1960 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event
held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley
, California
, United States
. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as hosts for the 1960 Winter Games. Squaw Valley was mostly undeveloped, so from 1956 to 1960 all of the venues and infrastructure had to be built or improved at a cost of $80,000,000. The Games featured the first athlete's village and was designed to be intimate, allowing spectators and athletes the ability to walk to nearly all the venues. The opening and closing ceremonies
were produced by Walt Disney
and televised by CBS
. The 1960 Games were the first to have television broadcast rights sold to the highest bidder. It was the first time in 28 years that an Olympic Games had been held in North America.
Thirty nations and 665 athletes competed in four sports and 27 events. Women's speed skating
and biathlon
made their Olympic debuts. The organizers decided the bobsled events did not warrant the cost to build a venue, so for the first and only time bobsled was not on the Winter Olympic program. The Soviet Union
dominated the medal count winning 21 medals, 7 of which were gold. Soviet speed skaters Yevgeny Grishin
and Lidiya Skoblikova were the only multiple gold medalists. Swedish
lumberjack Sixten Jernberg
added a gold and silver to the 4 medals he won at the 1956 Winter Games
. He would win three more in 1964
to finish his Olympic career with 9 medals, becoming the most decorated Winter Olympian to date.
World politics affected the lead-up to the Games with tension between the United States and Soviet Union intensifying, and the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) was forced to debate the participation of China, Taiwan, North Korea and East Germany because of the Cold War
. In 1957 the United States government threatened to deny visas to athlete from Communist
countries, causing the IOC to threaten to revoke Squaw Valley's right to host the 1960 Games. Bowing to international pressure, the United States allowed athletes from Communist countries entry for the Games.
, Austria had submitted a compelling bid and was considered the favorite while Squaw Valley was a struggling ski resort with minimal facilities. The only inhabitant and homeowner in the area was Alexander Cushing, who was inspired to an Olympic bid by a newspaper article mentioning that Reno, Nevada
and Anchorage, Alaska
had expressed interest in the Games. Cushing, president of the Squaw Valley Development Company, petitioned California Governor Goodwin Knight
to support a bid to host the Olympic Games. Knight's administration agreed and recommended that the California Legislature appropriate $1,000,000 to the effort. Based on the financial support received from the State of California the United State Olympic Committee (USOC) approved the bid on January 7, 1955. Cushing and the USOC received a resolution passed by the United State Congress and signed by President Dwight Eisenhower, calling on the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) to consider Squaw Valley's bid for the 1960 Games. Preliminary reports were drafted and submitted to the IOC who was considering bids from Innsbruck
, St. Moritz
, Switzerland and Chamonix
, France. Squaw Valley's bid was accepted with a caveat by IOC president Avery Brundage
who warned the Organizing Committee that unless more funds were secured by April 1956, the bid would be awarded to Innsbruck. Another $4,000,000 was committed by the State Legislature, which met Brundage's requirements and on April 4, 1956 the right to host the 1960 Winter Olympics was officially awarded to Squaw Valley. Competitors and officials from European nations were incensed with the selection, they felt that the alpine ski courses were not up to specifications and that the altitude would prove too stressful on the athletes.
At the time the Squaw Valley resort consisted of one chair lift, two rope tows, and a fifty-room lodge. Cushing presented the site as a blank canvas of unspoiled environment, where a world-class ski resort could be constructed. The obscurity of the location was underscored at the closing ceremonies
of the 1956 Winter Olympics
. The mayor of the current host city traditionally passed a flag to the mayor of the next host city signalling the transfer of the Games. Since Squaw Valley was an unincorporated village it had no city government. John Garland, an IOC member from California, was asked to stand in and received the flag from the mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo
.
After the Games were awarded to Squaw Valley the California Olympic Commission was formed to take the lead in organizing the Games. Venues, an Olympic Village, and infrastructure had to be constructed and expanded in a four-year time frame. With the expansion of roads, bridges, water and electrical capacity the resort of Squaw Valley became the city of Squaw Valley. Hotels, restaurants, administration buildings, a Sheriff's office and a sewage pumping and treatment plant were all constructed to support the influx of visitors for the Games. Organizers wanted the Olympics to be intimate with nearly all of the venues close to one another and the athletes' village. The Blyth Memorial Ice Arena
, three outside skating rinks, a 400-meter speed skating oval, and four dormitories to house athletes had to be constructed. One venue deemed impractical to build was the bobsled run. Organizers felt the lack of possible entrants and the high cost of building the run were sufficient deterrents to leave the bobsled events out of the 1960 Olympic program.
Several design innovations and new technologies were used for the 1960 Games. The speed skating, figure skating and ice hockey events were held on artificial ice for the first time in Olympic history. A refrigeration plant capable of heating 4,800 homes had to be built to generate and maintain the ice. The heat generated from the refrigeration plant was used to warm spectators, provide hot water, and melt the snow off of roofs. New timing equipment provided by Longines
was installed that used a quartz
clock to measure to the hundredths of a second. IBM
provided a computer that was capable of tabulating results and printing them in English and French. Blyth arena, site of the opening and closing ceremonies, the figure skating and ice hockey competitions, was built with a 22 in (55.9 cm) gap in the roof, which would slide closed as the weather cooled and the cables supporting the roof contracted.
Funding for Cushings initial bid to the IOC came from the California Legislature and investors in the "Squaw Valley Development Company" – owners of the existing resort. To fund the construction the organizers turned to the federal government for assistance. Squaw Valley was the first Games in the United States to receive federal funding; providing around a quarter of the $80 million required to host the event. The monies were used to build the sports arena and provide military support during the Games. Further funding was secured from private sponsorships and from the State of California. Governor Knight and his successor Edmund "Pat" Brown remained behind the project, seeing it as a means to showcase the state of California to the world.
for $50,000. Unknown at the time was how lucrative the sale of broadcast rights would become. For example, CBS purchased the rights to broadcast the 1960 Summer Olympics
for $550,000. During the Games CBS broadcast 31 hours of television focusing on ice hockey, speed skating, figure skating, alpine skiing and ski jumping. The impact of television was felt during the Games; in the men's slalom event, officials who were unsure if a skier had missed a gate asked CBS if they could review tape of the event. This request gave CBS the idea for what is now known as instant replay
.
but had since withdrawn from the IOC due to a dispute over Taiwan's participation as a separate country. The United State supported Taiwan while the Soviet Union stood behind China. Given the fact that the 1960 Games were to be held in America, there was concern among IOC members that the United States would not allow China, or any other Communist
country to participate. In 1957 IOC president Avery Brundage announced that if the United States refused entry to any country recognized by the IOC, then they would revoke Squaw Valley's invitation to host the Games. Bowing to international pressure, the United States allowed athletes from Communist countries to participate. China continued to demand that Taiwan be expelled from the IOC, demands that were refused until China broke off relations ending any hope that they would participate in 1960.
