Olympic flame at Turin in 2006 during Winter Olympics Game

The Winter Olympic Games are a winter multi-sport event held every four years. A multi-sport event -- 246717740 ( talk) 1859 5 October 2008 (UTC is an organized sporting event often held over multiple days and featuring competition in many They feature winter sports held on ice or snow, such as ice skating and skiing. A winter sport is a Sport commonly played during Winter. As a formal term it refers to a sport played on Snow or Ice, but informally can refer Ice is a Solid phase, usually crystalline, of a Non-metalic substance that is liquid or gas at Room temperature, such as Ammonia "Snowfall" redirects here For other uses see Snow (disambiguation or Snowfall (disambiguation. Ice skating is Traveling on Ice with skates, narrow (and sometimes parabolic) blade-like devices moulded into special Boots A study Snow skiing is a group of sports utilizing Skis as primary equipment

Each National Olympic Committee (NOC), as with the Summer Olympics, enters athletes to compete against other NOC's athletes for gold, silver, and bronze medals. National Olympic Committees (or NOCs) are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement National Olympic Committees (or NOCs) are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an International Multi-sport event, usually quadrennial organised by the International Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus Fewer nations participate in the Winter Olympics than the Summer Olympics, due largely to the reduced popularity of winter sports in many countries nearer to the equator where access to winter sport training facilities are relatively limited or non-existent. The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an International Multi-sport event, usually quadrennial organised by the International The equator (sometimes referred to colloquially as "the Line") is the intersection of the Earth 's surface with the plane perpendicular to the

Like the Summer Olympics, the United States has hosted the most times, four, most recently in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 France has hosted the winter games three times, most recently in 1992. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Japan, and Italy have all hosted the games twice. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Canada will host for the second time in 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal Germany and Yugoslavia have hosted the games once, and Russia will host the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2014. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Three cities have hosted twice; St. Moritz, Switzerland, Innsbruck, Austria, and Lake Placid, United States. St Moritz ( German: Sankt Moritz, Romansh: San Murezzan) is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. Lake Placid is a Village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States.

The most recent games were held in Turin, Italy in 2006, and the next games will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2010. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page On July 4, 2007, the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi was awarded the 2014 games. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey Sochi (Сочи ˈsotɕɪ is a Russian Resort city, situated in Krasnodar Krai just north of the southern Russian border

History

Early years

When the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was established in 1894, one of the sports proposed for the program was ice skating. Ice skating is Traveling on Ice with skates, narrow (and sometimes parabolic) blade-like devices moulded into special Boots A study However, no skating was conducted at the Olympics until the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, which featured four figure skating events. The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Figure skating is an athletic Sport in which individuals pairs or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging Ulrich Salchow (10 time World champion) and Madge Syers (first competitive woman figure skater) won the individual titles with ease. Karl Emil Julius Ulrich Salchow ( August 7, 1877 &ndash April 19, 1949) was a Swedish figure skater, who dominated the Florence Madeleine Syers ( née Cave) (1881 - September 9 1917) best known as Madge Syers, was a British

Poster advertising the International Winter Sports Week, later dubbed the 1924 Winter Olympics. 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

Three years later, Italian count Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux proposed that the IOC stage a week with winter sports as part of the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. Count Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux ( December 14, 1857 - January 8, 1919) was an Italian nobleman The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1912 in ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the The organizers opposed this idea, wanting to promote the Nordic Games, a winter sports competition held every four years. The 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 However, this same idea was again proposed for the 1916 Games, which were to be held in Berlin. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. A winter sports week with speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey and Nordic skiing was planned, but the 1916 Olympics were cancelled after the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Speed skating or speedskating is a competitive form of Skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. Nordic skiing is a Winter sport that encompasses all types of Skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski The 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. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

The first Olympics after the war, the 1920 Games in Antwerp, again, featured figure skating, while ice hockey made its Olympic debut. The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1920 ||-||-||-||} Antwerp ( Dutch:, French: Anvers) is a City and Municipality in Belgium and the capital of the At the IOC Congress held the following year, it was decided that the organizers of the next Olympics (France) would also host a separate "International Winter Sports Week", under patronage of the IOC. This "week" (it actually lasted 11 days) proved to be a great success and in 1925 the IOC decided to create separate Olympic Winter Games, not connected to the Summer Olympics.

