Winter Olympics

Introduction 

The Olympics is the highest level of athletics and sports championship in the world. It is divided into the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics. The Winter Olympics is held once every four years for for games played on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. There were only five winter sports in the first few editions of the Winter Olympics. They were bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing (consisting of military patrol, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping), and skating (consisting of figure skating and speed skating). Since the first few Winter Olympics competitions, many sports and disciplines have been added and removed from its roster.

Some that have earned a permanent spot are: alpine skiing, luge, short track speed skating, freestyle skiing, skeleton and snowboarding. Twelve countries have participated in every Winter Olympic Games since its inception. As of 2022, these countries are – Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. Six of these (Austria, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United States) have won medals at every Winter Olympics Games.

Table Of Contents

• Details 

• History

• Events

• Player Spotlight

• Controversies

• Schedule

• Conclusion

Details

History

The Winter Olympics had started out as the Nordic Games in 1901. They were organized by General Viktor Gustaf Balck in Stockholm, Sweden. After the first games, they were held again in 1903 and 1905 and then every fourth year until 1926.

General Balck tried to have winter sports, specially figure skating, added to the Olympic programme, but was unsuccessful.

In 1908, the Summer Olympics in London organized the first figure skating competitions under the Olympics banner.

However, these games were held six months after most of the other events.

In the 1924 games in Chamonix, France, more than 250 athletes from 16 nations competed in 16 winter game events. Finnish and Norwegian athletes found the most success, with a combined 28 medals among the two countries.

In 1925, the IOC finally created a separate winter event for the Olympics. The 1924 Chamonix games were retroactively designated as the first Winter Olympics.

The Winter Olympics have been hosted by thirteen countries on three different continents.

Events

Over the years, many sports have been added and removed from the Winter Olympics roster. Presently, there are 15 sports being played by individuals or teams.

Player Spotlight

Marit Bjørgen

Marit Bjørgen is a decorated cross-country skier from Norway. She has the honour of being first in the all-time Cross Country World Cup rankings with 114 individual victories.

She is a five time Olympian with a record 15 medals.

This makes her the athlete with the most medals in the Winter Olympics history. She won her last five medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang games. On 28 April 2022, she announced her retirement from all winter games.

Ole Einar Bjørndalen

Ole Einar Bjørndalen is a retired Norwegian biathlete.

He is often referred to as the “King of Biathlon”. He has 13 Winter Olympic Medals for Biathlon (a combination of cross country skiing and rifle shooting). This makes him second on a list of multiple medalists at the Winter Olympics.

He has won the Biathlon World Cup 95 times.  Apart from the Biathlon, he also won the Beach Volleyball Championship in 2001.

His last win at the Winter Olympics came at the 2014 Sochi games. He won a gold each for the Sprint and Mixed Relay. Ole retired from Biathlon in April 2018.

Ireen Wüst

Ireen Wüst is a Dutch former long track speed skater of great renown. She is the most successful speed skater in the history of Winter Olympics.

She is the only athlete to have won at least one gold medal in five consecutive Olympics.

She was the most decorated athlete at the 2014 Sochi games, where she won two gold and three silver medals. She also has a record thirteen medals for speed skating at the Winter Olympics.

Arianna Fontana

Arianna Fontana is a famous short stack speed skater. She has won eleven Winter Olympics medals for speed skating. She currently has the most Olympics medals as an Italian sportswoman.

She was decorated with the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (OMRI) for her contributions to speed skating and winter games.

Controversies

The Winter Olympics have been mixed up in many controversies over the decades. The IOC also had to face a lot of criticism.

There have been some internal scandals, use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes, political boycotts, etc. Many countries use the winter games as an opportunity to display their political agendas.

Schedule

The next Winter Olympics will take place in 2026 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Although the schedule and ticketing have not been decided yet, the games will officially begin on 6th February 2026.

Tickets will be available on the official Winter Olympics website for Milano Cortina2026. These are usually sold on the basis of which games one wishes to attend, i.e., group games, quarter final, semi finals, finals, etc.

Conclusion

The Winter Olympics is the premier competition for all sports that are played on snow or ice. Apart from individual world championships, the Winter Olympics gives athletes an opportunity to represent their countries at the highest level.

Although, very few countries participate in the Winter Olympics, owing to a lack of snow or ice in their countries.

India has been participating in the Winter Olympics since 1964.

Jeremy Bujakowski, Shiva Keshavan and Mohammad Arif Khan are just some of the athletes who have competed at the Winter Olympics for India.