadium will be located on the
Black Seaur a loser!The Black Sea is an inland sea bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects it to...
coast. All of the mountain venues will be 50 kilometres (30 mi) away in the alpine region known as
Krasnaya PolyanaKrasnaya Polyana is an urban-type settlement in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. Krasnaya Polyana may also refer to:*Krasnaya Polyana, Kirov Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Kirov Oblast, Russia...
.
Commercialization
As president of the IOC from 1952 to 1972,
Avery BrundageAvery Brundage was an American athlete, sports official, art collector and philanthropist. A controversial figure, he has been widely criticized for attitudes expressed and decisions he made as a member of the United States Olympic Committee and as president of the International Olympic...
rejected all attempts to link the Olympics with commercial interests. He felt that the Olympic movement should be completely separate from financial influence. The 1960 Winter Olympics marked the beginning of corporate sponsorship of the Games. Brundage saw this as an unwelcome development. He resisted any efforts to commercialize the Games, but as the decade of the 1960s continued the revenue generated by corporate sponsorship swelled. By the Grenoble Games, Brundage had become so concerned about the direction of the Winter Olympic Games towards commercialization that if they could not be corrected, then he felt the Winter Olympics should be abolished. Brundage's resistance to this revenue stream meant the IOC was slow to seek a share of the financial windfall that was coming to host cities, and also slow to control how sponsorship deals would be structured. When Brundage retired, the IOC had $2 million in assets, eight years later the IOC coffers had swelled to $45 million. This was primarily due to a shift in ideology among IOC members toward expansion of the Games through corporate sponsorship and the sale of television rights. Brundage's concerns did prove to be prophetic to a degree. The power and influence of the television lobby has expanded as the cost of the broadcast rights for each successive Games has increased. At the
1998 Nagano GamesThe 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. These Games marked the return of the Winter Olympics to Japan since the 1972 Winter Olympics, when the games were held in Sapporo...
,
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
paid $375 million, whereas the
2006 Turin GamesThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic...
cost
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
$613 million to broadcast. The more television companies have paid the greater their persuasive power with the IOC has been. For example, the television lobby has influenced the Olympic programme by dictating when event finals were held so that they would appear in prime time for television audiences.
In 1986, the IOC decided to stagger the Summer and Winter Games on separate years. Instead of holding both Games in the same calendar year, it was decided to alternate them every two years. Both Games would still be held on four-year cycles. The rationale given by the IOC for this change was in order to give more prominence to the Winter Olympic Games. It was decided that 1992 would be the last year to have both a Winter and
SummerThe 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in 1992.-Host city selection:...
Olympic Games.
There were two groups pushing for this change. One was the television lobby, who had applied pressure to reschedule the Games due to the difficulty in raising advertising revenue for two Games in the same year. Television studios would now be able to emphasize story-lines and generate interest for each separate Games, thereby maximizing viewership and consequently profit. The second was the IOC's desire to gain more control over the revenue generated by the Games. The financial success of the
1984 Summer OlympicsThe 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984. Los Angeles was selected as the host of the Games on May 18, 1978 on the 80th IOC session at Athens, Greece, without a vote,...
, which created a surplus of $227 million, exposed the importance of maximizing television rights and corporate sponsorships. The IOC also realized that under the current structure they had little access to the corporate sponsorship funds raised by individual host cities. They determined that by staggering the Games, corporations would be more likely to sponsor individual Olympic Games thereby maximizing revenue potential. The IOC also sought to directly organize sponsorship contracts so that they had more control over the Olympic "brand". The first Winter Olympics to be hosted in this new format was the
1994 GamesThe 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. In 1986, the IOC voted to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same year since the latter's inception in...
in Lillehammer.