Problems similar to the issue with China broke out over North Korea and East Germany. Prior to the Korean War
the IOC had recognized the Olympic committee of Korea, which was headquartered in Seoul
. North Korea was not recognized as a separate country by the IOC who maintained the existence of one Olympic committee. A unified team
compromise was proposed but rejected, which meant only athletes from South Korea participated due to their prior recognition. Pressure for full recognition of East Germany continued despite the fact that both East and West Germany had participated as a unified team in 1956. Part of the negotiations for a unified German team was that they be represented by a neutral flag. Initially West German officials refused to agree to this stipulation citing the fact that the West German flag had been used at both the 1956 Winter and Summer Games. Eventually the neutral flag was adopted and a unified German team participated.
was added to the program as was speed skating events for women. After a poll was taken indicating that only nine countries would send a bobsled team, the organizers determined that bobsled would be removed from the Olympic program. Despite petitions from the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation to reconsider, the organizers felt they could not justify the costs of constructing a bobsled run for nine competing nations. It would be the only time in Winter Olympic history that the bobsled events were not held.
The chairman of the "Pageantry Committee" was Walt Disney
, who was responsible for producing both the opening and closing ceremonies. He planned on an opening that would include 5,000 entertainers, the release of 2,000 pigeons, and a military gun salute of eight shots, one for each of the previous Winter Olympic Games. The opening ceremonies were held on February 18, 1960 at Blyth Arena in the midst of a blizzard. Heavy snow fell the morning of the 18th and caused traffic problems that delayed the ceremony by an hour. The festivities began with a sustained drum roll as the flags of each participating nation were raised on specially designed flag poles. As the Greek standard bearer led the 30 participating countries in the traditional Parade of Nations the weather broke and the rest of the two-hour ceremony proceeded in sunshine. Vice President Richard Nixon
represented the United States government and declared the Games open. The Olympic flame was lit by Kenneth Henry, Olympic champion of the 500 meter speed skating race at the 1952 Winter Olympics
in Oslo
. The Olympic oath was taken by Carol Heiss
on behalf of all the athletes. As the national delegations exited the stadium fireworks concluded the ceremonies.
tournament took place at Blyth Arena and the Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink
. Controversy over the amateur status of some of the players overshadowed the event. Canadian
Olympic officials began to protest the use of "professional amateurs" by Eastern Bloc
countries, and especially the Soviet Union
. They alleged that the Soviets were giving their elite hockey players phantom jobs in the military that allowed them to play hockey full time, which gave Soviet teams an advantage that they used to dominate Olympic hockey tournaments for nearly 30 years. This issue started coming to light during the 1960 Games and would culminate in a Canadian boycott of Olympic hockey tournament at the 1972 Winter Olympics
. The team from the United States
won an improbable gold medal, defeating the favored Canadian and Soviet teams, who took silver and bronze respectively. This was the first Olympic gold medal in ice hockey for the United States and it would mark the last time a Soviet team would not win the Olympic tournament until the United States
victory
at the 1980 Winter Olympics
.
races at the 1960 Olympics, 4 for men and 2 for women, all held at the McKinney Creek cross-country complex. Soviet swept the 10 kilometer race, which was the first medal sweep for the Soviets at the Winter Olympics. They were however upset by Sweden
in the 3×5 kilometer relay. The Nordic countries dominated the men's competition. Swedish Lumberjack Sixten Jernberg
added a gold and silver to the 4 medals he won in 1956. He would add 2 golds and a bronze in 1964
to finish his Olympic career with 9 medals and the most decorated Winter Olympian to date. Finnish
skier Veikko Hakulinen
added a gold, silver and bronze to the 2 golds and 2 silvers he had won in 1952
and 1956; while he competed in 1964, he would not earn another medal.
made its Olympic debut in 1960. The precursor to biathlon, military patrol
, was on the Olympic program for the first Olympic Games
in 1924. Subsequently it was a demonstration sport
at the 1928
, 1936
, and 1948 Winter Olympics
, though the competition was only open to members of the military. Military patrol fell out of favor in 1948 due to antimilitary sentiments in the post World War II
era. Biathlon took its place and was instated as a full Olympic sport in 1960. It encompassed a 20 kilometer cross-country race with four shooting stations at ranges from 100 m (328.1 ft) to 250 m (820.2 ft). Klas Lestander
from Sweden became the first Olympic champion, Antti Tyrväinen
from Finland and Soviet Aleksandr Privalov
placed second and third respectively.
competition was held on February 21 at the Squaw Valley normal hill and the McKinney Creek cross-country complex. The athletes had three jumps on February 21 followed by a 15 kilometer cross-country race. German
skier Georg Thoma
became the first non-Scandinavian to win the event. He would win a bronze medal in the Nordic combined in 1964. Tormod Knutsen
of Norway and Nikolay Gusakov of the Soviet Union placed second and third, respectively. Gusakov's wife, Maria
, competed in the cross-country events, winning a gold and silver.
event at the 1960 Games, the men's normal hill, which was held on February 28. In 1964 the competition would be expanded to include a men's large hill event. Helmut Recknagel
became the first German to win the event. In 1994
he would be joined by Jens Weißflog as the only German ski jumping Olympic champions. Niilo Halonen
from Finland and Austrian
Otto Leodolter
earned the silver and bronze medals.
competition took place between February 19 and 26. Though this wasn't first time figure skating had been held indoors, it would never be contested outdoors again. There were three events: men's and women's singles and the pairs competition. In the men's event, David Jenkins, brother of 1956 Winter Olympic figure skating champion Hayes Jenkins won the gold medal. It was his second Olympic medal having won the bronze at the 1956 Games. Czechoslovakian
Karol Divín
took the silver medal, it would be the only medal for Czechoslovakia at the Games, and Canadian Donald Jackson
won the bronze. Carol Heiss, winner of the silver medal in 1956, became the Olympic champion in 1960. A year later she married Hayes Jenkins and starred in Snow White and the Three Stooges
. Dutch
skater Sjoukje Dijkstra
took the silver medal, she would finish her amateur career with an Olympic gold medal in 1964
. Barbara Ann Roles gave the United States its third figure skating medal of the competition when she took the bronze. The Soviet Union made its Olympic figure skating debut by sending two couples to compete in the pairs competition, the result belied the fact that Soviet skaters would soon come to dominate this event. The competition was won by the Canadian pair of Barbara Wagner
and Bob Paul who had won the last three world championships. The German
pair Marika Kilius
and Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
followed their recent European championship victory with the Olympic silver medal, and the American husband and wife team of Ron and Nancy Ludington
took the bronze.
competition for the first time in 1960. The Soviet Union had requested the inclusion of women's speed skating events in the program for the 1956 Games but the request was rejected by the IOC. The issue was revisited for the 1960 Games and since women had been competing internationally since 1936 and there was a World Championship for women's speed skating, the IOC agreed to four events; 500, 1,000, 1,500, and 3,000 meters. The events were held on the Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink, which was an outdoor skating oval, and featured artificial ice, a first for the Olympic speed skating competition. Given the altitude and the artificial ice the rink was the fastest in the world as evidenced by Norwegian
Knut Johannesen
’s world record in the 10,000 meter event. At 15:46.6 he was the first skater ever to break the 16-minute barrier and eclipsed the previous world record by 46 seconds. Despite Johannesen's victory the Soviets dominated the speeds skating events winning all but two of the races. Yevgeny Grishin
won both the 500 and 1,500 meter races, though he shared the 1,500 meter gold medal with Norwegian Roald Aas
. Lidiya Skoblikova from the Soviet Union was the other double gold medalist when she won the 1,500 and 3,000 meter events. Polish
skaters Helena Pilejczyk
and Elwira Seroczyńska
placed second and third in the 1,500 meter event, earning Poland's only medals of the Games and becoming just the second and third Poles ever to win Winter Olympic medals.
