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103-610: CODA was formed in 1956 with the aim of bringing the Winter Olympic Games to Calgary. It bid for both the 1964 and 1968 games, losing to Innsbruck , Austria and Grenoble , France , respectively. Aided by Peter Lougheed , CODA made a third bid for the 1972 games. The effort appeared to be a sure winner before environmentalists protested Calgary's bid, arguing that the games would cause irreparable damage to Banff National Park . Calgary once again lost, finishing second to Sapporo , Japan . CODA became dormant following

206-455: A humid continental climate ( Dfb, according to the Köppen climate classification ) , with an average annual precipitation of 1,280 mm (50 in). Summers are mild and winters are cold and snowy . Chamonix is a winter sports resort town that still attracts skiers ready to test themselves both on the pistes in the official area and against the challenges of the backcountry skiing. As

309-707: A British record of 73.5 metres. The 1992 Winter Games were the last to be held in the same year as the Summer Games . They were hosted in the French Savoie region, with 18 events held in the city of Albertville and the remaining events spread out over the Savoie. Political changes of the time were reflected in the composition of the Olympic teams competing in France: this was the first Games to be held after

412-628: A marginal activity, while the number of tourist beds available rose to around 60,000 by the end of the 20th century, with about 5 million visitors a year. The commune of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc includes 16 villages and hamlets. From north to south: Le Tour 1,462 m (4,797 ft), Montroc, Le Planet, Argentière 1,252 m (4,108 ft), Les Chosalets, Le Lavancher, Les Tines, Les Bois, Les-Praz-de-Chamonix 1,060 m (3,478 ft), Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Les Pècles, Les Mouilles, Les Barrats, Les Pélerins, Les Gaillands, and Les Bossons 1,012 m (3,320 ft). Due to its elevation, Chamonix has

515-536: A population of more than 2.5 million people Vancouver is the largest metropolitan area to ever host a Winter Olympic Games. Over 2,500 athletes from 82 countries participated in 86 events. The death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili in a training run on the day of the opening ceremonies resulted in the Whistler Sliding Centre changing the track layout on safety grounds. Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen won five medals in

618-529: A second medal ceremony held later in the Games. Australian Steven Bradbury 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 Turin hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics . It was the second time that Italy had hosted the Winter Olympic Games. South Korean athletes won 10 medals, including 6 gold in

721-529: A series of games called Deutsche Kampfspiele , starting with the winter edition of 1922 (which predated the first Winter Olympics). In 1925 the IOC decided to create a separate winter event and the 1924 games in Chamonix were retroactively designated as the first Winter Olympics. St. Moritz , Switzerland, was appointed by the IOC to host the second Winter Games in 1928. Fluctuating weather conditions challenged

824-604: A two-year suspension, which she appealed. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld her suspension but a Swiss court ruled that she could compete for a spot on the 2010 German Olympic team . This ruling was brought to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which overturned the lower court's ruling and precluded her from competing in Vancouver. In 2003, the IOC awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics to Vancouver , thus allowing Canada to host its second Winter Olympics. With

927-489: Is a cog railway that provides access to the tourist site of Montenvers. Opened in 1909, its rail station was built next to SNCF's Chamonix station on the St Gervais-Vallorcine Line. In fact the two stations are directly linked. Montenvers provides further tourist access to middle and high mountain areas. Chamonix has one of the highest cable cars in the world, which links the town to the summit of

1030-807: Is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France . It was the site of the first Winter Olympics , held in 1924 . Chamonix is situated in the French Alps just north of Mont Blanc , the highest mountain in Western Europe. Between the peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges and the notable Aiguille du Midi , it borders both Switzerland and Italy . It

1133-661: Is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics , were held in Chamonix , France. The modern Olympic Games were inspired by the ancient Olympic Games , which were held in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BCE to 394 CE. The Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 1,500 years later in 1894, leading to

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1236-423: Is due in part to the growth of winter sports programmes and the interest in winter sports in nations such as Kazakhstan, South Korea, Japan and China. These results increased the chances of an Asian city hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics that would be held the following year. Sochi , Russia, was selected as the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics over Salzburg , Austria, and Pyeongchang , South Korea. This

1339-516: Is linked to Switzerland by what used to be RN 506a. In 2006, it was converted to a Route Départementale 1506, with a part of it integrated into RN 205. The nearest airport to Chamonix is Geneva Cointrin International and it is 88 kilometres (55 miles) away. Chamonix is served by the metre-gauge St Gervais-Vallorcine Line , operated by SNCF . The line from Saint Gervais (on the standard-gauge rail network) to Chamonix opened in 1901; it

