1924 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
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
. Originally called Semaine Internationale des Sports d'Hiver ("International Winter Sports Week") and held in association with the 1924 Summer Olympics
, the sports competitions held at the foot of Mont Blanc
in Chamonix
, Haute-Savoie
, France
between January 25 and February 5, 1924, organized by the French Olympic Committee, were in retrospect designated by the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) as the I Olympic Winter Games.
Beginning with the 1924 Games, the Winter Olympics would continue to be held in the same year as the Summer Games until 1992.
Although Figure Skating had been an Olympic event in both London and Antwerp, and Ice Hockey had been an event in Antwerp, the winter sports had always been rather limited by the season. In 1921, on the convention of the IOC in Lausanne
, there was a call for equality for winter sports, and after much discussion it was decided to organize an "international week of winter sport" in 1924 in Chamonix.
of the United States
in the 500-meter speed skate.
, at just eleven years old, skates in the ladies' figure skating competition. Although she finishes last, she becomes popular with fans, and will take the gold at the next three Winter Olympics. She was pronounced dead at the age of 57, one year before Carl August Kronlund's 1924 age 58.
is the first one ever to successfully defend his Summer Olympics title at the Winter Olympics.
ice-hockey team finished their qualifying round with 4 wins, and had a total score of 110-3 against Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, and Great Britain.
presented a prize for alpinisme to Charles Granville Bruce
, the leader of the expedition that tried to climb Mount Everest
in 1922.
In 1925, the IOC decided to organize Olympic Winter Games every four years, independent of the Olympic Games proper, and recognized the International Winter Sports Week as the first Olympic Winter games in retrospect.
In 1974 the final medal of Chamonix 1924 was presented. Anders Haugen
, who until then had been recorded as finishing fourth in the ski jumping event
, received a bronze medal. After fifty years an error had been discovered in the score of Thorleif Haug
,
In 2006, the IOC retroactively awarded medals to the 1924 curling
teams. The IOC decided that curling was officially part of the program, after the Glasgow Herald newspaper filed a claim on behalf of the families of the team.
n speed skater Christfried Burmeister
was also in the list of participants but the message about his withdrawal wasn't sent to the organizers.
Other Olympic Games celebrated in France
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
multi-sport event
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...
which was held in 1924 in 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
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Originally called Semaine Internationale des Sports d'Hiver ("International Winter Sports Week") and held in association with the 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
, the sports competitions held at the foot of Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
in 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...
, Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie is a French department in the Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. It borders both Switzerland and Italy. The capital is Annecy. To the north is Lake Geneva and Switzerland; to the south and southeast are the Mont Blanc and Aravis mountain ranges and the French entrance to the Mont...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
between January 25 and February 5, 1924, organized by the French Olympic Committee, were in retrospect designated by 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) as the I Olympic Winter Games.
Beginning with the 1924 Games, the Winter Olympics would continue to be held in the same year as the Summer Games until 1992.
Although Figure Skating had been an Olympic event in both London and Antwerp, and Ice Hockey had been an event in Antwerp, the winter sports had always been rather limited by the season. In 1921, on the convention of the IOC in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, there was a call for equality for winter sports, and after much discussion it was decided to organize an "international week of winter sport" in 1924 in Chamonix.
Day 2
The first gold medal awarded in the Olympic Winter games was won by Charles JewtrawCharles Jewtraw
Charles Jewtraw was an American speed skater, best known for being first recipient of a gold medal at the first Winter Olympics.-Biography:...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 500-meter speed skate.
Day 4
Sonja HenieSonja Henie
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, a ten-time World Champion and a six-time European Champion . Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater...
, at just eleven years old, skates in the ladies' figure skating competition. Although she finishes last, she becomes popular with fans, and will take the gold at the next three Winter Olympics. She was pronounced dead at the age of 57, one year before Carl August Kronlund's 1924 age 58.
Day 6
Finding himself in a unique situation, the figure skater Gillis GrafströmGillis Grafström
Gillis Emanuel Grafström was a Swedish figure skater. He was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He won three successive Olympic gold medals in Men's Figure Skating as well as Olympic silver medal in same event in 1932, and three World Championships...
is the first one ever to successfully defend his Summer Olympics title at the Winter Olympics.
Day 8
The CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
ice-hockey team finished their qualifying round with 4 wins, and had a total score of 110-3 against Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, and Great Britain.
Day 10
Finding themselves in the same situation as Gillis Grafström, the Canadian ice-hockey team is the last ever to successfully defend its Summer Olympics title at the Winter Olympics. Canada would dominate ice hockey in early Olympic competition, winning six of the first seven gold medals awards to the first runnerEpilogue
At the closing of the games a prize was awarded for a sport that did not lend itself very well for tournaments: Pierre de CoubertinPierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French educationalist and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games...
presented a prize for alpinisme to Charles Granville Bruce
Charles Granville Bruce
Brigadier-General Charles Granville Bruce, CB, MVO was a Himalayan veteran and leader of the second and third British expeditions to Mount Everest in 1922 and 1924.-Background and early life:...
, the leader of the expedition that tried to climb Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
in 1922.
In 1925, the IOC decided to organize Olympic Winter Games every four years, independent of the Olympic Games proper, and recognized the International Winter Sports Week as the first Olympic Winter games in retrospect.
In 1974 the final medal of Chamonix 1924 was presented. Anders Haugen
Anders Haugen
Anders Haugen was an American ski jumper who won four national ski jumping championships. He competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix and the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz....
