History History
Norwegian "wonder girl", placed sec ond in the World figure skating HISTORY Championship. Poor showing by the 1901 9-17 February Stockholm 8 host country and severe cold ment 1905 4-12 February Stockholm/Ostersund 5 OF THE OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES few spectators at most venues, and 1909 6-14 February Stockholm after the Games, Torsten Tegnér, the 11 n February 2002, amidst the splen ber, among others, the famous inscrip leading Swedish sports journalist, 1913 7-16 February Stockholm/Ostersund 8 by Eric Monnin* dour of the Rocky Mountains, the XIX noted: "They [the Nordic Games] tions discovered at Zaiavrouz, on the 1917 10-18 February Stockholm 4 Olympic Winter Games take place in banks of the White Sea, In Russia, dat have a taste of an epoch that has I 1922 the United States, in Salt Lake City On ing from 10,000 to 12,000 BC, where become out of date." 4-12 February Stockholm 8 this occasion, let us journey back to the three men on skis are moving with the 1926 6-14 February Stockholm 11 past so that we can better understand help of sticks. We can also note that it At Its 1925 Session In Prague, the the formidable evolution of winter was in NoHA/ay In peat bogs, that the IOC produced a charter for the sports. oldest skis in the world have been dis Sports 1901 1905 1909 1913 1917 1922 1926 Olympic Winter Games, to take First of all, let us Imagine these superb covered, dating from 2,500 BC. On a
place in the same year as the Games Auto racing X X X X Greek athletes who faced one another stone found in Ballingsta, Sweden, dat of the Olympiad. On 6 May 1926, in the sanctuary of Olympia, dominated ing from 1,050 BC, there is a descrip Ballooning X X X less than three months after the 7th by Mount Kronion, and with the eyes of tion written in the ancient runic alphabet (and what was to be the last) Nordic Bandy X X X X X X X the judges and their coaches upon of a hunter equipped with skis, a bow them. Once the competition was over, and some arrows. Linguists are particu Games, the IOC decided - retroac Curling X X X X X like true professionals, they travelled of time because, according to some tively - to name the Semaine interna larly interested in the appearance of Equestrian X X X X some 100 kilometres to the centre of historians, it appeared in the 1860s. But tionale des sports d'hiver in X X X words which characterise the practice Peloponnese, near Tripoli and Kalavrita, let us, more precisely, look right back to of skiing. It is in this way that they dis Chamonix in 1924 the 1st Olympic Fencing X X X X to compete In the winter sports arena at the start of this practice which covered that Nomadic tribes, during Winter Games. Ice Hockey X X an altitude of more than 2,000 metres. appeared almost concomitantly with their different migrations, used this term With the IOC definitely on the winter Can this, somewhat unusual, hypothe the birth of humanity. Historical discov more than 10,000 years ago. In 456 BC, Ice skate-sailing X X sports arena, and the decision by sis, of athletes whose bodies were cov eries have allowed researchers to fix a Herodotus explained that, in order to the International Ski Federation to Ice yachting X X X X X X X ered with furs and not smothered in oil, rough date for the appearance of skiing. move from one place to the next with Introduce separate world events, the using Instruments to slide across the Cave drawings from the prehistoric age Kick-sledging X X X greater ease, certain people slid on Nordic Games evidently lost some of snow be validated? We can, Indeed, show men wearing skis. Let us remem 'golden arrows' over vast expanses of Military sports its justification. The Swedes had no X X X X X think so when considering the numer ous discoveries made by researchers plans to discontinue the Games, but Motor cycling X X the 1930 Games had to be cancelled on the subject. Shooting X X X X X X with short notice due to lack of snow The origin of snow sports and cold weather. With practically no Skating X X X X X X X According to historical sources, this international sports events during Skiing X X X X X X X practice, which we shall already call World War II, there were proposals to Sledge racing X X 'skiing', could be as old as mankind resume the Nordic Games. Games Itself. Sliding was an essential means of Swimming planned for 1942 were never X X X X survival for the individual as It allowed realised, though. him to move quickly from one place to Nevertheless, the Nordic Games Note: Equestrian included distance Included In the Games were the the next, hunt and emigrate to follow remain a very interesting and impor riding and trotting; shooting World speed skating animals or tribes. This tendency was tant chapter in the history of interna included field and pistol shooting; Championships in 1901 (men), the very well represented by Pierre Bruegel the Elder in his painting entitled tional winter sports. The Games in skating included figure and speed World Figure Skating Championships "The Hunters in the Snow" Sweden paved the way for the skating; skiing included ski orien in 1901 (men), in 1905 (men), in 1909 (Kunsthlstorlsches Museum, Vienna) Olympic Winter Games. teering (relay); sledge racing (men, pairs), in 1913 (women, pairs), which shows men with skis returning Included bobsleigh, pulka, (simple) in 1922 (men, women) and in 1926 from hunting in the foreground. * Swedish author; journalist; sports sledge, and skeleton (also behind (women), and the European speed However, the term winter sport or win historian. horse). skating Championship in 1905 (men). Pierre de Coubertin (2" from left, 1" row) and several IOC members ter game does not go back to the dawn at the IOC Congress in Prague in 1925.