It wasn't until 1926 at the 24th IOC Session in Lisbon, that the 1924 events in Chamonix were retroactively designated as the first Winter Olympics. Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or more commonly Chamonix (ʃamɔni in French is a Town and commune in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie ^[1] The French town in the Haute-Savoie hosted the Games from January 25 to February 5. Haute-Savoie ( Arpitan: Savouè d’Amont / Hiôta-Savouè) is a French department, named for its location in Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. These first Olympics attracted more than 200 athletes from 16 nations, competing in 16 events. The first event on the program was 500 m speed skating won by U. S. athlete Charlie Jewtraw, who thereby became the first Olympic Winter Games champion, though not the first winter Olympic champion, since figure skating and ice hockey were held in 1908 and 1920. Charles Jewtraw ( 5 May 1900 in Clinton County New York – 26 January 1996 in Palm Beach Florida) was an American Overall, in 1924, Finnish and Norwegian athletes dominated events.

St. Moritz was appointed by the Swiss organisers to host the second Olympic Winter Games, held from February 11 to February 19 in 1928. St Moritz ( German: Sankt Moritz, Romansh: San Murezzan) is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum Curling and military patrol were no longer medal sports (although the latter was demonstrated) while skeleton made its first Olympic appearance. Curling is a team Sport with similarities to Bowls and Shuffle board, played by two teams of four players each on a rectangular sheet of carefully prepared Biathlon (not to be confused with Duathlon) is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines Skeleton is a Winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person Sled in a prone head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time Warm weather conditions plagued the Olympics on the fourth day. The 10000 m speed skating was abandoned in the 5th pair, and the 50 km cross-country event ended with a temperature of 77 °F (25 °C), forcing a third of the field to abandon competition.

The next Olympics came to North America for the first time. The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 However, fewer athletes participated than in 1928, as the journey to Lake Placid, New York was a long and expensive one for most competitors, and there was little money for sports in the midst of the Great Depression. Lake Placid is a Village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous On top of that, these games too were marred by warm weather, which eventually made it necessary to extend them for two more days. The Games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Eddie Eagan, who had been an Olympic champion in boxing in 1920, won the gold in the men's bobsled event during these games to become the first and so far only Olympian to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Edward "Eddie" Patrick Francis Eagan ( April 26, 1897 &ndash June 14, 1967) was an American sportsman At the 1932 Winter Olympics, two Bobsleigh events were contested

The Bavarian twin towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen joined to organize the 1936 edition of the Winter Games, held from February 6-16. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a Market town in Bavaria, southern Germany. The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 Alpine skiing made its Olympic debut in Germany, but skiing teachers were barred from entering, as they were considered to be professionals. Alpine skiing (or downhill skiing) is a recreational activity and Sport involving sliding down Snow -covered hills with long Skis attached This decision caused the Swiss and Austrian skiers to boycott the Olympics. ^[2] The cross-country relay was also held for the first time, while the military patrol and ice stock sport were demonstration sports. Ice stock sport (also known as Bavarian Curling) is a Winter sport, somewhat similar to Curling.

World War II

The Second World War interrupted the celebration of the Winter Olympics. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The 1940 Winter Olympics had originally been awarded to Sapporo,Japan, but were given back in 1938, because of the Japanese invasion of China in the Sino-Japanese War. 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, is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Second Sino-Japanese War ( July 7, 1937 to September 9, 1945) was a major war fought between the Republic of China and the Subsequently, St. Moritz, Switzerland was chosen by the IOC to host the 1940 Winter Olympics, but three months later the IOC withdrew St. St Moritz ( German: Sankt Moritz, Romansh: San Murezzan) is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Moritz from the Games, because of quarrels with the Swiss organizing team. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the hosts of the previous games, stepped in to host the Games again, but the Games were cancelled in their entirety in November 1939 following Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1st. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a Market town in Bavaria, southern Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland

The 1944 Winter Olympics, scheduled to take place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, were canceled in the Summer of 1941, again, due to the still raging World War II. The anticipated 1944 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (due to the cancellation of 1940 's V Olympic Cortina d'Ampezzo (Hayden is a town and municipality in the Province of Belluno, Veneto, northern Italy.

Post-war

The Swiss town of St. Moritz, untouched by the war because of Switzerland's neutrality, became the first place to host the Winter Olympics for the second time in 1948. St Moritz ( German: Sankt Moritz, Romansh: San Murezzan) is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1948 Twenty-eight countries competed in Switzerland from January 30 to February 8, although athletes from Germany and Japan were not invited. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Alpine skiing events were expanded to include the slalom and downhill. Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline involving skiing between poles (gates spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill The 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 Skeleton returned to the programme after 20 years, but once more, the sport disappeared after the St. Moritz games, not to return again until 2002.

