Skijoring at the 1928 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
Skijoring
(also Skijoering) was a demonstration sport
at the 1928 Winter Olympics
, held in St. Moritz
, Switzerland
from February 11 through 19, 1928. The sole skijoring event of the Games was held on February 12, the second day of the Games. The sport of skijoring is one in which a person on skis is pulled by dogs, horses, or a form of mechanized transportation such as a snowmobile. In the 1928 Olympics, athletes were towed behind horses.
Skijoring's roots are in Norway
and Sweden
, where the sport was considered a military competition, being a method of transportation for military dispatches. It was included on the program of the Nordic Games
in 1901, 1905, and 1909. Pierre de Coubertin
, founder of the modern Olympic Games, and media outlets like The Times
admired the sport after its inclusion in the Nordic Games, and contributed to the brief popularization which led to its inclusion as a demonstration sport in the Games. Coubertin in particular, in his report on the 1901 Nordic Games in the publication Revue Olympique, expressed interest in incorporating such winter sports into the Olympic Games, and mentioned skijoring in particular as being of interest. Thus, it was included in the 1928 Winter Olympics as a demonstration sport.
The competition in St. Moritz was held on a frozen lake. Unlike modern equestrian skijoring in North America, there were no riders on the horses, there were no jumps on the course, and athletes competed simultaneously. The event was swept by three Swiss athletes. Although the sport was included as a demonstration sport in 1928, the Official Report of those Olympic Games does not list results of the contest. This would be the last time the sport was included at the Games; it would never again appear as either a demonstration or medal sport.
Skijoring
Skijoring is a winter sport where a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog or a motor vehicle. It is derived from the Norwegian word skikjøring meaning ski driving.- Dog skijoring :...
(also Skijoering) 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 Winter Olympics
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...
, held in 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
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
from February 11 through 19, 1928. The sole skijoring event of the Games was held on February 12, the second day of the Games. The sport of skijoring is one in which a person on skis is pulled by dogs, horses, or a form of mechanized transportation such as a snowmobile. In the 1928 Olympics, athletes were towed behind horses.
Skijoring's roots are in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where the sport was considered a military competition, being a method of transportation for military dispatches. It was included on the program of the Nordic Games
Nordic Games
The Nordic Games was the first international multi-sport event that focused primarily on winter sports, and was held at varying intervals between 1901 and 1926. It was organized by Sweden’s Central Association for the Promotion of Sports, and more specifically by Viktor Balck, a member of that...
in 1901, 1905, and 1909. Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre 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...
, founder of the modern Olympic Games, and media outlets like The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
admired the sport after its inclusion in the Nordic Games, and contributed to the brief popularization which led to its inclusion as a demonstration sport in the Games. Coubertin in particular, in his report on the 1901 Nordic Games in the publication Revue Olympique, expressed interest in incorporating such winter sports into the Olympic Games, and mentioned skijoring in particular as being of interest. Thus, it was included in the 1928 Winter Olympics as a demonstration sport.
The competition in St. Moritz was held on a frozen lake. Unlike modern equestrian skijoring in North America, there were no riders on the horses, there were no jumps on the course, and athletes competed simultaneously. The event was swept by three Swiss athletes. Although the sport was included as a demonstration sport in 1928, the Official Report of those Olympic Games does not list results of the contest. This would be the last time the sport was included at the Games; it would never again appear as either a demonstration or medal sport.
Results
| Place | Nation | Athlete |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. Wettstein | |
| 2 | Torriani | |
| 3 | Muckenbrün |