Controversy
The Winter Olympics have not been immune to improprieties. Two of the more recent controversies occurred around the
2002 Winter OlympicsThe 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States...
. The first happened prior to the Games. After Salt Lake City had been awarded the right to host the 2002 Games it was discovered that the organizers had engaged in an elaborate
schemeThe 2002 Olympic Winter Games bid scandal was a scandal involving allegations of bribery to obtain the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Before 1995, the city had attempted several times to secure the games, but failed each time...
to bribe IOC officials in order to win favour and ultimately the bid to host the Games. Gifts and other financial considerations were given to IOC officials. These gifts included medical treatment for relatives, a college scholarship for one member's son, and a land deal in Utah. Even IOC president
Juan Antonio SamaranchJuan Antonio Samaranch Torelló, Marquess of Samaranch is a Spanish sports official who served as the 7th President of the International Olympic Committee from 1980 to 2001.-Biography:...
received two rifles valued at $2,000. Samaranch defended the gift as inconsequential since as president he was a non-voting member. He also indicated that the rifles would go on display at the Olympic museum. The subsequent investigation resulted in the expulsion of ten members of the IOC and the sanctioning of another ten. It also uncovered improprieties in the bids for every Games (both summer and winter) since 1988. It was discovered, for example, that the gifts received by IOC members from the Japanese Organizing Committee in exchange for their support of the bid for the
1998 Winter OlympicsThe 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. These Games marked the return of the Winter Olympics to Japan since the 1972 Winter Olympics, when the games were held in Sapporo...
were described as "astronomical". Although nothing strictly illegal had been done, the fear was that corporate sponsors would lose faith in the integrity of the IOC, and that the Olympic brand would be tarnished to such an extent that advertisers would begin to pull their support. Stricter rules were adopted for future bids and ceilings were put into place as to how much IOC members could accept from bid cities. Additionally new term and age limits were established for IOC membership, and fifteen former Olympic athletes were added to the committee.
Steroids
In 1967 the IOC began enacting drug testing protocols. They started randomly testing athletes at the
1968 Winter OlympicsThe 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on February 6. Thirty-seven countries participated...
. The first Winter Games athlete to test positive for a banned substance was
Alois SchloderAlois Schloder is a retired ice hockey player. He participated at the 1976 Winter Olympics and won a bronze medal. He was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 2005....
, a
West GermanWest Germany competed at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.-Men's Team Competition:*Team Roster*Anton Kehle*Heiko Antons*Georg Kink*Rainer Makatsch*Otto Schneitberger*Josef Völk*Werner Modes...
hockey player who had
ephedrineEphedrine is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a stimulant, appetite suppressant, concentration aid, decongestant, and to treat hypotension associated with anaesthesia. Ephedrine is similar in structure to the synthetic derivatives amphetamine and methamphetamine...
in his system. He was disqualified from the rest of the tournament but his team was still allowed to compete. During the 1970s, testing out of competition was escalated and found to be a useful deterrent to athletes. The problem with testing during this time was a lack of standardization of test procedures, which undermined the credibility of the test process. It was not until the late 1980s that international sporting federations, of which the IOC was a member, began to coordinate efforts to standardize the drug testing protocols. The IOC decided to take a leadership role in the fight against steroids when they established an independent
World Anti-Doping AgencyThe World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against drugs in sport...
(WADA) in November 1999. The
2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic...
in Turin, became notable for a scandal involving the emerging trend of
blood dopingBlood doping is the practice of boosting the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream in order to enhance athletic performance. Because they carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, more RBCs in the blood can improve an athlete’s aerobic capacity and endurance.-Methods:The term blood...
, which is the use of blood transfusions or synthetic hormones like
ErythropoietinErythropoietin, or its alternative erythropoetin or EPO, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production...
(EPO), to improve oxygen flow in order to reduce fatigue. The Italian police conducted a raid during the Games on the
Austrian-Medalists:- Alpine skiing :Men'sWomen'sNote: In the men's combined, run 1 is the downhill, and runs 2 and 3 are the slalom. In the women's combined, run 1 and 2 are the slalom, and run 3 the downhill.- Biathlon :...
cross-country ski team's residence. They seized blood doping specimens and equipment. This event followed the pre-Olympics suspension of 12 cross-country skiers who tested positive for unusually high levels of
hemoglobinHemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of vertebrates, and the tissues of some invertebrates....
, which is evidence of blood doping. This particular method of cheating has been used by cross-country athletes before. At the 2002 Games three skiers were stripped of their medals after they tested positive for blood doping.
Cold War
The Winter Olympics have been an ideological front in the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
since the
Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union competed in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.-References:**...
first participated at the 1956 Winter Games. It did not take long for the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
combatants to discover what a powerful propaganda tool the Olympic Games could be. Soviet and American politicians used the Olympics, and other international sporting events, as an opportunity to prove the advantages of their respective political systems. The successful Soviet athlete was feted and honoured.