In 1952, the Winter Games came to Norway, the country considered the birthplace of modern skiing. The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional As a tribute, the Olympic Flame was lit in the fireplace of the home of skiing pioneer Sondre Nordheim. The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a Symbol of the Olympic Games. Sondre Norheim, born Sondre Auverson, ( June 10, 1825 &ndash March 9, 1897) was a Norwegian skier and pioneer of modern Skiing The programme in Oslo, from February 14 to February 25, was expanded with the first ever cross-country event for women, while the alpine combined was replaced with the giant slalom. (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Combined 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 Giant slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline It involves skiing between sets of poles ("gates" spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom Bandy, a popular sport in the Nordic countries, was held as a demonstration sport. Bandy is a Winter sport, where a ball is hit with a stick It shares a common ancestry with Ice hockey, in that it likely developed from the informal "ball and Germany returned to the Olympic Games after 16 years, although only represented by West German athletes.

After not being able to host the Games in 1944 due to the war, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy was able to organise the 1956 Winter Olympics, held from January 26 to February 5. Cortina d'Ampezzo (Hayden is a town and municipality in the Province of Belluno, Veneto, northern Italy. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. At the first Winter Games to be televised, the programme was extended with two events in cross-country skiing. The most important development was the debut of the Soviet Union at the Winter Olympics. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 They immediately showed their potential by winning more medals than any other nation.

In the late 1950s when the Olympics were awarded to Squaw Valley for 1960, this resort town in California founded by Alexander Cushing was a ghost town. The 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 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated between February A resort is a place used for Relaxation or Recreation, attracting visitors for Holidays or Vacations Resorts are places towns or sometimes California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The 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 A ghost town is a Town or City that has been abandoned usually because the economic activity that supported it has failed or due to natural or human-caused After being awarded the games, 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 jumping hill. By 1960, everything was in place. There was a fear of lack of snow, but late snowfall prevented a disaster. ^[3] The Games were held from February 18 to the 28th. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy While bobsleighing was absent (the organizing committee found it expensive as only 9 nations would take part), biathlon was first contested at the Olympics, and women first took part in speed skating. Biathlon (not to be confused with Duathlon) is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines

The Tyrolean city of Innsbruck was the host in 1964. Tyrol is a region in Western Central Europe, which included the present day Austrian state of Tyrol (consisting of North Tyrol and East Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck Despite being a traditional winter sports resort, there was a lack of snow and ice during the Games and the Austrian army was called in to bring snow and ice to the sport venues. ^[4] Bobsleigh returned to the Olympics, while a new event was added to ski jumping and women's cross-country skiing. Luge was first contested in the Olympics, although the sport received bad publicity when a competitor was killed in a pre-Olympic training run. A luge is a small one- or two-person Sled on which one sleds supine (face up and feet-first

Held in the French town of Grenoble, the 1968 Winter Olympics were the first Olympic Games in which East and West Germany participated as separate countries. Grenoble is a city and commune in south-east France situated at the foot of the Alps where the Drac joins the Isère River. The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 ^[5] Until 1964, they had competed in a combined German team. One new event was added for the Grenoble Games: the 4 × 10 km relay in biathlon. Another first in these Olympics were doping and sex tests. ^[6]

The 1972 Winter Games, held in Sapporo, Japan, were the first to be held outside North America or Europe. The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated from is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. These Games were surrounded by several professionalism issues. Three days before the Olympics, IOC president Avery Brundage threatened to bar a large number of top alpine skiers from competing because they did not comply with the amateurism rules. Avery Brundage ( September 28 1887 &ndash May 8 1975) was an American athlete sports official art collector and philanthropist Eventually, only Austrian star Karl Schranz, who earned most of all skiers, was not allowed to compete. Karl Schranz (born 18 November 1938 in St Anton, Tyrol) is a former alpine skier from Austria. On a historical note, the 1972 Games were the last Olympic Winter Games where a skier would win the gold medal using all-wooden skis. After this, all top-level cross-country skiing would take place with the athletes using skis made mostly of fibreglass synthetics. Fiberglass (also called fibreglass and glass fibre see Spelling differences) is material made from extremely fine Fibers of Glass.

Originally, the 1976 Winter Games had been awarded to Denver, but in 1972 the residents of Denver and of Colorado expressed unwillingness to host the Games through a city plebiscite and a state referendum. The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated February The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita Whistler, British Columbia was also offered the Games as they had bid earlier, but the new government there rejected the offer. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Innsbruck, which still had the venues of 1964 in good shape, was chosen in 1973 to replace Denver. Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. ^[7] Because it was the second time the Austrian town hosted the Games, two Olympic flames were lit. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich New events on the programme included ice dancing and the men's 1000 m in speed skating. Ice dancing is a form of Figure skating which draws from the world of Ballroom dancing.