Despite the lack of facilities at Squaw Valley, the resort did have steep mountain slopes in close proximity, resulting in some of the most difficult alpine skiing
courses in Olympic history. Both men and women competed in the downhill, giant slalom and slalom with all 6 events held between February 20 and 26. The men's downhill was won by Frenchman
Jean Vuarnet
who changed the sport by becoming the first Olympic champion to use metal skis. Swiss
skier Roger Staub
won the giant slalom and Ernst Hinterseer
from Austria
was the slalom champion. German Heidi Biebl
won the women's downhill, Yvonne Rüegg
of Switzerland won the giant slalom and Anne Heggtveit
from Canada won the slalom. Skiers from 6 different nations won medals and Penny Pitou
of the United States was the only multiple medal winner when she earned two silvers in the downhill and giant slalom.
† The numeral indicates the number of event finals for each sport held that day.
a 12 mi (19.3 km) drive from Squaw Valley. In prior Winter Olympics the athletes were housed in hotels and billeted with local families. Since no such facilities existed in Squaw Valley the organizers decided to build the first Olympic Village at the Winter Games. Competitors slept in one of four dormitories and ate together in a dining room. The complex was located centrally with access to all the sporting facilities.
The peaks surrounding Squaw Valley were used for the alpine skiing events. The ladies' downhill and men's slalom and giant slalom were on KT-22 mountain, while the ladies' slalom and giant slalom were contested on Little Papoose Peak. Squaw Peak was the site of the men's downhill competition. Prior to the Games concerns persisted that the courses would not meet international standards. To addresses these concerns a test event was held in 1959 and attending delegates from the International Ski Federation
(FIS) left assured that the events would comply with FIS rules and specifications. Bleachers were constructed for officials, coaches and spectators along with broadcast booths for radio and television. The ski jump hill was located on Little Papoose Peak directly opposite of Blyth Memorial Arena. Designed by Heini Klopfer, the hill was innovative in that it had 40, 60, and 80 meter jumps. Tall trees on both sides protected athletes from the wind and it was situated so that the sun would be at the jumper's back during the competition.
McKinney Creek Stadium was built to host all of the cross-country races, which included the biathlon and a portion of the Nordic combined competition. It consisted of a timing building, two Quonset hut
s for competitors and course workers, a scoreboard and bleachers to accommodate 1,200 people. Shooting ranges were interspersed throughout the biathlon cross-country course and were supervised by non-commissioned officer
s of the United States military.
Blyth Memorial Arena was the centerpiece of the Games. It was host to the opening and closing ceremonies, the figure skating competition, several speed skating events as well as most of the games in the hockey tournament. All three of the sports were held indoors on artificial ice for the first time in Olympic history. At full capacity the arena accommodated 11,000 people, 8,500 of which were seated. One end of the stadium could be opened and closed, depending on the event. During the ceremonies it was open to allow for the entrance of the athletes, during the competitions it was closed to accommodate more spectators. A special machine was created to resurface the ice for all three competitions. It could lay a new ice surface on the 400-meter speed skating track in 45 minutes. In addition to resurfacing the ice the machine created the snow dividers that delineated the racing lanes. The roof was designed on a suspension principle using cables rather than vertical supports, this removed any visual impediments for the audience but it weakened the strength of the roof. Given the amount of annual snowfall this was a concern, but designers planned on using heat generated by the refrigeration plant to melt the snow. There were flaws in the design and miscalculations in the load the roof could bear, during a particularly heavy snowfall in 1983 a portion of the roof collapsed and the building was demolished.
competed at the Winter Games for the first time. (It was also its last for many years, as Apartheid policies prevented further participation until 1994). Athletes from West Germany
(FRG) and East Germany
(GDR) competed together as the United Team of Germany
from 1956 to 1964.
Multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...
held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley
Squaw Valley, California (Ski Area Valley)
Olympic Valley in the U.S. state of California is an unincorporated community located in Placer County northwest of Tahoe City along Highway 89 on the banks of the Truckee River near Lake Tahoe. It is the home of the Squaw Valley Ski Resort, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as hosts for the 1960 Winter Games. Squaw Valley was mostly undeveloped, so from 1956 to 1960 all of the venues and infrastructure had to be built or improved at a cost of $80,000,000. The Games featured the first athlete's village and was designed to be intimate, allowing spectators and athletes the ability to walk to nearly all the venues. The opening and closing ceremonies
Olympic Games ceremony
Olympic Games ceremonies were an integral part of the Ancient Olympic Games. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies harken back to the Ancient Games from which the Modern Olympics draw their ancestry. An example of this is the prominence of Greece in both the opening and closing ceremonies...
were produced by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
and televised by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. The 1960 Games were the first to have television broadcast rights sold to the highest bidder. It was the first time in 28 years that an Olympic Games had been held in North America.
Thirty nations and 665 athletes competed in four sports and 27 events. Women's speed skating
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
and biathlon
Biathlon
Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
made their Olympic debuts. The organizers decided the bobsled events did not warrant the cost to build a venue, so for the first and only time bobsled was not on the Winter Olympic program. The Soviet Union
Soviet Union at the 1960 Winter Olympics
The Soviet Union competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing :Women- Biathlon :Men- Cross-country skiing :MenWomen- Figure skating :- Ice hockey :Men...
dominated the medal count winning 21 medals, 7 of which were gold. Soviet speed skaters Yevgeny Grishin
Yevgeny Grishin
Yevgeny Romanovich Grishin was a Soviet/Russian speedskater. Grishin trained for the largest part of his speedskating career at CSKA Moscow...
and Lidiya Skoblikova were the only multiple gold medalists. Swedish
Sweden at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Sweden competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Biathlon:Men1Two minutes added per missed target.- Cross-country skiing:MenMen's 4 x 10 km relayWomenWomen's 3 x 5 km relay...
lumberjack Sixten Jernberg
Sixten Jernberg
Eddy Sixten Jernberg is a retired Swedish cross country skier....
added a gold and silver to the 4 medals he won at the 1956 Winter Games
1956 Winter Olympics
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. This celebration of the Games was held from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out...
. He would win three more in 1964
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
to finish his Olympic career with 9 medals, becoming the most decorated Winter Olympian to date.
World politics affected the lead-up to the Games with tension between the United States and Soviet Union intensifying, and the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) was forced to debate the participation of China, Taiwan, North Korea and East Germany because of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. In 1957 the United States government threatened to deny visas to athlete from Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
countries, causing the IOC to threaten to revoke Squaw Valley's right to host the 1960 Games. Bowing to international pressure, the United States allowed athletes from Communist countries entry for the Games.
