History of the Winter Olympics

by Anna Davis and Kallie Richardson | February 19, 2022

The 2022 Winter Olympics currently underway in Beijing, we felt it would be fun to write about the history of the very first Winter Olympics. 
The first Winter Olympic games were held from January 25th through February 5th in the French Alps in Chamonix, France in 1924. Among the 16 nations participating were: France, the US, Canada, Norway, Italy, Great Britain, Poland, and Yugoslavia. 
 There were 260 athletes competing in a total of 16 events, which included: curling, ice hockey, figure skating, bobsleigh, speed skating, Nordic skating, Military patrol, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping. 
Norway ranked 1st place with a total of 17 medals, Finland ranked 2nd with a total of 11 medals, Austria ranked 3rd with a total of 3 medals, Switzerland ranked 4th with a total of 3 medals, and the United States ranked 5th with a total of 4 medals. 1 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze. 
The most memorable athlete was Charles Jewtraw, a US speed skater.  Jewtraw holds the honor of being the first athelete to win a gold medal in the history of Winter Olympics.  He out skated the 26 other athletes in the 500-meter speed skating competition, wiht an 44.00 second finish. Jewtraw’s gold medal is on display at the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. 
The other medalists in the 1924 Winter Olympics include Beatrix Loughran who received a silver for the ladies individual figure skating, the United States men’s national ice hockey team received a silver, and Anders Haugen received a bronze for the men’s ski jumping event. 
Today, the Winter Olympics has become a major international multi-sport event taking place every 4 years. The next Winter Olympic games will take place from February 6th through the 22nd and will be held in Italy, in the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.