1980s and beyond

The Olympic Winter Games returned to Lake Placid, New York, which had earlier hosted the 1932 edition. The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in February Lake Placid is a Village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. The People's Republic of China made its debut at the Winter Olympics. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Because of this, the Republic of China (Taiwan) was forced by the IOC to compete under the name of Chinese Taipei. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Chinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some International The Taiwanese refused, and thus became the only nation to boycott the Olympic Winter Games. The threat of the American boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics was also clouding these Olympics, as much of the debate about doing so fell during the Winter Games. The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Moscow in the Soviet Fortunately, there were also many sporting highlights. Speed skater Eric Heiden set world records in each of the 5 events he competed in. Eric Arthur Heiden (born June 14 1958 in Madison Wisconsin) is an American former long track speed skater who won all the men's speed skating For the Americans, however, the highlight of the Games was the Olympic ice hockey tournament. In a match later dubbed the "Miracle on Ice", the home team upset the favoured Soviet Union, and went on to win the title. The The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991

Sarajevo was quite a surprising choice for the 1984 Winter Olympics, as no Yugoslavian athlete had ever won an Olympic medal in the Winter Games. TemplateInfobox City for more fields--> Sarajevo is the Capital city and largest urban center of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in Sarajevo This gap was filled by alpine skier Jure Franko, who won a silver medal in the giant slalom. Jure Franko (born March 28, 1962 in Nova Gorica) is a Slovenian and Yugoslavian former alpine skier. There was only one new event at the Sarajevo Games, a 20 km cross-country event for women.

The city of Calgary, Alberta hosted the first Winter Olympics to span 16 days, in 1988. Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in Calgary New events were added in ski jumping and speed skating, while future Olympic sports curling, short track speed skating and freestyle skiing made their appearance as demonstration sports. In alpine skiing, the Super G was added for the first time, while the combined event was reinstated after a 40-year absence from the Olympics. The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline It is usually referred to as Super G and is considered a "speed" discipline along with Combined 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 For the first time, the speed skating events were held indoors, on the Olympic Oval. History The Olympic Oval was designed as the first covered speed skating oval in North America and as the first to be used at Winter Olympics Dutch skater Yvonne van Gennip beat the favoured East German, winning three gold medals and setting two new world records. Yvonne Maria van Gennip (born May 1, 1964 in Haarlem, Noord-Holland) was one of the most successful female Dutch all-round speed skaters The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state Her total was equalled by Finnish ski jumper Matti Nykänen, who won all events in his sport. Matti Ensio Nykänen ( (born July 17, 1963 in Jyväskylä, Finland) is a former Finnish ski jumper, arguably the best Not all athletes making the headlines were winning medals: British ski jumper Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards, who came in last, and Jamaica's first ever bobsleigh team also received plenty of attention. Michael Edwards (born 5 December 1963) better known as Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, was the first competitor to represent Great Britain

In 1986, the IOC decided to reschedule the Summer and Winter Games by alternating between them every 2 years: each would still be held in four-year cycles, but two years apart from one another. The 1992 Games were the last to be held in the same year as the Summer Games. The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 They were held in the French Haute Savoie region; Albertville itself only hosted 18 events. Haute-Savoie ( Arpitan: Savouè d’Amont / Hiôta-Savouè) is a French department, named for its location in Albertville ( Arpitan: Arbèrtvile) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Alps in southeastern France Two new sports, short track speed skating and freestyle skiing were on the programme. Women's biathlon was also included for the first time. Curling, speed skiing and two freestyle skiing events were demonstrated. Political changes of the time were reflected in the Olympic teams appearing in France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany competed as a single nation for the first time since the two German countries ceased competing as a unified team following the 1964 Games, and former Yugoslavian republics Croatia and Slovenia made their debut. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Most of former Soviet republics still competed as a single team, under the name of Unified Team, but the Baltic States made independent appearances, for the first time since before World War II. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Baltic states (Balti riigid Baltijas valstis Baltijos valstybės or Baltic countries are three countries in Northern Europe, all members of the Finnish ski jumper Toni Nieminen made history by becoming the youngest male Winter Olympic champion. Toni Nieminen (born May 31, 1975 in Lahti) is a Finnish Ski-jumper who competed from 1991 to 2004 New Zealand skier Annelise Coberger made history with a silver medal in the women's slalom, becoming the first Winter Olympic medallist from the Southern Hemisphere. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Annelise Coberger (born September 16, 1971 in Christchurch) is a former New Zealand alpine skier.

