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Winter Olympics Facts

Winter Olympics Facts
Once every four years since 1924, the Winter Olympics have been held in various cities around the globe. In 1901 the first international multi-sport winter event held was the Nordic Games in Sweden. These games, held every few years, eventually evolved into the Winter Olympics. Prior to being given a separate event called the Winter Olympics, some competitions such as speed skating, ice hockey, Nordic skiing and figure skating had been held as a winter sports week. This winter sports week was held as an accompaniment to the Summer Olympics. In 1925, the 1924 International Winter Sports Week was renamed and considered to be the first Winter Olympics.
Interesting Winter Olympics Facts:
Victor Gustaf Black, who started the Nordic Games, was also responsible for pushing the idea of Winter Olympics to the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
It wasn't until 1924 that the Winter Olympics were added to the Summer Olympics (which had been in existence since 1896).
The first modern Summer Olympics were held in Athens in 1896.
The first Winter Olympics were not named as such until a year after they occurred.
The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France in 1924.
250 athletes coming from 16 nations competed in the 16 events of the first Winter Olympics.
They were suspended following the 1936 Olympics until 1948 due to World War II.
Only the top three competitors receive a medal. The top eight competitors receive a diploma from the IOC.
The Olympic motto ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius' means ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger' in English. The father of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, heard a priest say these words several years prior to proposing the use of the words as the Olympic Games' motto in 1894.
The Winter Olympics have been held twice in Lake Placid, both in 1932 and 1980.
Norwegian athletes have won more medals at the Winter Olympics since its inception.
The four indoor Winter Olympic sports are ice hockey, speed skating, figure skating and curling.
The Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics used to be held in the same year. The last year this occurred was 1992. After this, they alternated, being two years apart.
The oldest Olympic medalist received his medal at age 83. His name was Anders Haugen and he was a ski-jumper. He competed in 1924, but because of a scoring error he did not receive his bronze medal until 1974, 50 years after he should have received it.
Walt Disney was responsible for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley in 1960.
Women will be allowed to compete in ski-jump for the first time at the Sochi games. Prior to this, it was a male-only competition.
In the Winter Olympics in 1980 at Lake Placid, it was the first time artificial snow had to be used.
The 1968 Winter Olympics were the first to be shown on TV in color.
The 1972 Winter Olympic Games were the first to be held outside of Europe or North America. They were held in Sapporo, Japan.
Sochi is the warmest city to hold the Winter Olympic Games to date.


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