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Source : Bibliothèque du CIO / IOC Library History History
snow. In 552, after a voyage in skiing race is held at the same place the Christiania ski club, which would Scandinavia, the historian Procopius of where Vasa fled, between Salen and become a large club in the future, was Caesarea described these men who Mora. Every year, thousands of com set up in the Norwegian capital in 1877. moved around by gliding and called petitors take part in the race, which is The first federations were also created, them "Skridfinnae", which means "glid one of the events of the World Cup for starting with the Swiss Federation in ing Finns". long distance skiing. 1904, then the Norwegian and Swedish I'STE d. ARRIVEE • It was in the 9th century that skis Let us now take a look at the interesting Ski Federations in 1908, and the appeared together with a large stic[<, accounts of two great travellers, International Ice Hockey Federation. allowing people to lOslo, the honour of lighting the Olympic was not possible to provide an artificial feared the competition of these Games Scandinavia, show this 'gliding' past. historical 'adventure' can be placed one people are having fun on the ice skating cauldron was given to his grandson, rink or frozen lakes. It would perhaps with those they had organised since Lemminkainen, heroine of a Finnish which took place in Sweden in 1522, and playing by passing a ball between Egil Nansen. Before him, in 1884, Lans have been wiser to organise these 1901, called the Nordic Games. Some epic, and Skadi, a ski goddess in and which gave its name to the famous them with sticks - here, we see hockey's Tvorda was victorious in a 220 km race events separately. even suggested calling them the Winter Iceland, are part of Scandinavian skiing Vasaloppett. At that time, Sweden was ancestor, bandy. with a time of 21 hours 22 minutes. There were other attempts made to try Games and numbering them like the history. A drawing dating from 1555 occupied by Danish invaders, but found These quite extraordinary achievements to include ice sports in the Games but Olympic Games. Pierre de Coubertin, in shows the goddess Skadi with Njord, a 'saviour' in the form of Gustave Vasa, The origin of sports disciplines made skiing, as well as all the other there were always many difficulties. In his Olympic Memoirs, underlines the the Sea God and Ullr, the Snow God. who revolted and tried to convince the It took quite a while before sliding sports linked to it (hockey figure skating 1908, at the Games of the IV Olympiad difficulties encountered by these Winter The ski, an instrument for moving from people of Dalecarlie to join him. His games were recognised as sports disci and speed skating) very popular. In in London, organised from 27 April to 31 Games. London, which had an 'ice one place to the next and hunting, revolt was unsuccessful and he had to plines. The first sport was curling, in 1892, the International Skating Union October, ice skating made its debut as palace', had been able to organise the gradually became a means of defence, flee from Mora and go to Norway 1607. In 1652 the first ice skating club (ISU) was created, which groups an Olympic discipline. Three types of events satisfactorily in 1908. However, and from the 12th century, the However, the people of Dalecarlie soon was created in Edinburgh, Scotland, together figure and speed skating. events were organised: men's, women's in 1912, the city of Stockholm anxiously Scandinavian and Russian armies were realised that, without their leader, their and in 1763, the first speed skating race and pairs. The supremacy of the argued that it had no infrastructure to equipped with skis. In fact, the military freedom was somewhat compromised. took place in England. One then has to Olympic recognition Swedes, the famous Ulrich Salchow in organise the skating events. Thus the quickly understood the importance and They decided to send two of their best go to Scandinavia, and more precisely On 23 June 1894, during the Union of particular, the Germans and the English Scandinavians avoided the end of the the usefulness of skis. A sketch by A. 0. skiers from Mora in search of Vasa. the region of Telemark, to discover, in French Athletic Associations (USFSA) could be seen in the individual women's Nordic Games. However, for Pierre de Brooke, dating from 1822, shows the They finally found him at Salen, 90km 1840, the "flying men" who went ski Congress, Pierre de Coubertin, in the and pairs events. In his Olympic Coubertin, it seemed inevitable that Norwegian army in training. It is moving away On his return, Vasa succeeded in jumping. Sondre Nordheim's feat was a great Sorbonne amphitheatre in Paris Memoirs, Baron Pierre de Coubertin winter sports would be included on the in several rows, and each soldier is convincing the people to unite in order jump of 30.5 metres. Telemark, this (France), announced the establishment mentions these Games in London which Olympic