1442-608: Is one of the oldest ski resorts in France, popular with alpinists and mountain enthusiasts. Via the cable car lift to the Aiguille du Midi it is possible to access the off-piste ( backcountry ) ski run of the Vallée Blanche (White Valley). The name Campum munitum, meaning fortified plain or field, had been used as early as 1091. By 1283 the name had been abbreviated to a similar form to the modern Chamonis. Other forms through

1545-683: Is the United States. Norway leads the all-time medal record for the Winter Olympic Games. When including defunct states, Germany (comprising the former countries of West Germany and East Germany) leads, followed by Norway, Russia (including the former Soviet Union), and the United States. A predecessor, the Nordic Games , were organised by General Viktor Gustaf Balck in Stockholm , Sweden, in 1901 and were held again in 1903 and 1905 and then every fourth year thereafter until 1926. Balck

1648-461: The 1924 Summer Olympics , France, would host a separate "International Winter Sports Week" under the patronage of the IOC. Chamonix was chosen to host this week (actually 11 days) of events. The 1924 games in Chamonix proved to be a success when more than 250 athletes from 16 nations competed in 16 events. Athletes from Finland and Norway won 28 medals, more than the rest of the participating nations combined. The first gold medal awarded

1751-517: The 1936 Winter Games , held from 6–16 February. This was the last time the Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same country in the same year. Alpine skiing made its Olympic debut, but skiing teachers were barred from entering because they were considered to be professionals. Because of this decision the Swiss and Austrian skiers refused to compete at the games. World War II interrupted

1854-530: The 1976 ice hockey tournaments in protest at not being able to use players from professional leagues. Canadian authorities also accused the Soviet Union of using state-sponsored athletes, who were de facto professionals. Francisco Fernández Ochoa became the first and, as of 2022, the only Spaniard to win a Winter Olympic gold medal when he triumphed in the slalom . The 1976 Winter Olympics had initially been awarded in 1970 to Denver , Colorado in

1957-680: The European Curling Championships in 1991 and 1999. The town of Chamonix is served by French Route Nationale 205 ( RN 205 ), nicknamed the Route blanche , or "white route", due to its snowiness. This is an extension of French autoroute 40 ( A40 ), similarly nicknamed the autoroute blanche , which ends at Le Fayet, a village in the commune of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains . The 11.6-km Mont Blanc Tunnel , which opened in 1965, links Chamonix to Courmayeur in Italy. Chamonix

2060-480: The French Alpine Club rather than local residents. From the late 19th century on, tourist development was dominated by national and international initiatives rather than local entrepreneurs, though the local community was increasingly dependent upon and active in the tourist industry. The commune successfully lobbied to change its name from Chamonix to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in 1916. However, following

2163-866: The Northern Hemisphere . They have been held four times in the United States ( 1932 , 1960 , 1980 , and 2002 ), three times in France ( 1924 , 1968 , and 1992 ) and twice each in Switzerland ( 1928 and 1948 ), Austria ( 1964 and 1976 ), Norway ( 1952 and 1994 ), Japan ( 1972 and 1998 ), Italy ( 1956 and 2006 ) and Canada ( 1988 and 2010 ). Also, the Winter Olympic Games have been held just once each in Germany ( 1936 ), Yugoslavia ( 1984 ), Russia ( 2014 ), South Korea ( 2018 ), and China ( 2022 ). The IOC has selected

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2266-607: The People's Republic of China as the only "China", and its request for the Republic of China to compete as " Chinese Taipei ". The PRC, on the other hand, returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1952 and made its Winter Olympic debut. American speed-skater Eric Heiden set either an Olympic or World record in every one of the five events in which he competed, winning a total of five individual gold medals and breaking

2369-568: The September 11 attacks of 2001, which meant a higher degree of security to avoid a terrorist attack. The opening ceremony saw signs of the aftermath of the events of that day , including the flag that flew at Ground Zero , and honour guards of NYPD and FDNY members. German Georg Hackl won a silver in the singles luge, becoming the first athlete in Olympic history to win medals in the same individual event in five consecutive Olympics. Canada achieved an unprecedented double by winning both

2472-518: The United States arrived, both claiming to be the legitimate U.S. Olympic hockey representative. The Olympic flag presented at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp was stolen, as was its replacement. There was unprecedented parity at these games, during which 10 countries won gold medals—more than any games to that point. The Olympic Flame tradition was introduced at the 1952 games in Oslo , when

2575-705: The fall of Communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall , and Germany competed as a single nation for the first time since the 1964 Games. Former Yugoslavian republics Croatia and Slovenia made their debuts as independent nations; most of the former Soviet republics still competed as a single team known as the Unified Team , but the Baltic States made independent appearances for the first time since before World War II. At 16 years old, Finnish ski jumper Toni Nieminen made history by becoming