Irina RodninaIrina Konstantinovna Rodnina is one of the most successful figure skaters ever and the only pair skater to win 10 successive World Championships and three successive Olympic gold medals...
, three-time Olympic gold medallist in figure skating, was awarded the
Order of LeninThe Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
after her victory at the
1976 Winter OlympicsThe 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4-15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
in Innsbruck. With the award would come monetary compensation anywhere from $4,000–$8,000 depending on the prestige of the sport. A world record was worth $1,500. The United States responded to the propaganda pressure of the Soviet Union. In 1978, the U.S. Congress passed legislation completely reorganizing the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). This sort of political intrusion in a sports federation was unheard of in a democratic country. It was a direct response to the increasing international profile that television gave to the Olympic Games. The USOC also pays its athletes for Olympic medals won: $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. Multiple medals garner multiple amounts of money.
The Cold War also created tensions among countries allied to the two super powers. A particularly thorny issue for the IOC to navigate was the question of how to recognize both East and West Germany. Germany was not allowed to compete at the
1948 Winter OlympicsThe 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II, a twelve year hiatus...
. In 1950, the IOC recognized the West German Olympic Committee. It was a West German team who represented
GermanyGermany competed at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway after not having been invited to the 1948 Winter Olympics because of the role in World War II, and because the NOC restored in 1947 as Deutscher Olympischer Ausschuß did not represent a recognized state yet...
at the
1952 Winter OlympicsThe 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1952 in Oslo, Norway.- Host City Selection :...
in Oslo. The East Germans were invited to cooperate as a unified team in 1952 but they declined this offer. In 1955 the Soviet Union recognized East Germany as a sovereign state, thereby giving more credibility to East Germany's campaign to become an independent participant at the Olympics. The IOC agreed to provisionally accept the East German National Olympic Committee with the condition that they compete as a unified team with the West Germans. This was done because the West Germans had adopted the
Hallstein DoctrineThe Hallstein Doctrine, named after Walter Hallstein, was a key doctrine in the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany after 1955. It established that the Federal Republic would not establish or maintain diplomatic relations with any state that recognized the German Democratic Republic...
, which forbade West Germany from entering into diplomatic relations with any country that recognized East Germany. The situation became tenuous when the
Berlin Wall|-||-||-||-||}The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier erected by the German Democratic Republic completely encircling West Berlin, separating it from East Germany, including East Berlin. The longer inner German border demarcated the border between East and West Germany...
was constructed in 1962. Many western countries, including France and the United States, refused visas to East German athletes competing in world championships in their countries. The uneasy compromise of a unified team held until the
Grenoble GamesThe 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on February 6. Thirty-seven countries participated...
of 1968 when the IOC officially split both teams and threatened to reject the host city bids of any country that refused entry visas to East German athletes.
Boycott
While their Summer counterpart has experienced several boycotts, the Winter Games have had only one national team boycott. Taiwan decided to boycott the
1980 Winter OlympicsThe 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 13 through February 24, 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the upstate New York village hosted the Games,...
held in Lake Placid. The reason for the boycott was due to the fact that the IOC had agreed to allow
ChinaThe People's Republic of China competed at the Winter Olympic Games for the first time at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States.-Speed skating:* Cao Guifeng* Chen Shuhua* Guo Chengjiang* Kong Meiyu* Li Huchun* Piao Meiji...
to compete in the Olympics for the first time since 1952. They were allowed to compete as the People's Republic of China and to use the Chinese flag and anthem. Until 1980, the island of Taiwan had been competing under the name Republic of China and had been using the Chinese flag and anthem. As part of their decision, the IOC demanded that Taiwan cease to call itself the "Republic of China". Instead the IOC renamed it Chinese Taipei and forced it to adopt a different flag and national anthem. The IOC initially attempted to have the countries compete together, but this proved to be unacceptable. Taiwan would not concede to the IOC's demand that it be renamed and use different national symbols. Despite numerous appeals and court hearings the IOC's decision stood. When the Taiwanese athletes arrived at the Olympic village with their Republic of China identification cards they were not admitted. They subsequently left the Olympics in protest just before the opening ceremonies.