, who until then had been recorded as finishing fourth in the ski jumping event
Ski jumping at the 1924 Winter Olympics
At the 1924 Winter Olympics one individual ski jumping event was contested. It was held on Monday, February 4, 1924. The event was unusual, as the bronze medallist was not properly rewarded until 50 years later. Originally, Thorleif Haug was awarded third place, but a calculation error had been made...
, received a bronze medal. After fifty years an error had been discovered in the score of Thorleif Haug
Thorleif Haug
Thorleif Haug was a Norwegian skier who competed in nordic combined and cross-country. -Biography:Thorleif Haug was born in Vivelstad, a narrow valley between the Lier Lier, Drammen in Buskerud county, Norway...
,
In 2006, the IOC retroactively awarded medals to the 1924 curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
teams. The IOC decided that curling was officially part of the program, after the Glasgow Herald newspaper filed a claim on behalf of the families of the team.
Events
Medals were awarded in 16 events, and 7 sports. Many sources do not list curling and the military patrol, or list them as demonstration events. However, no such designation was made in 1924. In February 2006 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled that curling was a full part of the Olympic program, and have included the medals awarded in the official count.- BobsleighBobsleigh at the 1924 Winter OlympicsAt the 1924 Winter Olympics, only one bobsleigh event was contested, the four man event. However, rules at the time also allowed a fifth sledder to compete...
- CurlingCurling at the 1924 Winter OlympicsThe curling event at the 1924 Winter Olympics was contested only by men. It is the first curling event in Olympic history.In February 2006, a few days before the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee ruled that the curling medals were part of the official Olympic...
- Figure skatingFigure skating at the 1924 Winter OlympicsAt the 1924 Winter Olympics, three figure skating events were contested. The competitions were held from Tuesday, January 29, 1924 to Thursday, January 31, 1924....
- Ice hockeyIce hockey at the 1924 Winter OlympicsAt the 1924 Winter Olympics, an ice hockey tournament was contested. The competition was held from Monday, January 28, 1924 to Sunday, February 3, 1924. Canada defended their championship from the 1920 Summer Olympics...
- Military patrolMilitary patrol at the 1924 Winter OlympicsAt the 1924 Winter Olympics, in Chamonix, France, in 1924, a military patrol competition was held. The Olympic lists the official medal winners for the event, yet several sources have counted this competition as a demonstration event only. The event was also demonstrated in 1928, 1936, and 1948,...
- Nordic skiingNordic skiing at the 1924 Winter OlympicsAt the 1924 Winter Olympics, four Nordic skiing events were contested – two cross-country skiing events, one ski jumping event, and one nordic combined event, all for men only....
- Cross-country skiingCross-country skiing at the 1924 Winter OlympicsAt the 1924 Winter Olympics, two cross-country skiing events were held. The 50 km competition was held on Wednesday, January 30, 1924 and the 18 km competition was held on Saturday, February 2, 1924...
- Nordic combinedNordic combined at the 1924 Winter OlympicsAt the 1924 Winter Olympics one individual Nordic combined event was contested. It was held on Saturday, February 2, 1924 and on Monday, February 4, 1924 . Unlike today the ski jump was the last event held. Both events were also individual medal events...
- Ski jumpingSki jumping at the 1924 Winter OlympicsAt the 1924 Winter Olympics one individual ski jumping event was contested. It was held on Monday, February 4, 1924. The event was unusual, as the bronze medallist was not properly rewarded until 50 years later. Originally, Thorleif Haug was awarded third place, but a calculation error had been made...
- Cross-country skiing
- Speed skatingSpeed skating at the 1924 Winter OlympicsAt the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, five speed skating events were contested, all for men. The competitions were held on Saturday, January 26, 1924 and on Sunday, January 27, 1924....
Venues
- La Piste de Bobsleigh des PellerinsLa Piste de Bobsleigh des PellerinsLa Piste de Bobsleigh des Pellerins was a bobsleigh track constructed for the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France.-Track statistics:...
- Bobsleigh - Le Tremplin Olympique du MontLe Tremplin Olympique du MontLe Tremplin Olympique du Mont was a ski jumping venue constructed for the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France.-Jump description:The jumper started at a height of 1189.8 m, traveling 79.4 meters while dropping in height to a take off point of 1152.8 meters...
- Ski jumping, Nordic combined (ski jumping) - Stade Olympique de ChamonixStade Olympique de ChamonixStade Olympique de Chamonix is an equestrian stadium in Chamonix, France. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies to the 1924 Winter Olympics along with cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, military patrol, the cross-country skiing part of the Nordic combined, and the...
- Cross-country skiing, Curling, Figure skating, Ice hockey, Military patrol, Nordic combined (cross-country skiing), and Speed skating
Participating nations
Athletes from 16 nations competed in the first Winter Olympic Games.Christfried Burmeister
Christfried Burmeister was a Estonian speed skater who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics....
was also in the list of participants but the message about his withdrawal wasn't sent to the organizers.
Medal count
| 1 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 17 | |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 9 | (host nation) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
See also
- 1924 Summer Olympics1924 Summer OlympicsThe 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
- 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 France
- 1900 Summer Olympics1900 Summer OlympicsThe 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of...
– ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... - 1924 Summer Olympics1924 Summer OlympicsThe 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
– Paris - 1968 Winter Olympics1968 Winter OlympicsThe 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble, France and opened on 6 February. Thirty-seven countries participated...
– GrenobleGrenobleGrenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère... - 1992 Winter Olympics1992 Winter OlympicsThe 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
– AlbertvilleAlbertvilleAlbertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...