The Lillehammer Games in 1994 were the first Winter Olympics to be held without the Summer Games in the same year; in a non-leap, even year. The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1994 The winter sports-minded Norwegians organised the Olympics extremely well, and many still consider them to be the best organised to date. The event programme was again extended, adding two new events each in freestyle skiing and short track speed skating. After the split-up of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia made their Olympic debut in Lillehammer, as did several former Soviet republics. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million Lillehammer is a town and municipality in the county of Oppland, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. A lot of media attention, especially in the United States, went to the women's figure skating competition, as American skater Nancy Kerrigan had been injured on January 6 in an assault planned by the ex-husband of opponent Tonya Harding. Nancy Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969 in Stoneham Massachusetts) is a two-time American Olympic Figure skating medalist Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Tonya Maxine Harding (born November 12, 1970) is an American figure skating champion Both skaters competed in the Games, but neither of them won the gold medal, which went to Oksana Baiul, who won Ukraine's first Olympic title. Oksana Baiul (Оксана Баюл (born November 16, 1977) is a Ukrainian professional figure skater. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe.

For the first time, more than 2000 winter athletes competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics, held in the Japanese city of Nagano. The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1998 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, is located in the northern part of the prefecture near the confluence of the Chikuma and the Sai rivers on the Two new sports were conducted—snowboarding and curling—while women's ice hockey was also included. The men's ice hockey tournament was open to all players for the first time, making Canada and the United States favourites for the gold with their many NHL professionals. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America However, neither nation medalled, losing to the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Speed skating saw a wave of new world records thanks to the use of the revolutionary clap skate. Clap skates (also called clapskates slap skates slapskates from Dutch klapschaats) are a type of Ice skate used in Speed skating.

Recent years

Olympic flame at Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremonies of the 19th Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U

The 19th Olympic Winter Games were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Prior to the opening of the Games, it was found that Salt Lake organisers had bribed several IOC members in order to be elected. The 2002 Olympic Winter Games bid scandal was a Scandal involving allegations of Bribery to obtain the 2002 Olympic This resulted in a change of the host city election procedures and several IOC members resigned or were punished. Again, the programme was expanded. Skeleton made its return on the Olympic podium after 54 years, while new events were added in biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and short track speed skating.

The Olympic Games in Salt Lake City were also the first Olympics since September 11, 2001, which meant Olympic games since then required a higher level of security to avoid any terrorist attack. During the opening ceremonies, Dr. Jacques Rogge, presiding over his first Olympics as IOC president, told the athletes of the host country that their nation was overcoming the "horrific tragedy" of that day and the IOC stands united with them in promoting the committee's ideals. Jacques Count Rogge (born May 2 1942 ( pronounced in Dutch) is a Belgian sports functionary ^[8]

The Salt Lake City Olympics had many stars. Ole Einar Bjørndalen won all four biathlon events, while Samppa Lajunen took all three Nordic combined medals. Ole Einar Bjørndalen (born 27 January 1974 height 5'10" (179 cm weight 10 st 3 lb (143 lb (64 kg from Simostranda in Modum, (southeastern Norway Samppa Lajunen (born April 23 1979 in Turku, Finland) is a retired Nordic combined athlete who competed during the late 1990's Croatia's Janica Kostelić won four medals in alpine skiing, of which three were gold. Janica Kostelić ˈkɔstɛlitɕ}} (born January 5, 1982) is a retired Alpine skier from Croatia, considered one of the greatest female skiers Simon Ammann won both individual ski jumping events, while Georg Hackl won his fifth consecutive medal in the same event (luge singles), a feat never before achieved by any Olympian. Simon Ammann (born June 25, 1981) is a Swiss ski jumper. Ammann was born in Grabs Switzerland to Margit and Hienrich Ammann Georg Hackl (born September 9, 1966) is a German former Luger who was three time Olympic and World Champion In speed skating, the high altitude of the skating rink assured several new world records. Jochem Uytdehaage broke three world records, winning two golds and a silver; Claudia Pechstein won the 5000 m for the third time in a row, while also winning the 3000 m. Jochem Simon Uytdehaage (born July 9, 1976 in Utrecht) is a former Dutch long track speed skater and two-time Olympic champion Claudia Pechstein (born 22 February 1972 in East Berlin) is a German speed skater. The women's short track speed skating events saw China win its first two Winter Olympic golds, both by Yang Yang (A). Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Yang Yang (楊揚 born 24 August 1976 in Harbin, China) is an Olympic short track speed skater. Canadians jubilated as both their men's and their women's hockey teams defeated the United States to win the gold; the men's team thus ended a gold medal drought that had lasted 50 years to the day. 2002 Winter Olympic Games Ice hockey games were held at the E Center and Peaks Ice Arena in Salt Lake City and Provo Utah

The United Kingdom won their first Winter Olympic gold medal since 1984; the ladies Curling team springing a surprise result by beating the highly favoured Swiss in the gold medal match.