Sports
Chapter 1, article 6 of the 2007 edition of the
Olympic CharterThe Olympic Charter, last updated July 7, 2007, is a set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olympic Games, and for governing the Olympic Movement. Adopted by International Olympic Committee , it is the codification of the Fundamental Principles, Rules and By-laws. French and...
defines winter sports as "sports which are practised on snow or ice." Through the years, the number of sports and events conducted at the Winter Olympic Games has increased. There have also been
Demonstration sportA demonstration sport is a sport which is played to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events.Demonstration sports were officially introduced in 1912 Summer Olympics, when Sweden decided to include glima, traditional Scandinavian wrestling, in the...
s, which are contests held but for which no medals are awarded.
Current sport disciplines
| Sport |
Years |
# of
events |
Medal events scheduled for 2010 |
| Alpine skiing Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since 1936, when a combined event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. From 1948–80, the Winter Olympics also served as the World Championships in Olympic years...
|
Since 1936 |
10 |
Men's and women's downhillThe downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
, super giant slalomThe Super Giant Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is considered a "speed" discipline along with Downhill .-Definition:...
, giant slalom, slalomSlalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
and Alpine combinedCombined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a "discipline" of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom....
. |
BiathlonBiathlon debuted at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley with the men's 20 km individual event. At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, the men's 4×7.5 km relay debuted, followed by the 10 km sprint event at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York...
|
Since 1960 |
10 |
The Sprint (men: 10 km; women: 7.5 km), the individual (men: 20 km; women: 15 km), the pursuit (men: 12.5 km; women: 10 km), the relay (men: 4x7.5 km; women: 4x6 km), and the mass start (men: 15 km; women: 12.5 km). |
BobsledBobsleigh has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the first Winter Games in 1924, with the exception of the 1960 games in Squaw Valley when the organizing committee decided not to build a track in order to reduce expenses. Other than that exception, the four-man competition has been...
|
1924–1956
1964–present |
3 |
Four-man race, two-man race and two-woman race. |
Cross-country skiingCross-country skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the first Winter Games in 1924. The women's events were first contested at the 1952 Winter Olympics. -Events:-Medal table:...
|
Since 1924 |
12 |
Men's sprint, team sprint, 30 km pursuit, 15 km, 50 km and 4x10 km relay; women's sprint, team sprint, 15 km pursuit, 10 km, 30 km (women) and 4x5 km relay. |
| Curling Curling was included in the program of the inaugural Winter Olympic Games in 1924 in Chamonix. The results of that competition were not considered official by the International Olympic Committee until 2006. Curling was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Games, and then again after a lengthy absence...
|
1924
1998–present |
2 |
Men's and women's tournaments. |
| Figure skating |
| 4 |
Men's and women's singles; pairs; and ice dancing. |
Freestyle skiingFreestyle skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville. It was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics, with moguls, aerials, and ballet events. Moguls became an official medal sport at the 1992 games, while aerials and ballet were...
|
Since 1992 |
6 |
Men's and women's mogulsMogul skiing is a type of freestyle skiing where skiers pass between different bumps or moguls.-Moguls:Moguls are a series of bumps on a trail formed when skiers push the snow into mounds or piles as they execute short-radius turns. They can also be constructed on a slope for freestyle skiing...
, aerials and skicrossSki Cross is a relatively new type of skiing competition. It is based on the Motorbike discipline of Moto Cross...
. |
| Ice hockey |
| 2 |
Men's and women's tournaments. |
LugeLuge was introduced to the Winter Olympic Games in 1964, with both men's and women's events and a doubles event. Doubles is technically a mixed event, but is almost always competed by a team of two men...
|
Since 1964 |
3 |
Men's and women's singles, men's doubles. |
Nordic combinedThe Nordic combined events have been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since 1924. The first competition involved 18 km cross-country skiing, followed by ski jumping. Whoever earned the most points from both competitions won the event. At the 1952 Winter Olympics, the ski jumping was held...
|
Since 1924 |
3 |
Men's 10 km individual normal hill, 10 km individual large hill and team. |
Short track speed skatingShort track speed skating has been contested at the Winter Olympics since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France. Prior to that, it was a demonstration sport at the 1988 games. The sport has been dominated by teams from Asia and North America, namely South Korea , China , Canada and the...
|
Since 1992 |
8 |
Men's and women's 500 metres, 1000 metres, 1500 metres; women's 3000 metre relay; and men's 5000 metre relay. |
SkeletonSkeleton was part of the Winter Olympic Games program when the games were held in St. Moritz in 1928 and again in 1948, but was then removed from the program. The sport discipline was reintroduced at the 2002 Winter Olympics, with both men's and women's events.-Events:-Medal table:...