programme because so many equipped with a pair of skis, broad at to drive out the enemy. The revolt was a small village near Oslo, Norway, gives its of the modern Olympic Games. On this for him were not very satisfactory nations practised them. But how could the front, narrow at the back, and is car success, so much so that the Swedes, name to a technique which enabled the occasion, faced with the popularity of through being split into two parts: the summer and winter sports be included rying a stick to push himself along. The as a sign of gratitude, proclaimed Vasa first Alpine skiers to do turns in order to ice sports, the Congress adopted ice summer Games and the autumn on the same programme? It was not hand left free enables the weapon to be King of Sweden, with the name of limit the speed caused by the mountain skating as an Olympic event. As for ski Games, with skating taking place during feasible to ask "organising countries of carried. Gustave Vasa the First, in 1523. slope. Faced with the skiing craze and ing, it would have to wait until the the latter. According to Coubertin "this the Olympic Games to erect a mountain On this subject, Norway celebrates an Like the Norwegians, the Swedes have the increase in the number of meetings Chamonix Games in 1924. was not an ideal solution, but prejudices range, bought second hand or made event which took place in 1219. At this celebrated this historic event by organ and competitions, clubs were created. Two years later, the first Olympic Games existing in England concerning sports specially for the occasion". Pierre de time, the country was gripped by a ising the Vasaloppett since 1920. This It was in this way and at this time, that were staged in Athens from 6 to 15 April seasons had made it necessary". Coubertin thought that a sort of autumn
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Source : Bibliothèque du CIO / IOC Library History History
cycle needed to be established which Games. Pierre de Goubertin had a organise these Games. During the 7th as yet) - would be entitled to organise, was, in fact, a double congress: educa Any separate numbering should have, was linljudo champion and Sports and events Introduced Removed Re-introduced Demonstration sports events oly they had exercised for so long". having allowed a text which could cre former member of the French team; Bandy* 1952 (M) The 8th Congress, which took place in ate confusion enter into my codes, in author of "A Century of Olympism in Biathlon 1960 (M), 1992 (W) i Prague from 29 May to 4 June 1925, the form of the Winter Games Charter. Winter - Chamonix to Salt Lake City". Bobsleigh j 1924 (M), 2002 (W) : 1960 j1964 Sleigh ride i 1932 (M) Curling i 1924 (M), 1998 (W) 1 1928 h 998 11932, 1936, 1964, 1988, 1992 (M) Summary table of the Olympic Winter Games i 1988, 1992 (W) Ice hockey : 1924 (M), 1998 (W) ; City Year Dates Days Sports Events NOC Men Women Luge ; 1964 (M, W) i Chamonix 1924 25.01-05.02 12 6 16 16 247 11 Figure skating M924(M, W) ; St-Moritz 1928 11-19.02 9 5 14 25 438 26 Speed skating, 1 1924 (M) ! : 1932 (W) Lake Placid 1932 04-15.02 10 4 14 17 231 21 long- track h960(W) ; Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 06-16.02 11 4 17 28 566 80 Speed skating ,M992(M, W) j : 1988 (M, W) St-Moritz 1948 30.01-08.02 10 5 22 28 592 77 short-track Oslo 1952 14-25.02 12 4 22 30 585 109 Military Patrols ; 1924 (M) i : 1928, 1936, 1948 Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 26.01-05.02 11 4 24 32 687 134 Winter pentathlon** 1 1948 (M) Squaw Valley 1960 18-28.02 11 4 27 30 521 144 Skeleton*** i1928(M, W) i 1932, 1936, since 1952 ; 1948 and 2002 i Innsbruck 1964 29.01-09.02 12 6 34 36 892 199 Nordic combined i 1924 (M, W) : Grenoble 1968 06-18.02 13 6 35 37 947 211 Ski jumping i 1924 (M) ; Sapporo 1972 03-13.02 11 6 35 35 801 205 Freestyle skiing : 1992 (moguls/M, W)i 1988 (moguls/M,W) Innsbruck 1976 04-15.02 12 6 37 37 892 231 ; 1994 (jumps/ M,F) j 1988, 1992 (iumps/M,W) Lake Placid 1980 13-24.02 12 6 38 37 840 232 Alpine skiing M936(M, W) j Sarajevo 1984 08-19.02 12 6 39 49 998 274 Cross country skiing ; 1924 (H), 1952 (W) ; Calgary 1988 13-28.02 16 6 46 57 1122 271 Speed skiing 1992 (M) Albertville 1992 08-23.02 16 6 57 64 1313 488 Snowboard i 1998 (M, W) i Lillehammer 1994 12-27.02 16 6 61 67 1215 522 Nagano 1998 07-22.02 16 7 68 72 1389 787
*Bandy: team game similar to ice hockey, played especially in Scandinavian countries. Salt Lake City 2002 08-24.02 17* 7 78 **Winter pentathlon: 18 km Nordic skiing, shooting, downhill skiing, fencing and horse-riding. *** Skeleton: discipline controlled, at the time, by the Bobsleigh and Tobogganing International Federation. Sources: Wolf Lyberg, The Book of Facts on the Olympic Winter Games, 1908 - 1994 (1994). Nikolai Gueorguiev, National *'**Ski-joring: a pairs event with a skier pulled by a man on horseback. Participation in the Olympic Winter Games 1924 - 1998 (1998).
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Source : Bibliothèque du CIO / IOC Library