The men's 1000 m short track event saw one of the unlikeliest results in sports history. Australian Steven Bradbury, who would have been eliminated in the quarterfinals but for the disqualification of Marc Gagnon, advanced to the final when three of the four other competitors in his semifinal crashed out on the final lap. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Steven John Bradbury OAM (born 14 October 1973 in Camden, Sydney is a former Australian short track speed skater. Marc Gagnon (born May 24, 1975 in Chicoutimi Quebec) is a French Canadian short track speed skater. In the final, Bradbury was fifth going into the final turn of the final lap, when another collision left him the last man standing. Bradbury was able to avoid the pileup, becoming the first Winter Olympic gold medallist from the Southern Hemisphere. Many Australians saw this as a painfully humorous example of the country's struggle for competitiveness in winter sports, being that it took for all other competitors to crash for an Aussie to win. The phrase "to do a Bradbury" has since entered the Australian lexicon meaning to succeed through the failure of others. Alisa Camplin won Australia's second gold medal in freestyle skiing without the need for such incredible luck. Alisa Camplin OAM (born 10 November 1974 in Melbourne Victoria) is an Australian aerial skier who won gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics Freestyle skiing began in the 1930s when Norwegian skiers began performing acrobatics during alpine and cross-country training

A major scandal evolved around the pair figure skating contest. Canadians Jamie Salé and David Pelletier initially placed second. Jamie Rae Salé (born April 21, 1977, in Calgary Alberta) is a Canadian Pair skater. David Jacques Pelletier (born November 22, 1974 in Sayabec Quebec) is a Canadian pairs Figure skater. However, it was decided that a French jury member had favoured the winning Russian pair, and the IOC and the International Skating Union decided to award both pairs the gold medal, after much discussion. Combined with several other referee decisions that came out negatively for Russian athletes, there was a brief threat by the Russians of withdrawing from the Games.

The scandal also resulted in a change to the scoring system used for figure skating events. Previously each judge posted their mark and an average score was taken. The new regulations keep individual judges decisions secret. Also the highest and lowest scores for each competitor is dropped, in the hopes that this will eliminate any sort of bias by judges.

Cross-country skiers accounted for a second scandal, as Johann Mühlegg (Spain) and Olga Danilova and Larissa Lazutina (both Russia), who had already medalled in earlier events, were shown to have used doping. Johann Müehlegg (born 8 November 1970) is a Spanish top level cross-country skier who has competed in international competitions first Olga Danilova (born June 10, 1970) is a Russian Cross country skier who competed from 1991 to 2002 Larisa Yevgenyevna Lazutina ( Лариса Евгеньевна Лазутина; born Larisa Ptitsyna on June 1, 1965 in As of 2004 they had all been officially stripped of all medals won at the 2002 Games.

The Italian city of Turin ("Torino" in Italian) hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics. The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in It was the second time Italy hosted the Winter Olympic Games, after Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956. To this date, Turin is the largest city ever to host a Winter Olympics.

The future

In a 2003 IOC vote, the 2010 Winter Olympics were awarded to Vancouver, thus allowing Canada to host its second Winter Olympics as well as being the first for the province of British Columbia. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Vancouver will be the largest city to host a Winter Olympics, with a population of more than 2. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal 4 million people in the greater Vancouver metropolitan area. ^[9] A specificity of the 2010 Winter Olympics is that for once the Opening and Closing ceremonies will be celebrated in an indoor arena.

Locations of the Winter Olympics

The host city for 2014 was narrowed down to three cities, on June 22, 2006, and the final decision for the 2014 Winter Olympics was made on July 4, 2007 in Guatemala City when Sochi, Russia was elected as the host city over the other two finalists: Salzburg, Austria and PyeongChang, Republic of Korea. Guatemala City (in full La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción; locally known as Guatemala or Guate) is the Capital and largest city of the Sochi (Сочи ˈsotɕɪ is a Russian Resort city, situated in Krasnodar Krai just north of the southern Russian border Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Pyeongchang County ( Pyeongchang-gun) is a county in Gangwon Province, South Korea and the third largest county in the country South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː PyeongChang lost by four votes.

As evidenced by the growing audience worldwide and increasing rights fees, the Winter Olympic games are gaining in popularity within countries that do not have a strong winter sports tradition (such as Brazil or Mexico). As a result of its global appeal, it seems likely that international participation in the Winter Olympics will also increase.