2678-501: The ladies' figure skating at the age of 15. She became the youngest Olympic champion in history, a distinction she held for 70 years, and went on to defend her title at the next two Winter Olympics. Gillis Grafström won his third consecutive figure skating gold and went on to win silver in 1932, becoming the most decorated men's figure skater to date. The next Winter Olympics , held in Lake Placid, New York, United States

2781-485: The speed skating competition. After not being able to host the games in 1944, Cortina d'Ampezzo was selected to organise the 1956 Winter Olympics . At the opening ceremonies the final torchbearer, Guido Caroli, entered the Olympic Stadium on ice skates. As he skated around the stadium his skate caught on a cable and he fell and burned his arm, nearly extinguishing the flame. He was able to recover and light

2884-513: The 1916 Olympics was cancelled after the outbreak of World War I . The first Olympics after the war, the 1920 Summer Olympics , were held in Antwerp , Belgium, and featured figure skating and an ice hockey tournament. Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey were banned from competing in the games. At the IOC Congress held the following year it was decided that the host nation of

2987-442: The 1966 vote. In 1979, CODA was resurrected as Calgary began its fourth attempt, initiating a bid for the 1988 games. Led by chairman Frank King, and relying on thousands of volunteers, CODA spent four years attempting to woo support, attending every major sporting event it could to sell International Olympic Committee (IOC) members on Calgary. Calgary faced strong bids from Falun – Åre , Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo , Italy ,

3090-717: The 1976 Games, as all the infrastructure used during the 1964 Games had been maintained. Despite only having half the usual time to prepare for the Games, Innsbruck accepted the invitation to replace Denver in February 1973. During the opening ceremonies, two cauldrons were lit because it was the second time that the Austrian town had hosted the Winter Games. The 1976 Games featured the first combination bobsleigh-and-luge track , in neighbouring Igls . The Soviet Union won its fourth consecutive ice hockey gold medal. In 1980

3193-484: The 2006 Games, a Soviet or Russian delegation had never been outside the top five medal-winning nations, but in 2010 they finished sixth in total medals and eleventh in gold medals. President Dmitry Medvedev called for the resignation of top sports officials immediately after the Games. Russia's disappointing performance at Vancouver is cited as the reason behind the enhancement of an already existing doping scheme alleged to have been in operation at major events such as

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3296-659: The 2014 Games at Sochi. The success of Asian countries stood in stark contrast to the under-performing Russian team, with Vancouver marking a high point for medals won by Asian countries. At the Albertville Games in 1992 the Asian countries had won fifteen medals, three of which were gold. In Vancouver, the total number of medals won by athletes from Asia had increased to thirty-one, with eleven of them being gold. The rise of Asian nations in Winter Olympics sports

3399-405: The Aiguille du Midi at 3842 m. It is based on an older system built in 1920, rebuilt in the first half of the 1950s over five summer seasons, fully modernized in 1979, and upgraded again in 2008. On the other side of the valley, another cable car links Chamonix to the viewpoint of Planpraz. A second line links Planpraz to the summit of Le Brévent at 2525 meters. Many other cable cars exist in

3502-540: The Canadian Winter Sport Institute, or "WinSport", the first such institution in Canada. WinSport maintains several facilities built for the 1988 games. Chief among them is Canada Olympic Park (COP). The primary facility of Canada's first Centre of Sport Excellence, COP still receives over one million visitors per year. COP is also home to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame . The Olympic Oval

3605-469: The French town of Grenoble , the 1968 Winter Olympics were the first Olympic Games to be broadcast in colour. There were 1,158 athletes from 37 nations competing in 35 events. French alpine ski racer Jean-Claude Killy became only the second person to win all the men's alpine skiing events. Due the high interest around the world, the organising committee sold television rights for US$ 2 million, which

3708-497: The Games to Vancouver - Garibaldi , British Columbia in Canada , which had previously been a finalist bid for the 1976 Games. However, a change in the provincial government resulted in an administration that did not support the Olympic bid, so the IOC's offer was rejected. Salt Lake City , previously a candidate for the 1972 Winter Olympics, then put itself forward, but a tense political situation led IOC to invite Innsbruck to host

3811-647: The IOC stage a week of winter sports included as part of the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. The organisers opposed this idea because they desired to protect the integrity of the Nordic Games and were concerned about a lack of facilities for winter sports. The idea was resurrected for the 1916 Games , which were to be held in Berlin, Germany. A winter sports week with speed skating , figure skating, ice hockey and Nordic skiing were planned, but

3914-848: The Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo to host the 2026 Winter Olympics . The Winter Olympics are usually held in February, during the winter season of the Northern Hemisphere. As of 2024 , no city in the Southern Hemisphere has applied to host the Winter Olympic Games in the month of August (during the winter months of the Southern Hemisphere). As of 2022 , twelve countries have participated in every Winter Olympic Games – Austria, Canada, Finland , France, Great Britain , Hungary , Italy, Norway, Poland , Sweden , Switzerland, and