|
1924; 1948
Since 2002 |
2 |
Men's and women's events. |
Ski jumpingSki jumping has been included in the program of every Winter Olympic Games. From 1924 through 1956, the competition involved jumping from one hill whose length varied from each edition games to the next. Most historians have placed this length at 70 meters and have classified this as the large hill...
|
Since 1924 |
3 |
Men's individual large hill, individual small hill and team large hill. |
SnowboardingSnowboarding has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.-Events:The Olympic snowboarding program has been revised for each Games, with only the halfpipe competition appearing every time...
|
Since 1998 |
6 |
Men's and women's parallel giant slalom, half-pipe and snowboard cross. |
Speed skatingSpeed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter games in 1924. Women's events were added to the Olympic program for the first time in 1960.-History:...
|
Since 1924 |
12 |
Men's and women's 500 metres, 1000 metres, 1500 metres, 5000 metres and team pursuit; women's 3000 metres; men's 10000 metres. |
Note 1. Figure skating events were also held at the
1908The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
and
1920 Summer OlympicsThe 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
.
Note 2. A men's ice hockey tournament was also held at the
1920 Summer OlympicsThe 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
.
Discontinued sports or disciplines
- Military patrol
Military patrol is a team winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing respectively ski mountaineering, and rifle shooting. It is usually contested between countries or military units. Biathlon was developed from military patrol....
, a precursor to the biathlonBiathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
, was a medal sport in 1924. It was also demonstrated in 1928, 1936 and 1948, and in 1960 biathlon became an official sport.
- The special figures
Special figures were a component of figure skating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like compulsory figures, special figures involved tracing patterns on the ice with the blade of one ice skate...
figure skating event was only contested at the 1908 Summer OlympicsAt the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, four figure skating events were contested. This took place at the Prince's Skating Club, in the district of Knightsbridge...
.
Demonstration events
- Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a soccer field. Each team has eleven...
, a sport described as ice hockey with a ball, very popular in the Nordic countries, was demonstrated at the Oslo GamesThe 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1952 in Oslo, Norway.- Host City Selection :...
.
- Ice stock sport
Ice stock sport is a winter sport, somewhat similar to curling. In German, it is known as Eisstockschießen. Competitors slide ice stocks over an ice surface, aiming for a target, or to cover the longest distance. Ice stocks have a gliding surface, to which a stick is attached...
, a German variant to curling, was demonstrated in 1936The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
in Germany and in 1964The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
in Austria.
- The ski ballet event, later known as ski-acro, was demonstrated in 1988
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Calgary, Alberta and opened by the 23rd Governor General of Canada: Jeanne Sauvé....
and 1992The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 in Albertville, France...
. The sport has significantly declined in popularity in recent years. The International Ski FederationThe International Ski Federation/Fédération Internationale de Ski FIS main international organisation of ski sports. Founded by 14 member nations in 1924 in Chamonix, France, today it has a membership of 109 national ski associations and is based in Oberhofen am Thunersee, Switzerland.-Ski...
ceased all formal competition of this sport after 2000.
- Skijöring
Skijoring is a winter sport where a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog or a motor vehicle. It is derived from the Norwegian word skikjøring meaning ski driving.- Dog skijoring :...
, skiing behind dogs, was a demonstration sport in St. MoritzSt. Moritz is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
in 1928.
- Sled-dog racing
A sled dog race was included as a demonstration event at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. 5 contestants from Canada and 7 contestants from the United States competed. The event, run under the rules of the New England Sled Dog Club, ran twice over a 25.1 mile long course...
contests were displayed at Lake PlacidThe 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4, 1932.- Highlights :...
in 1932.
- Speed skiing
Speed skiing is the sport of skiing downhill in a straight line as quickly as possible. It is one of the fastest non-motorized sports on land . The current world record is 251.4 km/h , held by Simone Origone...
was demonstrated in AlbertvilleAlbertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...
at the 1992 Winter OlympicsThe 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 in Albertville, France...
.
- Winter pentathlon, a variant to the modern pentathlon
The modern pentathlon is a sports contest that includes five events: pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a 3 km cross-country run...