Sports

Through the years, the number of sports and events conducted at the Winter Olympic Games has increased. The Olympic sports comprise all the Sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Demonstration sports, in which contests were held but for which no medals were awarded, have also taken place. A demonstration sport is a sport which is played in order to promote itself most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events

Current sport disciplines

• Alpine skiing was first included in 1936. Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since 1936, when a combined event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen The current programme features 10 events, with both men and women skiing the downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom and combined events. The 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 The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline It is usually referred to as Super G and is considered a "speed" discipline along with Giant slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline It involves skiing between sets of poles ("gates" spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline involving skiing between poles (gates spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill Combined 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
• Biathlon was first included in 1960, although the very similar military patrol was contested in 1924. Biathlon debuted at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley with the men's 20 km individual event Only a single individual event for men was included in 1960, but events have been added over the years. Women first participated in 1992. At present there are 5 events, conducted by both men and women: the sprint (10 km (men) /7. 5 km (women)), the individual (20 km (men) /15 km (women)), the pursuit (12. 5 km (men) /10 km (women)), the relay (4 x 7. 5 km) and the mass start (15 km (men) /12. 5 km (women)).
• Bobsleigh has been included since 1924, although it was not held in 1960. Bobsleigh has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the first Winter Games in 1924, with the exception The four-man event has been held since 1924, the two-man event was added in 1932. Women didn't compete until 2002, when the two-woman race was included.
• Cross-country skiing has always been on the Olympic programme. Cross-country skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the first Winter Games The number of events has steadily grown over the years, being 12 in 2006: sprint, team sprint, pursuit (30 km for men, 15 km for women), 10 km (women), 15 km (men), 30 km (women), 50 km (men), relay (4 x 10 km (men), 4 x 5 km (women)).
• Curling at the Winter Olympics was on the programme in 1924, but disappeared afterwards. Curling was included in the program of the inaugural Winter Olympic Games in 1924 in Chamonix. It was demonstrated in 1932, 1988 and 1992, to be officially included in 1998. Since then, separate tournaments for men and women have been held.
• Figure skating was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympics, appearing in the programme of the Summer Olympics in 1908 and 1920. Figure skating has been contested in the Olympic Games since the 1908 Summer Olympics. The single events for men and women, and the pairs contest have been on the programme since 1908, ice dancing was first included in 1976. Ice dancing is a form of Figure skating which draws from the world of Ballroom dancing. The special figures event for men was only conducted in 1908.
• Freestyle skiing was first demonstrated in three disciplines in 1988. Freestyle skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1992 Winter Games The moguls event became Olympic in 1992, while ballet and aerials remained a demonstration event. The aerials also received official status in 1994. Both events are held for men and women.
• Ice hockey was already held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, and has been played in every celebration of the Winter Games. Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since the 1920 Summer Olympics. The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1920 A women's tournament was first conducted in 1998.
• Luge first entered the Olympic programme in 1964, and the three events conducted then are still unchanged. Luge was introduced to the Winter Olympic Games in 1964, with both men's and women's events and a doubles It included a singles event for both men and women, and a doubles event. The latter is technically open for both men and women, but in practice, only men compete.
• Nordic combined, a combination of ski jumping and cross-country skiing, has been Olympic since 1924. The Nordic combined events have been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since 1924 Until 1988, when a team event was added, there was only an individual event. A third event, the sprint, made its debut in 2002. Only men compete in this sport.
• Short track speed skating was a demonstration sport in 1988, and was included as a full sport four years later. Short track speed skating has been contested at the Winter Olympics since the 1992 Winter The programme was expanded from 4 in 1992 to 8 in 2002. The events are the same for both men and women: 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m and the relay (5000 m (men) /3000 m (women)).
• Skeleton was included in both Olympics held in St. Skeleton was part of the Winter Olympic Games program when the games were held in St Moritz (1928 and 1948), the birthplace of the sport. It was not held again until it was included again in 2002, with individual events for both men and women.
• Ski jumping has been an Olympic sport since 1924, with the large hill event contested. Ski jumping has been included in the program of every Winter Olympic Games. A second event (normal hill) was introduced in 1964, and a team event followed in 1988. To date, this sport is only contested by men in the Olympics.
• Snowboarding was first contested at the 1998 Olympics, with giant slalom and halfpipe events for both genders. Snowboarding has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1998 Winter Games The giant slalom was replaced by a parallel giant slalom for 2002, and in 2006, the snowboard cross event was added.
• Speed skating has been on the programme since 1924. Speed skating has been featured as a sport in the Winter Olympics since the first winter Women's events were not included until 1960, although they were demonstrated in 1932 and had been on the preliminary programme for 1940. Current events are the 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m, 3000 m (women only), 5000 m and 10000 m (men only). The all-round competition was only contested in 1924. The team pursuit event made its debut in 2006.