Host city selection
Squaw Valley was an unexpected selection for the 1960 Winter Olympics. InnsbruckInnsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Austria had submitted a compelling bid and was considered the favorite while Squaw Valley was a struggling ski resort with minimal facilities. The only inhabitant and homeowner in the area was Alexander Cushing, who was inspired to an Olympic bid by a newspaper article mentioning that Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
and Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
had expressed interest in the Games. Cushing, president of the Squaw Valley Development Company, petitioned California Governor Goodwin Knight
Goodwin Knight
Goodwin Jess Knight , known as "Goodie Knight", was a U.S. politician who was the 31st Governor of California from 1953 until 1959.-Early life:...
to support a bid to host the Olympic Games. Knight's administration agreed and recommended that the California Legislature appropriate $1,000,000 to the effort. Based on the financial support received from the State of California the United State Olympic Committee (USOC) approved the bid on January 7, 1955. Cushing and the USOC received a resolution passed by the United State Congress and signed by President Dwight Eisenhower, calling on the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) to consider Squaw Valley's bid for the 1960 Games. Preliminary reports were drafted and submitted to the IOC who was considering bids from Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, Switzerland and Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
, France. Squaw Valley's bid was accepted with a caveat by IOC president Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage was an American amateur athlete, sports official, art collector, and philanthropist. Brundage competed in the 1912 Olympics and was the US national all-around athlete in 1914, 1916 and 1918...
who warned the Organizing Committee that unless more funds were secured by April 1956, the bid would be awarded to Innsbruck. Another $4,000,000 was committed by the State Legislature, which met Brundage's requirements and on April 4, 1956 the right to host the 1960 Winter Olympics was officially awarded to Squaw Valley. Competitors and officials from European nations were incensed with the selection, they felt that the alpine ski courses were not up to specifications and that the altitude would prove too stressful on the athletes.
Results
| 1960 Winter Olympics bidding results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City/Site | Country | Round 1 | Round 2 | |||
| Squaw Valley Squaw Valley Ski Resort Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, is one of the largest ski areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. It is the second-largest ski area at Lake Tahoe , with 33 chairlifts, and has the only funitel lift in the U.S... |
 United States |
30 | 32 | |||
| Innsbruck Innsbruck - Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus... |
 Austria |
24 | 30 | |||
| Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria... |
 West Germany |
5 | — | |||
| St. Moritz St. Moritz St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden... |
 Switzerland |
3 | — | |||
Organization
Olympic Games ceremony
Olympic Games ceremonies were an integral part of the Ancient Olympic Games. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies harken back to the Ancient Games from which the Modern Olympics draw their ancestry. An example of this is the prominence of Greece in both the opening and closing ceremonies...
of the 1956 Winter Olympics
1956 Winter Olympics
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. This celebration of the Games was held from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out...
. The mayor of the current host city traditionally passed a flag to the mayor of the next host city signalling the transfer of the Games. Since Squaw Valley was an unincorporated village it had no city government. John Garland, an IOC member from California, was asked to stand in and received the flag from the mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...
.
After the Games were awarded to Squaw Valley the California Olympic Commission was formed to take the lead in organizing the Games. Venues, an Olympic Village, and infrastructure had to be constructed and expanded in a four-year time frame. With the expansion of roads, bridges, water and electrical capacity the resort of Squaw Valley became the city of Squaw Valley. Hotels, restaurants, administration buildings, a Sheriff's office and a sewage pumping and treatment plant were all constructed to support the influx of visitors for the Games. Organizers wanted the Olympics to be intimate with nearly all of the venues close to one another and the athletes' village. The Blyth Memorial Ice Arena
Blyth Arena
Blyth Arena was an ice hockey arena in Squaw Valley, California. It was built in 1959 as the venue of the ice hockey and figure-skating competitions and the opening ceremonies to 1960 Winter Olympics and held 8,500 people . Standing-room crowds of 10,000 people were reported for the hockey games...
, three outside skating rinks, a 400-meter speed skating oval, and four dormitories to house athletes had to be constructed. One venue deemed impractical to build was the bobsled run. Organizers felt the lack of possible entrants and the high cost of building the run were sufficient deterrents to leave the bobsled events out of the 1960 Olympic program.
Several design innovations and new technologies were used for the 1960 Games. The speed skating, figure skating and ice hockey events were held on artificial ice for the first time in Olympic history. A refrigeration plant capable of heating 4,800 homes had to be built to generate and maintain the ice. The heat generated from the refrigeration plant was used to warm spectators, provide hot water, and melt the snow off of roofs. New timing equipment provided by Longines
Longines
Longines is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. The company was originally founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832 and it currently holds the oldest registered logo for a watch company . Longines is currently owned by the Swatch Group.Longines is known for its 'Aviators' watches...
was installed that used a quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
clock to measure to the hundredths of a second. IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
provided a computer that was capable of tabulating results and printing them in English and French. Blyth arena, site of the opening and closing ceremonies, the figure skating and ice hockey competitions, was built with a 22 in (55.9 cm) gap in the roof, which would slide closed as the weather cooled and the cables supporting the roof contracted.
Funding for Cushings initial bid to the IOC came from the California Legislature and investors in the "Squaw Valley Development Company" – owners of the existing resort. To fund the construction the organizers turned to the federal government for assistance. Squaw Valley was the first Games in the United States to receive federal funding; providing around a quarter of the $80 million required to host the event. The monies were used to build the sports arena and provide military support during the Games. Further funding was secured from private sponsorships and from the State of California. Governor Knight and his successor Edmund "Pat" Brown remained behind the project, seeing it as a means to showcase the state of California to the world.
Television
Television was not new to the Olympic Games, broadcasts of events to international audiences had begun at the 1956 Games. What was unprecedented was the sale of exclusive rights to broadcast the Games. The Organizing Committee decided to sell the television broadcast rights to CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
for $50,000. Unknown at the time was how lucrative the sale of broadcast rights would become. For example, CBS purchased the rights to broadcast the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
for $550,000. During the Games CBS broadcast 31 hours of television focusing on ice hockey, speed skating, figure skating, alpine skiing and ski jumping. The impact of television was felt during the Games; in the men's slalom event, officials who were unsure if a skier had missed a gate asked CBS if they could review tape of the event. This request gave CBS the idea for what is now known as instant replay
Instant replay
Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
.
Politics
Athletic competition between the Soviet Union and United States had grown intense during the 1950's. Politically their opposing ideologies and interests in nations such as Germany, China and Korea created a delicate situation as the 1960 Winter Games approached. Of particular interest was the question of whether China would be allowed to participate. China last participated at the 1952 Summer Games1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
but had since withdrawn from the IOC due to a dispute over Taiwan's participation as a separate country. The United State supported Taiwan while the Soviet Union stood behind China. Given the fact that the 1960 Games were to be held in America, there was concern among IOC members that the United States would not allow China, or any other Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
country to participate. In 1957 IOC president Avery Brundage announced that if the United States refused entry to any country recognized by the IOC, then they would revoke Squaw Valley's invitation to host the Games. Bowing to international pressure, the United States allowed athletes from Communist countries to participate. China continued to demand that Taiwan be expelled from the IOC, demands that were refused until China broke off relations ending any hope that they would participate in 1960.
