Winter Olympics
History
The Winter Olympics is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympics, the 1924 Winter Games, was held in Chamonix, France. The original five sports (broken into nine disciplines) were bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing (consisting of the disciplines military patrol, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, and ski jumping), and skating (consisting of the disciplines figure skating and speed skating). The Games were held every four years from 1924 until 1936, after which they were interrupted by World War II.
Post-war era
The Winter Olympics resumed in 1948 with the St. Moritz Games in Switzerland, but it wasn't until the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo, Norway, that the Winter Olympics began to resemble the event we know today. The Oslo Games were the first to feature a separate competition for speed skating, and they also introduced the giant slalom event in alpine skiing.
Expansion and growth
The Winter Olympics continued to expand in the following decades. The 1960 Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California, were the first to be televised, and they also introduced the biathlon and the women's speed skating events. The 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, were the first to be held outside of Europe and North America.
Modern era
The Winter Olympics entered the modern era with the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina). These Games were notable for the debut of the women's giant slalom event in alpine skiing and the men's 1000m speed skating event. The 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France, were the last to be held in the same year as the Summer Olympics. The 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway, were the first to be held in a different year than the Summer Olympics, a practice that continues to this day.
Sports
The Winter Olympics features 15 sports disciplines, including alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, Nordic combined, short track speed skating, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboarding, and speed skating. Each of these disciplines includes multiple events, resulting in over 100 medal events in total.
Participating nations
As of the 2018 Winter Games, a total of 92 nations have participated in the Winter Olympics. The most successful country in the history of the Winter Olympics is Norway, with a total of 368 medals, followed by the United States with 305 and Germany with 240.
Future Games
The next Winter Olympics, the 2022 Winter Games, will be held in Beijing, China. This will be the first time that the Winter Olympics will be held in China, and the third time that the Winter and Summer Olympics will be held in the same city, following London and Los Angeles.