4017-583: The Japanese city of Nagano and were the first Games to host more than 2,000 athletes. The National Hockey League allowed its players to participate in the men's ice hockey tournament for the first time, and the Czech Republic won the tournament. Women's ice hockey made its debut, and the United States won the gold medal. Bjørn Dæhlie of Norway won three gold medals in Nordic skiing, becoming

4120-553: The National Sport School is specifically designed for Olympic calibre students in grades nine through 12, allowing them to compete internationally without compromising their studies. 20 current or former students at the school represented Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (French: Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) , also known as the Winter Olympics ,

4223-510: The Russians were awarded the gold. The French judge, Marie-Reine Le Gougne , 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

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4326-571: The Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games on separate four-year cycles in even-numbered years. Also, at that same congress it was decided that 1992 Winter Olympics would be the last to be held in the same year as the Summer Games and that to change the rotation, the games that would be held in 1996 would be brought forward by two years, being scheduled to 1994 . After those games, the next were to be held in 1998 when

4429-695: The Summer and Winter Games and place them in alternating even-numbered years. Lillehammer is the northernmost city to ever host the Winter Games. It was the second time the Games were held in Norway, after the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo , and the first time the Olympic Truce was observed. As a result, after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia made their Olympic debuts. The women's figure skating competition drew media attention when American skater Nancy Kerrigan

4532-426: The United States. Also, Czechoslovakia participated in all Winter Olympic Games before its dissolution and its successors, Czech Republic and Slovakia have participated in all Winter Games thereafter. Six of these countries have won medals at every Winter Olympic Games – Austria, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States. The only country to have won a gold medal at every Winter Olympic Games

4635-555: The United States. These Games would have coincided with the year of Colorado's centennial and the United States Bicentennial . However, the increasing costs of the event and the oil crisis led to a local plebiscite held in November 1972, that resulted in the city withdrawing from hosting the Games, as the people of Colorado voted against public funding of the Games by a 3:2 margin. The IOC responded by offering

4738-406: The United States; three days before the opening ceremony, IOC president Avery Brundage threatened to bar the skiers from competing in the Games as he insisted that they were no longer amateurs having benefited financially from their status as athletes. Eventually only Austrian Karl Schranz , who earned more than the other skiers, was excluded from the competition. Canada boycotted the 1972 and

4841-399: The Winter Olympics returned to Lake Placid, which had hosted the 1932 Games.Unlike previous editions, Lake Placid had no competitors in this bid process. Cyprus made their Olympic debut at the games. People's Republic of China and the first tropical nation Costa Rica competed for the first at the Winter Games. The Republic of China boycoted the Games, in protest of the IOC's recognition of

4944-490: The Winter Olympics. The 1940 games had been awarded to Sapporo , Japan, but the decision was rescinded in 1938 because of the Japanese invasion of China. The games were then to be held at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, but the 1940 games were cancelled following the German invasion of Poland in 1939. Due to the ongoing war, the 1944 games , originally scheduled for Cortina D'Ampezzo , Italy, were cancelled. St. Moritz

5047-443: The advent of the state-sponsored "full-time amateur athlete". The USSR entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students, soldiers, or working in a profession, but many of whom were in reality paid by the state to train full-time. Chiharu Igaya won the first Winter Olympics medal for Japan and the continent of Asia when he placed second in the slalom. The IOC awarded the 1960 Olympics to Squaw Valley , United States.

5150-514: The ages include Chamouny in 1581, Chamony in 1652, Chamouni in 1786, and the particular spelling Chamonix from 1793. Chamonix is the fourth-largest commune in metropolitan France , with an area of 245 km (95 sq mi). Its population of around 8,900 ranks 1,089th within the country of France. The valley was first mentioned in 1091, when it was granted by the Count of the Genevois to

5253-397: The announcement of its selection came as a shock as the resort was undeveloped and unknown outside the United States.About US$ 80,000,000 was spent over four years to build the completely non-existent infrastructure. The opening and closing ceremonies were the firsts produced by Walt Disney Company. The Squaw Valley Olympics was the first Winter Games to have a dedicated athletes' village,

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5356-526: The cauldron. These were the first Winter Games to be televised, and the first Olympics ever broadcast to an international audience, though no television rights were sold until the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome . The Cortina games were used to test the feasibility of televising large sporting events. The Soviet Union made its Olympic debut and had an immediate impact, winning more medals than any other nation. The Soviets' immediate success might be explained by

