WINTER OLYMPICS ALPINE SKIING

OLYMPIC SPORT SINCE 1936

People began strapping skis to their feet as far back as 5000 years ago. It is believed that Norwegians were the first - they used skis as a way of hunting across snow-covered terrain. From Norway, skiing spread throughout Scandinavia and Russia as a mode of winter transportation and eventually as a sport similar to cross-country skiing. Alpine skiing evolved from cross-country skiing. The first alpine skiing competition, a primitive downhill, was held in the 1850s in Oslo. A few decades later, the sport spread to the remainder of Europe and to the United States, where miners held skiing competitions to entertain themselves during the winter.

The first slalom was organized in 1922 in Mürren, Switzerland, and two years later such a race became the first Olympic Alpine event. The Arlberg-Kandahar, a combined slalom and downhill event, is now referred to as the first legitimate Alpine event - the race that planted the seed for Alpine's inclusion in the Olympic program.

ALPINE SKIING is made up of technical events (slalom and giant slalom) and speed events (downhill and super giant slalom). Alpine skiing became part of the Olympic program at the 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Games with a men's and women's combined event, featuring a downhill and two slalom runs. After the cancellation of the following two Games because of war, alpine skiing returned to St. Moritz 1948 with a program of six events. The Oslo Games in 1952 welcomed giant slalom to the program and marked the departure of the combined event. The combined event did not return until 1988. The addition of super-G in 1988 completed the 10-event program that exists today.

Western European countries at the foot of the Alps have had the most Olympic success. Austria has won the most medals with 77, including 24 golds. Switzerland and France are a distant second and third with 48 and 37.

COMPETITION
The Olympic Alpine competition consists of ten events: five for women and five for men. The rules are the same for men and women, but the courses differ. In all cases, time is measured to .01 seconds and ties are permitted.

Downhill: The downhill features the longest course and the highest speeds in Alpine skiing. Each skier makes a single run down a single course and the fastest time determines the winner.

Super-G: Super-G stands for super giant slalom, an event that combines the speed of downhill with the more precise turns of giant slalom. The course is shorter than downhill but longer than a giant slalom course. Each skier makes one run down a single course and the fastest time determines the winner.

Giant slalom: Also known as the GS. It is a similar version to the slalom, with fewer turns and wider, smoother turns. Each skier makes two runs down two different courses on the same slope. Both runs take place on the same day, usually with the first run held in the morning and the second run in the afternoon. The times are added, and the fastest total time determines the winner.

Slalom: The slalom features the shortest course and the quickest turns. As in the giant slalom, each skier makes two runs down two different courses on the same slope. Both runs take place on the same day. The times are added and the fastest total time determines the winner.

Combined: The combined event consists of one downhill followed by two slalom runs. The times are added together and the fastest total time determines the winner. The combined downhill and the combined slalom are contested independently of the regular downhill and slalom events, and the combined courses are shorter than the regular versions. In 2002, for the first time at an Olympic Winter Games, the entire combined event is being held on a single day at the same venue. Also, the combined slalom is held on the lower part of the combined downhill slope, which has not always been the case.

VERIFIED FEB 25, 2002

MEN

	DOWNHILL	SLALOM	GIANT SLALOM	SUPER-G
1924-36
1948	Henri Oreiller, FRA	Edi Reinalter, SUI
1952	Zeno Colo, ITA	Othmar Schneider, AUT	Stein Eriksen, NOR
1956	Anton Sailer, AUT	Anton Sailer, AUT	Anton Sailer, AUT
1960	Jean Vuarnet, FRA	Ernst Hinterseer, AUT	Roger Staub, SUI
1964	Egon Zimmermann, AUT	Josef Stiegler, AUT	François Bonlieu, FRA
1968	Jean-Claude Killy, FRA	Jean-Claude Killy, FRA	Jean-Claude Killy, FRA
1972	Bernhard Russi, SUI	Francisco Fernandez-Ochoa, ESP	Gustavo Thöni, ITA
1976	Franz Klammer, AUT	Piero Gros, ITA	Heini Hemmi, SUI
1980	Leonhard Stock, AUT	Ingemar Stenmark, SWE	Ingemar Stenmark, SWE
1984	William Johnson, USA	Phillip Mahre, USA	Max Julen, SUI
1988	Pirmin Zurbriggen, SUI	Alberto Tomba, ITA	Alberto Tomba, ITA	Franck Piccard, FRA
1992	Patrick Ortlieb, AUT	Finn Christian Jagge, NOR	Alberto Tomba, ITA	Kjetil Andre Aamodt, NOR
1994	Thomas Moe, USA	Thomas Stangassinger, AUT	Markus Wasmeier, GER	Markus Wasmeier, GER
1998	Jean-Luc Cretier, FRA	Hans-Petter Buraas, NOR	Hermann Maier, AUT	Hermann Maier, AUT
2002	Fritz Strobl, AUT	Jean-Pierre Vidal, FRA	Stephan Eberharter, AUT	Kjetil Andre Aamodt, NOR

WOMEN

	DOWNHILL	SLALOM	GIANT SLALOM	SUPER-G
1924-36
1948	Hedy Schlunegger, SUI	Gretchen Frazer, USA
1952	Trude Beiser-Jochum, AUT	Andrea Lawrence, USA	Andrea Lawrence, USA
1956	Madeleine Berthod, SUI	Renée Colliard, SUI	Ossi Reichert, GER
1960	Heidi Biebl, GER	Anne Heggtveit, CAN	Yvonne Ruegg, SUI
1964	Christl Haas, AUT	Christine Goitschel, FRA	Marielle Goitschel, FRA
1968	Olga Pall, AUT	Marielle Goitschel, FRA	Nancy Greene, CAN
1972	Marie-Theres Nadig, SUI	Barbara Cochran, USA	Marie-Theres Nadig, SUI
1976	Rosi Mittermaier, FRG	Rosi Mittermaier, FRG	Cathy Kreiner, CAN
1980	Annemarie Moser, AUT	Hanni Wenzel, LIE	Hanni Wenzel, LIE
1984	Michela Figini, SUI	Paoletta Magoni, ITA	Debbie Armstrong, USA
1988	Marina Kiehl, FRG	Vreni Schneider, SUI	Vreni Schneider, SUI	Sigrid Wolf, AUT
1992	Kerrin Lee-Gartner, CAN	Petra Kronberger, AUT	Pernilla Wiberg, SWE	Deborah Compagnoni, ITA
1994	Katja Seizinger, GER	Vreni Schneider, SUI	Deborah Compagnoni, ITA	Diann Roffe, USA
1998	Katja Seizinger, GER	Hilde Gerg, GER	Deborah Compagnoni, ITA	Picabo Street, USA
2002	Carole Montillet, FRA	Janica Kostelic, CRO	Janica Kostelic, CRO	Daniela Ceccarelli, ITA

 MEN'S & WOMEN'S COMBINED

	COMBINED	COMBINED
1924-32
1936	Franz PFNÜR, GER	Christel Cranz, GER
1948	Henri Oreiller, FRA	Trude Beiser-Jochum, AUT
1952-84
1988	Hubert Strolz, AUT	Anita Wachter, AUT
1992	Josef Polig, ITA	Petra Kronberger, AUT
1994	Lasse Kjus, NOR	Pernilla Wiberg, SWE
1998	Mario Reiter, AUT	Katja Seizinger, GER
2002	Kjetil Andre Aamodt, NOR	Janica Kostelic, CRO