, was included as a demonstration event at the 1948 GamesThe 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II, a twelve year hiatus...
in Switzerland. It was composed of cross country skiing, shootingShooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
, downhill skiingThe downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
, fencing, and horse ridingEquestrianism made its Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It disappeared until 1912, but has appeared at every Summer Olympic Games since. The current Olympic equestrian disciplines are Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping...
.
List of Games
Note: Unlike the Summer Olympics, the cancelled
1940 Winter OlympicsThe anticipated 1940 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were to be celebrated in 1940 in Sapporo, Japan.The games were cancelled due to the onset of World War II...
and
1944 Winter OlympicsThe anticipated 1944 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games , were to be celebrated in February 1944 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
are
not included in the official Roman numeral counts for the Winter Games. While the official titles of the Summer Games actually count
OlympiadAn Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch....
s (which occur even if the Games do not), the official titles of the Winter Games only count the Games themselves.
| Games |
Year |
Host |
Dates |
Nations |
Competitors |
Sports |
Events |
Ref |
| Total |
Men |
Women |
| I The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France...
|
1924 |
France ChamonixChamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics...
, FranceThe French Third Republic was the republican government of France between the end of the Second French Empire in 1870 and the Vichy Regime after the invasion of France by the German...
|
25 January – 5 February |
16 |
258 |
247 |
11 |
6 |
16 |
|
| II The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics. The...
|
1928 |
Switzerland St. MoritzSt. Moritz is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
|
11–19 February |
25 |
464 |
438 |
26 |
4 |
14 |
|
| III The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4, 1932.- Highlights :...
|
1932 |
United States Lake PlacidLake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638. Lake Placid is named after nearby Lake Placid....
, United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
4–15 February |
17 |
252 |
231 |
21 |
4 |
14 |
|
| IV The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
|
1936 |
Germany Garmisch-PartenkirchenGarmisch-Partenkirchen is a market town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, not far from the border with Austria.-History:...
, GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
|
6–16 February |
28 |
646 |
566 |
80 |
4 |
17 |
|
| 1940 The anticipated 1940 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were to be celebrated in 1940 in Sapporo, Japan.The games were cancelled due to the onset of World War II...
|
Originally awarded to Sapporo, Japan, cancelled because of World War II. |
| 1944 The anticipated 1944 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games , were to be celebrated in February 1944 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
|
Originally awarded to Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, cancelled because of World War II. |
VThe 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II, a twelve year hiatus...
|
1948 |
Switzerland St. MoritzSt. Moritz is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
|
30 January – 8 February |
28 |
669 |
592 |
77 |
4 |
22 |
|
| VI The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1952 in Oslo, Norway.- Host City Selection :...
|
1952 |
Norway Oslo is the capital and largest city in Norway. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the town was largely destroyed by a fire in 1624. The Danish–Norwegian king Christian IV rebuilt the city as Christiania . Oslo, then an alternative name, became official again in 1925...
, NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
|
14–25 February |
30 |
694 |
585 |
109 |
4 |
22 |
|
VIIThe 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The Games were held from January 26–February 5, 1956. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out...
|
1956 |
Italy Cortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and municipality in the southern Alps and the province of Belluno, Veneto, northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...
, ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
|
26 January – 5 February |
32 |
821 |
687 |
134 |
4 |
24 |
|
VIIIThe 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated between February 18 and February 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States . Squaw Valley won the bid in 1955...
|
1960 |
United States Squaw ValleyThe Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, is one of the largest and most high-concept ski areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. It is the second-largest ski area at Lake Tahoe , boasting highly-advanced chairlifts , as well as the only Funitel...
, United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
18–28 February |
30 |
665 |
521 |
144 |
4 |
27 |
|
| IX The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
|
1964 |
Austria Innsbruck Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn Valley at the junction with the Wipptal , which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some south of Innsbruck...
, AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
|
29 January – 9 February |
36 |
1091 |
892 |
199 |
6 |
34 |
|
XThe 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on February 6. Thirty-seven countries participated...
|
1968 |
France Grenoble Grenoble is a city in south-eastern France situated at the foot of the French Alps where the Drac joins the Isère River. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère. The proximity of the mountains make the city named "Capital of Alps."The history of the...
, FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
|
6–18 February |
37 |
1158 |
947 |
211 |
6 |
35 |
|
| XI The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
|
1972 |
Japan Sapporo, Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
|
3–13 February |
35 |
1006 |
801 |
205 |
6 |
35 |
|
XIIThe 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4-15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
|
1976 |
Austria Innsbruck Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn Valley at the junction with the Wipptal , which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some south of Innsbruck...
, AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
|
4–15 February |
37 |
1123 |
892 |
231 |
6 |
37 |
|
XIIIThe 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 13 through February 24, 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the upstate New York village hosted the Games,...
|
1980 |
United States Lake PlacidLake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638. Lake Placid is named after nearby Lake Placid....
, United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
13–24 February |
37 |
1072 |
840 |
232 |
6 |
38 |
|
| XIV The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was at the time part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and...
|
1984 |
Yugoslavia SarajevoSarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 304,614 people in the four municipalities that make up the city proper, and an estimated urban area population of 421,289 people in the Sarajevo Canton . It is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and...
, YugoslaviaThe Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the second half of World War II until it was formally dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro,...
|
8–19 February |
49 |
1272 |
998 |
274 |
6 |
39 |
|
XVThe 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Calgary, Alberta and opened by the 23rd Governor General of Canada: Jeanne Sauvé....
|
1988 |
Canada CalgaryCalgary is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada.The Calgary census metropolitan area is the third most diverse in Canada in terms of visible minorities after Toronto and Vancouver when considering only CMAs with population greater than 200,000...
, CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
|
13–28 February |
57 |
1423 |
1122 |
301 |
6 |
46 |
|
| XVI The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 in Albertville, France...
|
1992 |
France AlbertvilleAlbertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...
, FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
|
8–23 February |
64 |
1801 |
1313 |
488 |
7 |
57 |
|
| XVII The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. In 1986, the IOC voted to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same year since the latter's inception in...
|
1994 |
Norway Lillehammeris a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal...
, NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
|
12–27 February |
67 |
1737 |
1215 |
522 |
6 |
61 |
|
XVIIIThe 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. These Games marked the return of the Winter Olympics to Japan since the 1972 Winter Olympics, when the games were held in Sapporo...
|
1998 |
Japan Nagano, Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
|
7–22 February |
72 |
2176 |
1389 |
787 |
7 |
68 |
|
XIXThe 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States...
|
2002 |
United States Salt Lake City, United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
8–24 February |
77 |
2399 |
1513 |
886 |
7 |
78 |
|
XXThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic...
|
2006 |
Italy TurinTurin is a major city as well as a business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River surrounded by the Alpine arch...
, ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
|
10–26 February |
80 |
2508 |
1548 |
960 |
7 |
84 |
|
XXIThe 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, will be held February 12-28 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the resort town of Whistler nearby...
|
2010 |
Canada VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
, CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
|
12–28 February |
future event |
XXIIThe 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, is an international winter multiple sports event that will be held from February 7 to February 23 2014. The host city, Sochi, Russia, was elected on July 4 2007, during the 119th International Olympic Committee Session in...
|
2014 |
Russia SochiSochi is a Russian resort city, situated in Krasnodar Krai just north of the southern Russian border. It sprawls along the shores of the Black Sea and against the background of the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. At , Greater Sochi claims to be the longest city in Europe. As of the...
, RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
|
7–23 February |
future event |
XXIIIThe 2018 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, will be celebrated in 2018, and is an international winter sports athletic event that has yet to be organized by the International Olympic Committee . The organization, under the leadership of Jacques Rogge, received...
|
2018 |
TBD (2011) |
TBD |
future event |
XXIVThe 2022 Winter Olympics, formally called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games is an event that the International Olympic Committee has yet to organize. The winning bid will be announced in the Summer of 2015.-Asia: Harbin, China...
|
2022 |
TBD (2015) |
TBD |
future event |
See also
- List of participating nations at the Winter Olympic Games
- Olympic Games ceremony
At the Olympic Games, the Ceremonies commemorate the opening and closing of a specific celebration of the Olympics, and the awarding of medals. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, one of the forefathers of the Modern Games, wanted to model the revival of the Games after their ancient Olympic counterpart...
- Olympic Games scandals
Both the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games have been marred by various incidents and scandals. They include:- 1912 Summer Olympics :* U.S. athlete Jim Thorpe was stripped of his gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon after it was learned that he had played professional minor league...
- Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical and visual disabilities. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the...