5459-522: The date, with a cost of £30 billion (US$ 51 billion). On the snow, Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen took two golds to bring his total tally of Olympic medals to 13, overtaking his compatriot Bjørn Dæhlie to become the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time. Another Norwegian, cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen took three golds; her total of ten Olympic medals tied her as the female Winter Olympian with most medals, alongside Raisa Smetanina and Stefania Belmondo . Snowboarder Ayumu Hirano became

5562-410: The decades like internal scandals, the use of performance-enhancing drugs by Winter Olympians, as well as a political boycott of the Winter Olympic Games. Countries have used the Winter Olympic Games as well as the Summer Olympic Games to proclaim the superiority of their political systems. The Winter Olympic Games have been hosted on three continents by thirteen countries, all of whom are located in

5665-490: The disciplines figure skating and speed skating ). The Games were held every four years from 1924 to 1936, interrupted in 1940 and 1944 by World War II , and resumed in 1948 . Until 1992, the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games were held in the same year. A decision to change this was made in 1986, when during the 91st International Olympic Committee session , IOC members decided to alternate

5768-477: The early 19th century led to the formation of the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix in 1821, to regulate access to the mountain slopes (which were communally or co-operatively owned), and this association held a monopoly of guiding from the town until it was broken by French government action in 1892; thereafter guides were required to hold a diploma issued by a commission dominated by civil servants and members of

5871-614: The expense of the Norwegian team, who finished fourth. On winning the Super-G, Kjetil-Andre Aamodt of Norway became the most decorated ski racer of all time with 4 gold and 8 overall medals. He is also the only ski racer to have won the same event at three Olympics, winning the Super-G in 1992 , 2002 , and 2006 . Claudia Pechstein of Germany became the first speed skater to earn nine career medals. In February 2009, Pechstein tested positive for "blood manipulation" and received

5974-532: The first host nation—since Norway in 1952 —to lead the gold medal count, with 14 medals. In doing so, it also broke the record for the most gold medals won by a NOC at a single Winter Olympics (the previous was 13, set by the Soviet Union in 1976 and matched by Norway in 2002 ). The Vancouver Games were notable for the poor performance of the Russian athletes. From their first Winter Olympics in 1956 to

6077-646: The first modern Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement , with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority. The original five Winter Olympic Sports (consisting of nine disciplines) were bobsleigh , curling , ice hockey , Nordic skiing (consisting of the disciplines military patrol , cross-country skiing , Nordic combined , and ski jumping ), and skating (consisting of

6180-484: The first skater to break the 100-point barrier in the short programme on the way to winning the gold medal. Among the sledding disciplines, luger Armin Zöggeler took a bronze, becoming the first Winter Olympian to secure a medal in six consecutive Games. Following their disappointing performance at the 2010 Games, and an investment of £600 million in elite sport, Russia initially topped the medal table , taking 13 gold and 33 total medals. However, Grigory Rodchenkov ,

6283-444: The first time, on the Olympic Oval . Dutch skater Yvonne van Gennip won three gold medals and set two world records, beating skaters from the favoured East German team in every race. Her medal total was equalled by Finnish ski jumper Matti Nykänen , who won all three events in his sport. Alberto Tomba , an Italian skier, made his Olympic debut by winning both the giant slalom and slalom. East German Christa Rothenburger won

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6386-415: The first to use a computer (courtesy of IBM ) to tabulate results, and the first to feature female speed skating events. This edition is the only one to date to not have bobsleigh competitions, as the number of countries registered in the event was insufficient and the costs of building the track were too high for the Organizing Committee.To replace the event, an extra edition from the FIBT World Championship

6489-475: The flame was lit in the fireplace by Norwegian skiing pioneer Sondre Nordheim and the first Winter torch relay was conducted by 94 torchbearers entirely on their skis. Bandy , a popular sport in the Nordic countries, was featured as a demonstration sport, though only Norway , Sweden , and Finland fielded teams. Norwegian athletes won 17 medals, which outpaced all the other nations. They were led by Hjalmar Andersen who won three gold medals in four events in

6592-563: The former head of the Russian national anti-doping laboratory, subsequently claimed that he had been involved in doping dozens of Russian competitors for the Games, and that he had been assisted by the Russian Federal Security Service in opening and re-sealing bottles containing urine samples so that samples with banned substances could be replaced with "clean" urine. Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( French pronunciation: [ʃamɔni mɔ̃ blɑ̃] ; Arpitan : Chamôni-Mont-Blanc ), more commonly known simply as Chamonix ( Chamôni ),

6695-499: The four-year Olympic Cycle resumed. The Winter Olympic Games have evolved since their inception. Sports and disciplines have been added and some of them, such as alpine skiing , luge , short track speed skating , freestyle skiing , skeleton , and snowboarding , have earned a permanent spot on the Olympic program. Some others, including curling and bobsleigh , have been discontinued and later reintroduced; others have been permanently discontinued, such as military patrol , though