Problems similar to the issue with China broke out over North Korea and East Germany. Prior to the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
the IOC had recognized the Olympic committee of Korea, which was headquartered in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. North Korea was not recognized as a separate country by the IOC who maintained the existence of one Olympic committee. A unified team
United Team of Germany
The Unified Team of Germany , competed in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter and Summer Olympic Games as a united team of athletes from the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic...
compromise was proposed but rejected, which meant only athletes from South Korea participated due to their prior recognition. Pressure for full recognition of East Germany continued despite the fact that both East and West Germany had participated as a unified team in 1956. Part of the negotiations for a unified German team was that they be represented by a neutral flag. Initially West German officials refused to agree to this stipulation citing the fact that the West German flag had been used at both the 1956 Winter and Summer Games. Eventually the neutral flag was adopted and a unified German team participated.
Events
The Games were held from February 18 to 28. There were 27 events in eight sports contested. The sport of biathlonBiathlon at the 1960 Winter Olympics
-20 km:In 1960 and 1964, there was a 2-minute penalty for each missed target in the Individual Biathlon Event. Since 1968, that penalty has been 1 minute for every missed target.-References:*...
was added to the program as was speed skating events for women. After a poll was taken indicating that only nine countries would send a bobsled team, the organizers determined that bobsled would be removed from the Olympic program. Despite petitions from the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation to reconsider, the organizers felt they could not justify the costs of constructing a bobsled run for nine competing nations. It would be the only time in Winter Olympic history that the bobsled events were not held.
Opening ceremonies
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, who was responsible for producing both the opening and closing ceremonies. He planned on an opening that would include 5,000 entertainers, the release of 2,000 pigeons, and a military gun salute of eight shots, one for each of the previous Winter Olympic Games. The opening ceremonies were held on February 18, 1960 at Blyth Arena in the midst of a blizzard. Heavy snow fell the morning of the 18th and caused traffic problems that delayed the ceremony by an hour. The festivities began with a sustained drum roll as the flags of each participating nation were raised on specially designed flag poles. As the Greek standard bearer led the 30 participating countries in the traditional Parade of Nations the weather broke and the rest of the two-hour ceremony proceeded in sunshine. Vice President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
represented the United States government and declared the Games open. The Olympic flame was lit by Kenneth Henry, Olympic champion of the 500 meter speed skating race at the 1952 Winter Olympics
1952 Winter Olympics
The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, took place in Oslo, Norway, from 14 to 25 February 1952. Discussions about Oslo hosting the Winter Olympic Games began as early as 1935; the city wanted to host the 1948 Games, but World War II made that impossible...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. The Olympic oath was taken by Carol Heiss
Carol Heiss
Carol Elizabeth Heiss Jenkins is an American figure skater. She is the 1960 Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, 1956 Olympic silver medalist and five-time World Champion .-Biography:...
on behalf of all the athletes. As the national delegations exited the stadium fireworks concluded the ceremonies.
Ice hockey
The ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
tournament took place at Blyth Arena and the Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink
Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink
The Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink was a temporary venue constructed for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. Located outdoors near the Blyth Arena, it hosted the speed skating and some of the ice hockey events for those games.-Reference:...
. Controversy over the amateur status of some of the players overshadowed the event. Canadian
Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Canada competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States. Canada has competed at every Winter Olympic Games.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Cross-country skiing:Men- Figure skating:MenWomenPairs...
Olympic officials began to protest the use of "professional amateurs" by Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
countries, and especially the Soviet Union
Soviet Union at the 1960 Winter Olympics
The Soviet Union competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing :Women- Biathlon :Men- Cross-country skiing :MenWomen- Figure skating :- Ice hockey :Men...
. They alleged that the Soviets were giving their elite hockey players phantom jobs in the military that allowed them to play hockey full time, which gave Soviet teams an advantage that they used to dominate Olympic hockey tournaments for nearly 30 years. This issue started coming to light during the 1960 Games and would culminate in a Canadian boycott of Olympic hockey tournament at the 1972 Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
. The team from the United States
United States at the 1960 Winter Olympics
The United States was the host nation for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California.- Medalists :- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Biathlon:Men1Two minutes added per missed target.- Cross-country skiing :...
won an improbable gold medal, defeating the favored Canadian and Soviet teams, who took silver and bronze respectively. This was the first Olympic gold medal in ice hockey for the United States and it would mark the last time a Soviet team would not win the Olympic tournament until the United States
United States at the 1980 Winter Olympics
The United States was the host nation for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.- Medalists :- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Biathlon:MenMen's 4 x 7.5 km relay...
victory
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
at the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
.
Cross-country skiing
There were 6 cross-country skiingCross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
races at the 1960 Olympics, 4 for men and 2 for women, all held at the McKinney Creek cross-country complex. Soviet swept the 10 kilometer race, which was the first medal sweep for the Soviets at the Winter Olympics. They were however upset by Sweden
Sweden at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Sweden competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Biathlon:Men1Two minutes added per missed target.- Cross-country skiing:MenMen's 4 x 10 km relayWomenWomen's 3 x 5 km relay...
in the 3×5 kilometer relay. The Nordic countries dominated the men's competition. Swedish Lumberjack Sixten Jernberg
Sixten Jernberg
Eddy Sixten Jernberg is a retired Swedish cross country skier....
added a gold and silver to the 4 medals he won in 1956. He would add 2 golds and a bronze in 1964
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
to finish his Olympic career with 9 medals and the most decorated Winter Olympian to date. Finnish
Finland at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Finland competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Biathlon:Men1Two minutes added per missed target.- Cross-country skiing:MenMen's 4 x 10 km relayWomenWomen's 3 x 5 km relay...
skier Veikko Hakulinen
Veikko Hakulinen
Veikko Johannes Hakulinen was a Finnish forestry technician and cross country skier, triple champion in both the olympics and world championship competition in cross country skiing...
added a gold, silver and bronze to the 2 golds and 2 silvers he had won in 1952
1952 Winter Olympics
The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, took place in Oslo, Norway, from 14 to 25 February 1952. Discussions about Oslo hosting the Winter Olympic Games began as early as 1935; the city wanted to host the 1948 Games, but World War II made that impossible...
and 1956; while he competed in 1964, he would not earn another medal.
Biathlon
BiathlonBiathlon
Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
made its Olympic debut in 1960. The precursor to biathlon, military patrol
Military patrol
Military patrol is a team winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing respectively ski mountaineering, and rifle shooting. It is usually contested between countries or military units. Biathlon was developed from military patrol....
, was on the Olympic program for the first Olympic Games
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, France...
in 1924. Subsequently it was a demonstration sport
Demonstration sport
A demonstration sport is a sport which is played to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events.Demonstration sports were officially introduced in 1912 Summer Olympics, when Sweden decided to include glima, traditional Icelandic wrestling, in the...
at the 1928
1928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...
