 |
Oslo, Norway
VIth WINTER GAMES |
February 14 -
25, 1952 |
Mascot - none |
30 countries,
694 athletes (109 women) |
4 sports, 22 events |
Opening -
Princess Ragnhild |
Torch lit by -
Eigil Nansen (first Winter Games torch-lighting) |
Candidates:
Lake Placid, Cortina d'Ampezzo |
The Olympic Games came to
Scandinavia for the first time in 1952. Oslo was the only edition of the
Winter Games to be held in a capital city and the first hosted by Norway,
a tribute to the great love of a people for winter sports. A
great success contributed by an enthusiastic and competent audience. Also for the first time, the
Olympic torch was brought to the Winter Games by way of a runner relay. The
number of countries present increased to 30 (the Soviets were still
absent but were to enter the Olympic arena in Helsinki only a few months
later). Germany and Japan, two former Axis powers, were welcomed back to the
Olympic family of nations.
Women athletes were allowed to
compete for the first time in an Olympic Nordic event (a 10km
cross-country race), and Alpine skiing saw two important changes: the
addition of separate men's and women's giant slalom, and the dropping of
both Alpine combined events.
The Olympic Winter Games are
finally hosted by a Scandinavian country, which until then had dominated
the previous five Winter Games. The opening ceremony was held under
somber conditions because it took place on the same day as the funeral
of England's King George VI.
In alpine skiing, 19-year-old
American housewife Andrea Mead Lawrence dazzled crowds with her
unexpected wins in the slalom and giant slalom. Norwegian competitors
did some dazzling of their own as they totally dominated the Nordic and
speed skating events. Dick Button defended the men's figure skating gold
medal he had won in St. Moritz.
The Germans dominated the
bobsled, but this was not due to skill as much as it was weight. Andreas
Ostler and Lorenz Nieberl weighed more than 500 pounds combined. Since
heavier sleds move faster, this later led the International Bobsleigh
Federation to put a maximum weight limit on team members in order to
balance out the competition.
Canada once again won gold in
hockey, increasing its record to 37-1-3 since 1920. Norway finished atop
the medals table with 16.
|
1924
1928
1932
1936
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010 |
|
|
4
sports, 22 events |
N
O
R |
U
S
A |
F
I
N |
G
E
R |
A
U
T |
C
A
N |
I
T
A |
G
B
R |
|
BOBSLEIGH |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
ICE HOCKEY |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
SKATING |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Figure Skating |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
3 |
Speed Skating |
3 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
SKIING |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alpine Skiing |
1 |
2 |
|
|
2 |
|
1 |
|
6 |
Cross-Country Skiing |
1 |
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
Nordic Combined |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
Ski Jumping |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
TOTAL |
7 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
22 |
GOLD MEDAL
WINNERS
(3 events added; 3 events removed incl. Luge)
(16 Men, 5 Women, 1 Combined Events)
|
BOBSLEIGH
M\Two-Man: Andreas Ostler/Lorenz Nieberl, GER
M\Four-Man: Germany
ICE HOCKEY
Men's Team: Canada |
SKIING
ALPINE SKIING
M\Downhill: Zeno Colo, Italy
M\Slalom: Othmar Schneider, Austria
M\Giant Slalom: Stein Eriksen, Norway
W\Downhill: Trude Jochum Beiser, Austria
W\Slalom: Andrea Mead Lawrence, United States
W\Giant Slalom: Andrea Mead Lawrence, USA
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
M\18km Classical: Hallgeir Brenden, Norway
M\50km Classical: Veikko Hakulinen, Finland
M\4x10km Relay: Finland
W\10km Classical: Lydia Wideman, Finland
NORDIC COMBINED
M\Individual: Simon Slattvik, Norway
SKI JUMPING
M\K-90 Individual: Arnfinn
Bergmann, Norway
|
|
SKATING
Figure
Skating
M\Singles: Richard Button, United States
W\Singles: Jeanette Altwegg, Great Britain
Pairs: Ria Falk/Paul Falk, Germany
Speed Skating
M\500m: Kenneth Henry, United States
M\1500m: Hjalmar Andersen, Norway
M\5000m: Hjalmar Andersen, Norway
M\10000m: Hjalmar Andersen, Norway |
|
Country
|
G
|
S |
B |
TTL |
Norway |
7 |
3 |
6 |
16 |
United
States |
4 |
6 |
1 |
11 |
Finland |
3 |
4 |
2 |
9 |
Germany |
3 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
Austria |
2 |
4 |
2 |
8 |
Canada |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
Italy |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
Great
Britain |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
The
Netherlands |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
Sweden |
0 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
Switzerland |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
France |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Hungary |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
TOTAL
|
22 |
22 |
23 |
67 |
|