6798-441: The games, CODA rededicated itself to maintaining the facilities left in the legacy of the games, and in developing Canada's Olympic athletes. CODA is credited with contributing to Canada's dramatic improvement at the Winter Olympics, as the nation has seen an increase in podium finishes in every games since Calgary, growing to 26 medals at the 2010 Winter Games from just five at Calgary. On January 23, 2009, CODA began operating as

6901-632: The giant slalom. Another sporting highlight was the free dance performance of British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean ; their Boléro routine received unanimous perfect scores for artistic impression, earning them the gold medal. In 1988, the Canadian city of Calgary hosted the first Winter Olympics to span three weekends, lasting for a total of 16 days. New events were added in ski-jumping and speed skating, while future Olympic sports curling, short track speed skating and freestyle skiing made their debut appearance as demonstration sports. The speed skating events were held indoors for

7004-483: The gold medal. Sapporo , Japan, and Gothenburg , Sweden, were front-runners to host the 1984 Winter Olympics . It was therefore a surprise when Sarajevo , Yugoslavia, was selected as host. The Games were well-organised and not affected by the run-up to the war that engulfed the country eight years later. A total of 49 nations and 1,272 athletes participated in 39 events. Host nation Yugoslavia won its first Olympic medal when alpine skier Jure Franko won silver in

7107-401: The great Benedictine house of St. Michel de la Cluse , near Turin , which by the early 13th century had established a priory there. However, in 1786 the inhabitants bought their freedom from the canons of Sallanches , to whom the priory had been transferred in 1519. In 1530, the inhabitants obtained from the Count of the Genevois the privilege of holding two fairs a year, while the valley

7210-506: The highest European mountain west of Russia, Mont Blanc attracts mountain climbers . The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc has been held every August since 2003. There is a cable car up to the 3,842 m (12,605 ft) Aiguille du Midi . Constructed in 1955, it was then the highest cable car in the world and remains the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world. Chamonix is divided into three separate ski areas (Les Grands Montets, Brévent - Flégère, le domaine de Balme) which run along

7313-408: The host city for the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924 further raised Chamonix's profile as an international tourist destination. During the Second World War , a Children's Home operated in Chamonix, in which several dozens of Jewish children were hidden from the Nazis. Some of those who hid them were recognised as " Righteous Among the Nations ". By the 1960s, agriculture had been reduced to

7416-410: The hosts. The opening ceremony was held in a blizzard while warm weather conditions plagued sporting events throughout the rest of the games. Because of the weather the 10,000 metre speed-skating event had to be abandoned and officially cancelled. The weather was not the only noteworthy aspect of the 1928 games: Sonja Henie of Norway returned to the Winter Olympics to make history when she won

7519-687: The latter bidder pressuring the IOC to "punish" the Calgary bid for Canada's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow . Calgary nonetheless won the bid at a vote held in Baden-Baden , West Germany on September 30, 1981. CODA gave way to the Calgary Olympic Committee (Olympiques Calgary Olympics '88, or OCO '88), which organized the games themselves. The Calgary games generated a C$ 90 million profit, of which $ 70.5 million

7622-456: The layout would incorporate the best possible venues for television broadcasts at the athletes' expense. The 1972 Winter Games , held in Sapporo , Japan, were the first to be hosted on a continent other than North America or Europe. The issue of professionalism was disputed during these Games when a number of alpine skiers were found to have participated in a ski camp at Mammoth Mountain in

7725-747: The longest surviving royal house in Europe. It ruled the County of Savoy to 1416 and then the Duchy of Savoy from 1416 to 1860. The first party to publish (1744) an account of their visit was that of Richard Pococke , William Windham and others, such as the Englishmen who visited the Mer de Glace in 1741. In 1742 came P. Martel and several other Genevese, in 1760 Horace Bénédict de Saussure , as well as rather later Marc-Théodore Bourrit . The growth of tourism in

7828-472: The loss of its monopoly, the Compagnie reformed as an association of local guides, and retained an important role in local society; it provided the services of a friendly society to its members, and in the 20th century many of them were noted mountaineers and popularisers of mountain tourism, notably the novelist Roger Frison-Roche, the first member of the Compagnie not to be born in Chamonix. Serving as

7931-469: The men's and women's ice hockey gold medals. Canada became embroiled with Russia in a controversy that involved the judging of the pairs figure skating competition. The Russian pair of Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze competed against the Canadian pair of Jamie Salé and David Pelletier for the gold medal. The Canadians appeared to have skated well enough to win the competition, yet