, 1936
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
, and 1948 Winter Olympics
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
, though the competition was only open to members of the military. Military patrol fell out of favor in 1948 due to antimilitary sentiments in the post World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era. Biathlon took its place and was instated as a full Olympic sport in 1960. It encompassed a 20 kilometer cross-country race with four shooting stations at ranges from 100 m (328.1 ft) to 250 m (820.2 ft). Klas Lestander
Klas Lestander
Klas Lestander is a Swedish biathlete and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.He was born in Arjeplog.-References:...
from Sweden became the first Olympic champion, Antti Tyrväinen
Antti Tyrväinen
Antti Tyrväinen is a Finnish biathlete and Olympic medalist. He received a silver medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, and silver medals in the World Championships in 1962 and 1963 together with a bronze medal in 1965.He was born in Ylöjärvi.-References:...
from Finland and Soviet Aleksandr Privalov
Aleksandr Privalov
Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Privalov is a former Soviet biathlete and Olympic medalist.He was born in Moscow.He received a bronze medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. He received a silver medal at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.-References:...
placed second and third respectively.
Nordic combined
The Nordic combinedNordic combined
The Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing and ski jumping.- History :While Norwegian soldiers are known to have been competing in Nordic skiing since the 19th century, the first major competition in Nordic combined was held in 1892 in Oslo at the...
competition was held on February 21 at the Squaw Valley normal hill and the McKinney Creek cross-country complex. The athletes had three jumps on February 21 followed by a 15 kilometer cross-country race. German
Germany at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Athletes from East Germany and West Germany competed together as the United Team of Germany at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:...
skier Georg Thoma
Georg Thoma
Georg Thoma is a former German nordic combined skier. He won two Winter Olympic medals in the Nordic combined with gold in 1960 and bronze in 1964....
became the first non-Scandinavian to win the event. He would win a bronze medal in the Nordic combined in 1964. Tormod Knutsen
Tormod Knutsen
Tormod Knutsen is a former Norwegian nordic combined athlete. He was born in Eidsvoll. Already as a 16 year old he became named to Hovedlandsrennet, and two years later Norwegian junior champion in Ski jumping. From the season 1954/55 he started with Nordic combined...
of Norway and Nikolay Gusakov of the Soviet Union placed second and third, respectively. Gusakov's wife, Maria
Maria Gusakova
Maria Ivanovna Gusakova in the village of Timoshkino, Shilovsky District, Ryazan Oblast) was a former Soviet cross country skier who competed from the late 1950s to the early 1960s for VSS Spartak...
, competed in the cross-country events, winning a gold and silver.
Ski jumping
There was one ski jumpingSki jumping
Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...
event at the 1960 Games, the men's normal hill, which was held on February 28. In 1964 the competition would be expanded to include a men's large hill event. Helmut Recknagel
Helmut Recknagel
Helmut Recknagel is a former East German ski jumper who was active in the late 1950s and early 1960s.Recknagel was born in Steinbach-Hallenberg, Thuringia....
became the first German to win the event. In 1994
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
he would be joined by Jens Weißflog as the only German ski jumping Olympic champions. Niilo Halonen
Niilo Halonen
Niilo Halonen was a former Finnish ski jumper who competed between 1960 and 1967. His biggest success was the silver medal in the individual large hill at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley....
from Finland and Austrian
Austria at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Austria competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Figure skating:MenWomenPairs- Nordic combined :Events:...
Otto Leodolter
Otto Leodolter
Otto Leodolter was an Austria ski jumper who competed between 1955 and 1964. His biggest success was a Bronze medal in the Individual Large Hill at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.Leodolter is the first Austrian to earn a medal in Nordic skiing....
earned the silver and bronze medals.
Figure skating
Held at Blyth Memorial arena the figure skatingFigure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
competition took place between February 19 and 26. Though this wasn't first time figure skating had been held indoors, it would never be contested outdoors again. There were three events: men's and women's singles and the pairs competition. In the men's event, David Jenkins, brother of 1956 Winter Olympic figure skating champion Hayes Jenkins won the gold medal. It was his second Olympic medal having won the bronze at the 1956 Games. Czechoslovakian
Czechoslovakia at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Czechoslovakia competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Cross-country skiing:Men- Figure skating:MenWomen- Ice hockey:- Group C :...
Karol Divín
Karol Divín
Karol Emil Divín, born Finster, nickname "Karcsi", is a former Chechoslovak figure skater who represented Czechoslovakia in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He is the 1960 Winter Olympics silver medalist, 1958-1959 European champion and the 1962 World silver medalist...
took the silver medal, it would be the only medal for Czechoslovakia at the Games, and Canadian Donald Jackson
Donald Jackson
Donald George Jackson, CM is a retired Canadian figure skater. He captured four Canadian titles and a bronze medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics...
won the bronze. Carol Heiss, winner of the silver medal in 1956, became the Olympic champion in 1960. A year later she married Hayes Jenkins and starred in Snow White and the Three Stooges
Snow White and the Three Stooges
Snow White and the Three Stooges is the second feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita . Released by 20th Century Fox, this was the trio's take on the classic fairy tale Snow White...
. Dutch
Netherlands at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Athletes from the Netherlands competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Figure skating:- Speed skating:Men-References:***...
skater Sjoukje Dijkstra
Sjoukje Dijkstra
Sjoukje Rosalinde Dijkstra is a Dutch figure skater. She is the 1964 Olympic champion in Ladies' Singles, the 1960 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion , five-time European champion , and the six-time Dutch national champion .Following the retirement of Carol Heiss in 1960, who...
took the silver medal, she would finish her amateur career with an Olympic gold medal in 1964
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
. Barbara Ann Roles gave the United States its third figure skating medal of the competition when she took the bronze. The Soviet Union made its Olympic figure skating debut by sending two couples to compete in the pairs competition, the result belied the fact that Soviet skaters would soon come to dominate this event. The competition was won by the Canadian pair of Barbara Wagner
Barbara Wagner
Barbara Aileen Wagner is a former Canadian pair skater who competed with Robert Paul. The couple captured five Canadian titles and four world titles, and capped their career by winning the gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics.After her competitive career, she married fellow skater James Grogan...
and Bob Paul who had won the last three world championships. The German
Germany at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Athletes from East Germany and West Germany competed together as the United Team of Germany at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:...
pair Marika Kilius
Marika Kilius
Marika Kilius is a two-time Olympic silver medalist and two-time World champion in pair skating....
and Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
Hans-Jürgen Bäumler is a German pair skater, actor, singer and television host.- Biography :...
followed their recent European championship victory with the Olympic silver medal, and the American husband and wife team of Ron and Nancy Ludington
Nancy Ludington
Nancy Irene Rouillard is an American pair skater.-Personal life:She was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts...
took the bronze.
Speed skating
Women were allowed to compete in the Olympic speed skatingSpeed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
competition for the first time in 1960. The Soviet Union had requested the inclusion of women's speed skating events in the program for the 1956 Games but the request was rejected by the IOC. The issue was revisited for the 1960 Games and since women had been competing internationally since 1936 and there was a World Championship for women's speed skating, the IOC agreed to four events; 500, 1,000, 1,500, and 3,000 meters. The events were held on the Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink, which was an outdoor skating oval, and featured artificial ice, a first for the Olympic speed skating competition. Given the altitude and the artificial ice the rink was the fastest in the world as evidenced by Norwegian
Norway at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Norway competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Biathlon:Men1Two minutes added per missed target.- Cross-country skiing:MenMen's 4 x 10 km relay...