Discontinued sports or disciplines

• Military patrol, a precursor to the biathlon, was a medal sport in 1924. Biathlon (not to be confused with Duathlon) is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines Biathlon (not to be confused with Duathlon) is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines It was also demonstrated in 1928, 1936 and 1948, and in 1960 biathlon became an official sport.
• The special figures figure skating event was only contested at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Special figures were a component of Figure skating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, four Figure skating events were contested

Demonstration events

• Bandy, a sport briefly described as "ice hockey with a ball", very popular in the Nordic countries, was demonstrated in 1952. A demonstration sport is a sport which is played in order to promote itself most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events Bandy is a Winter sport, where a ball is hit with a stick It shares a common ancestry with Ice hockey, in that it likely developed from the informal "ball and
• Ice stock sport, or eisstockschießen, a German variant to curling was demonstrated in 1936 and 1964. Ice stock sport (also known as Bavarian Curling) is a Winter sport, somewhat similar to Curling.
• Ski ballet, later known as ski-acro, was demonstrated in 1988 and 1992. The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in Calgary The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 The sport has significantly declined in popularity in recent years. FIS ceased all formal competition of the sport after 2000. The International Ski Federation/Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS is the main international organisation of ski sports
• Skijöring, skiing behind dogs, was a demonstration sport in St. Skijoring is a Winter sport where a person on skis is pulled by a horse a dog(or dogs or a motor vehicle Moritz 1928.
• Sled-dog racing contests were displayed in Lake Placid 1932. A sled dog race was included as a demonstration event at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
• Speed skiing (1992)
• Winter pentathlon, a variant to the modern pentathlon, was included as a demonstration event in 1948. Speed skiing is the Sport of Skiing downhill in a straight line as quickly as possible At the 1948 Winter Olympics in St Moritz, a winter pentathlon competition was held The modern pentathlon is a Sports contest that includes five events derived from the Greek root of pente, meaning five It was composed of cross country skiing, shooting, downhill skiing, fencing and horse riding. Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a Winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields primarily Northern Europe, Shooting is the act or process of firing Rifles Shotguns or other projectile Weapons such as bows or Crossbows Even the firing of The 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 is the art of armed Combat involving Cutting, Stabbing, or slapping bludgeoning Weapons directly manipulated by hand Equestrianism made its Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France

List of Winter Olympic Games

Note: Unlike the Summer Olympic Games, the cancelled 1940 Winter Olympics and 1944 Winter Olympics are not included in the official Roman numeral counts for the Winter Games. The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an International Multi-sport event, usually quadrennial organised by the International 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, The anticipated 1944 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (due to the cancellation of 1940 's V Olympic While the official titles of the Summer Games actually count Olympiads (which occur even if the Games do not), the official titles of the Winter Games only count the Games themselves. An Olympiad is a period of four years associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece.

Year	Games	Location
1924	I Olympic Winter Games	Chamonix, France
1928	II Olympic Winter Games	St. Moritz, Switzerland
1932	III Olympic Winter Games	Lake Placid, New York, United States
1936	IV Olympic Winter Games	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
1948	V Olympic Winter Games	St. Moritz, Switzerland
1952	VI Olympic Winter Games	Oslo, Norway
1956	VII Olympic Winter Games	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
1960	VIII Olympic Winter Games	Squaw Valley, California, United States
1964	IX Olympic Winter Games	Innsbruck, Austria
1968	X Olympic Winter Games	Grenoble, France
1972	XI Olympic Winter Games	Sapporo, Japan
1976	XII Olympic Winter Games	Innsbruck, Austria
1980	XIII Olympic Winter Games	Lake Placid, New York, United States
1984	XIV Olympic Winter Games	Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
1988	XV Olympic Winter Games	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
1992	XVI Olympic Winter Games	Albertville, France
1994	XVII Olympic Winter Games	Lillehammer, Norway
1998	XVIII Olympic Winter Games	Nagano, Japan
2002	XIX Olympic Winter Games	Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
2006	XX Olympic Winter Games	Turin, Italy
2010	XXI Olympic Winter Games	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
2014	XXII Olympic Winter Games	Sochi, Russia

See also

• International Olympic Committee
• Olympic Games
• Summer Olympic Games
• Olympic Games scandals
• Paralympic Games
• Winter sports
• List of participating nations at the Winter Olympic Games
• All-time Olympic Games medal count
• Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics

Bibliography

Internet sources

Book sources

External links

• Olympic.org IOC official website
• Olympic.org - IOC overview of the Olympic Games
• Vancouver 2010.com - official site
• 2006.org - official site
• Torino 2006 Winter Olympics News
• Salt Lake 2002.com - official site
• Janecky.com - a history of the Olympics
• Winter Games Newspaper Archive
• Skiing History.org - skiing at the first 4 Winter Olympics - 1924-36
• Unofficial Winter Olympics Site