8034-563: The modern Winter Olympic sport of biathlon is descended from it. Still others, such as speed skiing , bandy and skijoring , were demonstration sports but never incorporated as Olympic sports. The rise of television as a global medium for communication enhanced the profile of the Games. It generated income via the sale of broadcast rights and advertising, which has become lucrative for the IOC. This allowed outside interests, such as television companies and corporate sponsors, to exert influence. The IOC has had to address numerous criticisms over

8137-507: The most decorated Winter Olympic athlete, with eight gold medals and twelve medals overall. Austrian Hermann Maier survived a crash during the downhill competition and returned to win gold in the super-G and the giant slalom. Tara Lipinski of the United States , aged just 15, became the youngest ever female gold medallist in an individual event when she won the Ladies' Singles , a record that had stood since Sonja Henie of Norway won

8240-606: The rail route continues over the border into Switzerland, meeting the SBB network at Martigny . This latter section, a metre-gauge cog railway , is operated by Transports de Martigny et Régions SA. The train service from Vallorcine to Martigny is known as the Mont Blanc Express . Timetables on the St Gervais-Vallorcine and Vallorcine-Martigny sections are synchronized. The 5.1-km Montenvers Railway

8343-472: The record for most individual golds in a single Olympics (both Summer and Winter). Hanni Wenzel won both the slalom and giant slalom and her country, Liechtenstein , became the smallest nation to produce an Olympic gold medallist. In the " Miracle on Ice ", the American hockey team composed of college players beat the favoured seasoned professionals from the Soviet Union , and progressed to eventually win

8446-517: The same event, also aged 15, in St. Moritz in 1928 . New world records were set in speed skating largely due to the introduction of the clap skate . After a tumultuous host city process , the 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City , United States. 2,399 athletes from 77 National Olympic Committees participated in 78 events in 7 sports. These Games were the first to take place since

8549-409: The short-track speed skating events. Sun-Yu Jin won three gold medals while her teammate Hyun-Soo Ahn won three gold medals and a bronze. In the women's Cross-Country team pursuit Canadian Sara Renner broke one of her poles and, when he saw her dilemma, Norwegian coach Bjørnar Håkensmoen decided to lend her a pole. In so doing she was able to help her team win a silver medal in the event at

8652-565: The six cross-country events on the women's programme. She finished the Olympics with three golds, a silver and a bronze. For the first time, Canada won a gold medal at an Olympic Games it hosted, having failed to do so at both the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary . In contrast to the lack of gold medals at these previous Olympics, the Canadian team finished first overall in gold medal wins, and became

8755-633: The valley from Le Tour down to Les Houches. In addition to the 1924 Winter Olympic Games, the town hosts a round of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup and the Arlberg-Kandahar . It previously hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1937 and the 1984 and 1988 Biathlon World Championships for women. The 1930 Ice Hockey World Championships was mostly held at Chamonix. The town also hosted

8858-631: The women's 1,000 metre speed skating event. Seven months later she would earn a silver in track cycling at the Summer Games in Seoul , to become the only athlete to win medals in both a Summer and Winter Olympics in the same year. The 1988 games are well remembered in popular culture from two films based on its events: Cool Runnings about the Jamaican bobsled team; and Eddie the Eagle about British ski jumper Michael Edwards , who finished last but set

8961-499: The youngest male Winter Olympic champion. New Zealand skier Annelise Coberger became the first Winter Olympic medallist from the southern hemisphere when she won a silver medal in the women's slalom. The 1994 Winter Olympics , held in Lillehammer , Norway, were the first Winter Games to be held in a different year from the Summer Games. This change resulted from the decision reached in the 91st IOC Session (1986) to separate

9064-501: The youngest medallist on snow at the Winter Games when he took a silver in the halfpipe competition at the age of fifteen. On the ice, the Netherlands team dominated the speed skating events, taking 23 medals, four clean sweeps of the podium places and at least one medal in each of the twelve medal events. Ireen Wüst was their most successful competitor, taking two golds and three silvers. In figure skating, Yuzuru Hanyu became

9167-550: The youngest-ever Olympic gold medallist when South Korea won the women's 3,000-metre speed skating relay. Bjørn Dæhli of Norway won a medal in four out of five cross-country events, becoming the most decorated Winter Olympian until then. Russia won the most events, with eleven gold medals, while Norway achieved 26 podium finishes, collecting the most medals overall on home ground. Juan Antonio Samaranch described Lillehammer as "the best Olympic Winter Games ever" in his closing ceremony speech. The 1998 Winter Olympics were held in

9270-586: Was a charter member of the IOC and a close friend of Olympic Games founder Pierre de Coubertin . He attempted to have winter sports, specifically figure skating , added to the Olympic programme but was unsuccessful until the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. Four figure skating events were contested, at which Ulrich Salchow (10-time world champion) and Madge Syers won the individual titles. Three years later, Italian count Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux proposed that