Knut Johannesen
Knut Johannesen
Knut Johannesen is a former speed skater from Norway.-Biography:Born in Oslo and representing the skating club ASK there, Johannesen won the World Allround Championships in 1957 and 1964, the European Allround Championships in 1959 and 1960, and won the Norwegian...
’s world record in the 10,000 meter event. At 15:46.6 he was the first skater ever to break the 16-minute barrier and eclipsed the previous world record by 46 seconds. Despite Johannesen's victory the Soviets dominated the speeds skating events winning all but two of the races. Yevgeny Grishin
Yevgeny Grishin
Yevgeny Romanovich Grishin was a Soviet/Russian speedskater. Grishin trained for the largest part of his speedskating career at CSKA Moscow...
won both the 500 and 1,500 meter races, though he shared the 1,500 meter gold medal with Norwegian Roald Aas
Roald Aas
Roald Edgar Aas is a former speed skater and cyclist from Norway.Roald Aas was the number two speed skater in Norway through the entire 1950s – initially after Hjalmar Andersen, later after Knut Johannesen...
. Lidiya Skoblikova from the Soviet Union was the other double gold medalist when she won the 1,500 and 3,000 meter events. Polish
Poland at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Poland competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Cross-country skiing:MenMen's 4 x 10 km relayWomenWomen's 3 x 5 km relay- Nordic combined :Events:...
skaters Helena Pilejczyk
Helena Pilejczyk
Helena Pilejczyk , is a Polish speed skater with a remarkably long career.Helena Pilejczyk is best known as Olympic Bronze Medal winner on the 1,500 m in Squaw Valley , but the length of her career might be a bigger claim to fame...
and Elwira Seroczyńska
Elwira Seroczynska
Elwira Seroczyńska was a Polish speed skater.Seroczyńska was born as Elwira Potapowicz in Wilno, Poland . A graduate of the State Administrative and Economic School in Elbląg , she and became Polish Allround Champion for the first time in 1952...
placed second and third in the 1,500 meter event, earning Poland's only medals of the Games and becoming just the second and third Poles ever to win Winter Olympic medals.
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
courses in Olympic history. Both men and women competed in the downhill, giant slalom and slalom with all 6 events held between February 20 and 26. The men's downhill was won by Frenchman
France at the 1960 Winter Olympics
France competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Biathlon:Men1Two minutes added per missed target.- Cross-country skiing:MenMen's 4 x 10 km relay...
Jean Vuarnet
Jean Vuarnet
Jean Vuarnet is a former ski racer from France.- Career :The high point of his career came in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, where he won the gold medal in the downhill....
who changed the sport by becoming the first Olympic champion to use metal skis. Swiss
Switzerland at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Switzerland competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Cross-country skiing:MenMen's 4 x 10 km relay- Figure skating:Women- Ski jumping :-References:*...
skier Roger Staub
Roger Staub
Roger Staub was a Swiss alpine skier. In the mid-1960s he became ski-school director in Vail, Colorado. During a summer visit with his wife and young child to Verbier, Switerland, in 1974 he was killed in a hang gliding accident....
won the giant slalom and Ernst Hinterseer
Ernst Hinterseer
Ernst Hinterseer is a former alpine skier from Austria.He participated in the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, ranking 6th in the giant slalom....
from Austria
Austria at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Austria competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Figure skating:MenWomenPairs- Nordic combined :Events:...
was the slalom champion. German Heidi Biebl
Heidi Biebl
Heidi Biebl is a former German Alpine skier. She was born in Oberstaufen.She won gold medal in the downhill at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley just three days after her 19th birthday and then she became the games youngest gold medal winner...
won the women's downhill, Yvonne Rüegg
Yvonne Rüegg
Yvonne Rüegg is a Swiss former alpine skier. At the 1960 Winter Olympics, she won the gold medal in giant slalom.She was born in Chur.-References:...
of Switzerland won the giant slalom and Anne Heggtveit
Anne Heggtveit
Anne Heggtveit, CM is a Canadian alpine skier born in Ottawa, Ontario.- Biography :Her father, Halvor Heggtveit, a Canadian cross-country champion, encouraged her at a young age. A student at Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, she learned to ski in the nearby Gatineau Hills of Quebec...
from Canada won the slalom. Skiers from 6 different nations won medals and Penny Pitou
Penny Pitou
Penelope Theresa 'Penny' Pitou is a former United States Olympic alpine skier, who in 1960 became the first American skier to win a medal in the Olympic downhill event. In 2001, Pitou was inducted into the New England Women's Sports Hall of Fame.Penny Pitou moved with her family from New York to...
of the United States was the only multiple medal winner when she earned two silvers in the downhill and giant slalom.
Closing ceremonies
The Games were brought to a close on February 28, in Blyth Memorial arena in front of 20,000 people. Flags of the participating nations were followed by the athletes marching as a group with no national distinctions. The flag bearers made a semi-circle around the rostrum and the national anthems of Greece, United States, and Austria were played as their respective flags were raised. IOC president Avery Brundage declared the Games closed at which point the Olympic flame was extinguished. The Games concluded with the release of several thousand balloons.Calendar
The opening ceremony was held on February 18, along with the first games of the hockey tournament. From February 19 to 28, the day of the closing ceremony, at least one event final was held each day.| OC | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | 1 | Event finals† | CC | Closing ceremony |
| February 1960 | 18 Thu |
19 Fri |
20 Sat |
21 Sun |
22 Mon |
23 Tue |
24 Wed |
25 Thu |
26 Fri |
27 Sat |
28 Sun |
Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremonies | OC Olympic Games ceremony Olympic Games ceremonies were an integral part of the Ancient Olympic Games. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies harken back to the Ancient Games from which the Modern Olympics draw their ancestry. An example of this is the prominence of Greece in both the opening and closing ceremonies... |
CC Olympic Games ceremony Olympic Games ceremonies were an integral part of the Ancient Olympic Games. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies harken back to the Ancient Games from which the Modern Olympics draw their ancestry. An example of this is the prominence of Greece in both the opening and closing ceremonies... |
||||||||||
 Ice hockey at the 1960 Winter Olympics At the 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, California, United States, one ice hockey event was held: men's Ice Hockey. This tournament was also counted as IIHF World Championship and IIHF European Championship. Games were held at Blyth Arena.Canada, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and... |
● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ||
 Figure skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics The figure skating 1960 Winter Olympics results in Squaw Valley, California, United States.-Men's Singles:-Ladies Singles:-Pairs:-Medal table:-Men:Referee:* Rudolf MarxAssistant Referee:* Harold G. Storke... |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
 Speed skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics At the 1960 Winter Olympics, eight speed skating events were contested. For the first time women were allowed to participated in the Olympic speed skating events. The competitions were held from Saturday, February 20 to Tuesday, February 23, 1960 and from Wednesday, February 24 to Saturday,... |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||
 Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held in Squaw Valley, California, U.S.A., from February 20–26, 1960.These were the last Olympics with times recorded in tenths of a second; times in 1964 were recorded in hundredths.... |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||
 Cross-country skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics -15 km:-30 km:-50 km:-4 x 10 km:-10 km:-3 x 5 km:-References:*... |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||
 Nordic combined at the 1960 Winter Olympics At the 1960 Winter Olympics, the Individual Nordic combined event was contested.-Individual:February 22, 1960This event marked the first time the Daescher technique was used in the ski jumping part of the competition. Thoma competed for the unified German team of East Germany and West Germany that... |
1 | 1 | ||||||||||
 Ski jumping at the 1960 Winter Olympics -Men's large hill :February 28, 1960This event marked the first time the Daescher technique was used in the ski jumping portion of the competition.-External references:*... |
1 | 1 | ||||||||||
 Biathlon at the 1960 Winter Olympics -20 km:In 1960 and 1964, there was a 2-minute penalty for each missed target in the Individual Biathlon Event. Since 1968, that penalty has been 1 minute for every missed target.-References:*... |
1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Total event finals | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 27 | |
| Cumulative Total | 2 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 27 |
† The numeral indicates the number of event finals for each sport held that day.