9373-405: Was created into an endowment fund for CODA to maintain and operate the Olympic facilities following the games. Today, that fund has grown to $ 185 million. The Toronto Star challenged the claim of profitability in 1999 following Toronto's failed bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics , claiming that $ 461 million in government spending was not accounted for in the final figures. With the completion of

9476-430: Was enlisted to transport snow and ice from other places to the sports venues. Soviet speed-skater Lidia Skoblikova made history by winning all four-speed skating events. Her career total of six gold medals set a record for Winter Olympics athletes. Also, for the first time Luge was added to the Olympic program, but the sport received bad publicity when a competitor was killed in a pre-Olympic training run. Held in

9579-400: Was extended to Vallorcine in 1908. The line holds the record for the steepest gradient on any standard ( adhesion ) railway. There are 10 stations on this line within the commune of Chamonix: Montroc-le-Planet , Argentière , La Joux , Les Tines , Les Praz-de-Chamonix , Chamonix-Mont-Blanc , Chamonix-Aiguille-du-Midi , Les Moussoux , Les Pélerins and Les Bossons . From Vallorcine ,

9682-404: Was held . The Austrian city of Innsbruck was the host in 1964 . For the first time, the Olympic torch of the Winter Olympic Games was lit at the traditional ritual held in the temple of Olympia.Although Innsbruck was a traditional winter sports resort, unprojected warm weather caused a lack of snow and organisers were unable to save enough snow to be used during the Games, and the Austrian army

9785-424: Was injured on 6 January 1994, in an assault planned by the ex-husband of opponent Tonya Harding . Both skaters competed in the Games, but the gold medal was narrowly won by Oksana Baiul who became Ukraine 's first Olympic champion, while Kerrigan won the silver medal. Johann Olav Koss of Norway won three gold medals, coming first in all of the distance speed skating events. 13-year-old Kim Yoon-Mi became

9888-497: Was more than twice the cost of the broadcast rights for the Innsbruck Games. For the first time, the organizers chose to decentralize the Games to save costs and the events were spread across three long distances clusters, which led to the need to build three Olympic Villages.Along the high costs, the organisers claimed that this was necessary to accommodate technological advances, however, critics disputed this, alleging that

9991-602: Was not enough snow to hold all the events until mid-January. Sonja Henie defended her Olympic title, and Eddie Eagan of the United States, who had been an Olympic champion in boxing in 1920, won the gold medal in the men's bobsleigh event to join Gillis Grafström as the only athletes to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Eagan has the distinction as the only Olympian as of 2020 to accomplish this feat in different sports. The German towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen joined to organise

10094-519: Was often visited by the civil officials and by the bishops of Geneva (first recorded visit in 1411, while St. Francis de Sales came there in 1606). But travellers for pleasure were very rare. Chamonix was part of the historical land of Savoy and emerged as the feudal territory of the House of Savoy during the 11th to 14th centuries. The historical territory is shared between the modern countries of France, Italy and Switzerland. The House of Savoy became

10197-490: Was selected to host the first post-war games, in 1948 . Switzerland's neutrality had protected the town during World War II, and most venues from the 1928 games remained in place, which made St. Moritz a logical choice. It became the first city to host a Winter Olympics twice. Twenty-eight countries competed in Switzerland, but athletes from Germany and Japan were not invited. Controversy erupted when two hockey teams from

10300-760: Was the first covered speed skating venue in North America, and remains one of the fastest speed skating surfaces in the world. Over 150 world records have been set at the Oval. The Oval continues to host international speed skating events. It also served as the home arena for the Calgary Inferno women's ice hockey team. WinSport also runs the National Sport School in partnership with the Calgary Board of Education . Founded in 1994,

10403-466: Was the first time that Russia had hosted a Winter Olympics. The Games took place from 7 to 23 February 2014. A record 2,800 athletes from 88 countries competed in 98 events. The Olympic Village and Olympic Stadium were located on the Black Sea coast. All of the mountain venues were 50 kilometres (31 mi) away in the alpine region known as Krasnaya Polyana . The Games were the most expensive until

10506-474: Was the first to be hosted outside of Europe. Seventeen nations and 252 athletes participated. This was less than in 1928, as the journey to Lake Placid was too long and expensive for some European nations that encountered financial problems in the midst of the Great Depression . The athletes competed in fourteen events in four sports. Virtually no snow fell for two months before the Games, and there

10609-445: Was won by Charles Jewtraw of the United States in the 500-meter speed skate. Sonja Henie of Norway, at just 11 years old, competed in the ladies' figure skating and, although finishing last, became popular with fans. Gillis Grafström of Sweden defended his 1920 gold medal in men's figure skating, becoming the first Olympian to win gold medals in both Summer and Winter Olympics. Germany remained banned until 1925, and instead hosted

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