Venues
The lack of facilities prior to the Olympics gave organizers freedom to tailor the layout of the venues to fit the needs of the athletes. Their vision was for an intimate Games in which athletes and spectators could walk between venues. This was accomplished with the exception of the cross-country events, which were held at McKinney CreekMcKinney Creek Stadium
McKinney Creek Stadium was a temporary venue constructed for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. The venue itself was located near Tahoma in Placer County. It hosted the biathlon, cross country skiing, and the cross-country skiing portion of the nordic combined events.Work started...
a 12 mi (19.3 km) drive from Squaw Valley. In prior Winter Olympics the athletes were housed in hotels and billeted with local families. Since no such facilities existed in Squaw Valley the organizers decided to build the first Olympic Village at the Winter Games. Competitors slept in one of four dormitories and ate together in a dining room. The complex was located centrally with access to all the sporting facilities.
The peaks surrounding Squaw Valley were used for the alpine skiing events. The ladies' downhill and men's slalom and giant slalom were on KT-22 mountain, while the ladies' slalom and giant slalom were contested on Little Papoose Peak. Squaw Peak was the site of the men's downhill competition. Prior to the Games concerns persisted that the courses would not meet international standards. To addresses these concerns a test event was held in 1959 and attending delegates from the International Ski Federation
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
(FIS) left assured that the events would comply with FIS rules and specifications. Bleachers were constructed for officials, coaches and spectators along with broadcast booths for radio and television. The ski jump hill was located on Little Papoose Peak directly opposite of Blyth Memorial Arena. Designed by Heini Klopfer, the hill was innovative in that it had 40, 60, and 80 meter jumps. Tall trees on both sides protected athletes from the wind and it was situated so that the sun would be at the jumper's back during the competition.
McKinney Creek Stadium was built to host all of the cross-country races, which included the biathlon and a portion of the Nordic combined competition. It consisted of a timing building, two Quonset hut
Quonset hut
A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semicircular cross section. The design was based on the Nissen hut developed by the British during World War I...
s for competitors and course workers, a scoreboard and bleachers to accommodate 1,200 people. Shooting ranges were interspersed throughout the biathlon cross-country course and were supervised by non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s of the United States military.
Blyth Memorial Arena was the centerpiece of the Games. It was host to the opening and closing ceremonies, the figure skating competition, several speed skating events as well as most of the games in the hockey tournament. All three of the sports were held indoors on artificial ice for the first time in Olympic history. At full capacity the arena accommodated 11,000 people, 8,500 of which were seated. One end of the stadium could be opened and closed, depending on the event. During the ceremonies it was open to allow for the entrance of the athletes, during the competitions it was closed to accommodate more spectators. A special machine was created to resurface the ice for all three competitions. It could lay a new ice surface on the 400-meter speed skating track in 45 minutes. In addition to resurfacing the ice the machine created the snow dividers that delineated the racing lanes. The roof was designed on a suspension principle using cables rather than vertical supports, this removed any visual impediments for the audience but it weakened the strength of the roof. Given the amount of annual snowfall this was a concern, but designers planned on using heat generated by the refrigeration plant to melt the snow. There were flaws in the design and miscalculations in the load the roof could bear, during a particularly heavy snowfall in 1983 a portion of the roof collapsed and the building was demolished.
Venues
- Blyth ArenaBlyth ArenaBlyth Arena was an ice hockey arena in Squaw Valley, California. It was built in 1959 as the venue of the ice hockey and figure-skating competitions and the opening ceremonies to 1960 Winter Olympics and held 8,500 people . Standing-room crowds of 10,000 people were reported for the hockey games...
– figure skating and ice hockey - McKinney Creek StadiumMcKinney Creek StadiumMcKinney Creek Stadium was a temporary venue constructed for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. The venue itself was located near Tahoma in Placer County. It hosted the biathlon, cross country skiing, and the cross-country skiing portion of the nordic combined events.Work started...
– biathlon, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined (cross-country skiing) - Ski jumping hillPapoose Peak JumpsThe Papoose Peak Jumps were a ski jumping venue constructed for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. It was the first venue that had three ski jumps on the same hill, with K-point measurements of 40 meters, 60 meters, and 80 meters...
– Nordic combined (ski jumping), ski jumping - Squaw Valley Olympic Skating RinkSquaw Valley Olympic Skating RinkThe Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink was a temporary venue constructed for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. Located outdoors near the Blyth Arena, it hosted the speed skating and some of the ice hockey events for those games.-Reference:...
– ice hockey, speed skating - Squaw Valley Ski ResortSquaw Valley Ski ResortSquaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, is one of the largest ski areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. It is the second-largest ski area at Lake Tahoe , with 33 chairlifts, and has the only funitel lift in the U.S...
– alpine skiing
Participating nations
A total of 30 nations sent athletes to Squaw Valley. South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
competed at the Winter Games for the first time. (It was also its last for many years, as Apartheid policies prevented further participation until 1994). Athletes from West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
(FRG) and East Germany
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
(GDR) competed together as the United Team of Germany
United Team of Germany
The Unified Team of Germany , competed in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter and Summer Olympic Games as a united team of athletes from the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic...
from 1956 to 1964.
Medal count
These are the top ten nations that won medals at these Games:| 1 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 21 | |
| 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | |
| 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | |
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | |
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
See also
- 1960 Summer Olympics1960 Summer OlympicsThe 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
- 1960 Summer Paralympics1960 Summer ParalympicsThe 1960 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the first international Paralympic Games, following on from the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 and 1952. They were organised under the aegis of the International Stoke Mandeville Games...
- Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
- Winter Olympic GamesWinter Olympic GamesThe Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
- List of IOC country codes
- Other Olympic Games celebrated in the United States
- 1904 Summer Olympics1904 Summer OlympicsThe 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States from 1 July 1904, to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University...
– St. Louis - 1932 Summer Olympics1932 Summer OlympicsThe 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
– Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... - 1932 Winter Olympics1932 Winter OlympicsThe 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...
– Lake PlacidLake Placid, New YorkLake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638.... - 1980 Winter Olympics1980 Winter OlympicsThe 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
– Lake Placid - 1984 Summer Olympics1984 Summer OlympicsThe 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
– Los Angeles - 1996 Summer Olympics1996 Summer OlympicsThe 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
– Atlanta - 2002 Winter Olympics2002 Winter OlympicsThe 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
– Salt Lake City