Dates of all Olympiads. Winter Olympic sports. How many winter Olympic sports are there? The most interesting things about the Winter Olympics

The world around us amazes with the variety of species of its inhabitants. According to the latest census of this “population” of the Earth, 6.6 million species live on land and another 2.2 million roam the ocean depths. Each species is a link in a single chain of the biosystem of our planet. Of these, the smallest living organisms are bacteria. What has humanity managed to learn about these tiny creatures?

What are bacteria and where do they live?

Bacteria - These are single-celled organisms of microscopic size, one of the types of microbes.

Their prevalence on Earth is truly amazing. They live in the ice of the Arctic and on the ocean floor, in outer space, in hot springs - geysers and in the saltiest bodies of water.

The total weight of these “charming little ones” that have occupied the human body reaches 2 kg! This is despite the fact that their sizes rarely exceed 0.5 microns. A huge number of bacteria inhabit the body of animals, performing various functions there.

A living thing and the bacteria in its body influence each other's health and well-being. When a species of animal becomes extinct, its unique bacteria also die.

Looking at them appearance, one can only marvel at the ingenuity of nature. These “charms” can have rod-shaped, spherical, spiral and other shapes. Wherein most of them are colorless, only rare species colored green and purple. Moreover, over billions of years they change only internally, while their appearance remains unchanged.

Discoverer of bacteria

The first explorer of the microworld was a Dutch naturalist Anthony Van Leeuwenhoek. His name became famous thanks to the activity to which he devoted all his free time. He was passionate about manufacturing and achieved amazing success in this matter. It is to him that the honor of inventing the first microscope belongs. In fact, it was a tiny lens with a diameter of a pea, giving a magnification of 200-300 times. It could only be used by pressing it to the eye.

In 1683, he discovered and later described “live animals” seen through a lens in a drop of rainwater. Over the next 50 years, he studied various microorganisms, describing more than 200 of their species. He sent his observations to England, where gray-haired scientists in powdered wigs just shook their heads, amazed at the discoveries of this unknown self-taught man. It was thanks to Leeuwenhoek’s talent and perseverance that a new science was born - microbiology.

General information about bacteria

Over the past centuries, microbiologists have learned a great deal about the world of these tiny creatures. It turned out that exactly Our planet owes the birth of multicellular life forms to bacteria. They are the ones who play main role in maintaining the circulation of substances on Earth. Generations of people replace each other, plants die, household waste and outdated shells of various creatures accumulate - all this is utilized and, with the help of bacteria, decomposes in the process of decay. And the chemical compounds formed in this case are returned to the environment.

How do humanity and the world of bacteria coexist? Let’s make a reservation that there are “good and bad” bacteria. “Bad” bacteria are responsible for the spread of a huge number of diseases, ranging from plague and cholera to common whooping cough and dysentery. They enter our body through airborne droplets, along with food, water and through the skin. These insidious companions can live in various organs, and while our immunity copes with them, they do not manifest themselves in any way. The speed of their reproduction is amazing. Every 20 minutes their number doubles. It means that one single pathogenic microbe generates a multi-million army in 12 hours the same bacteria that attack the body.

There is another danger posed by bacteria. They cause poisoning people consuming spoiled foods - canned food, sausages, etc.

Defeat in a victorious war

A great breakthrough in the fight against pathogenic bacteria was discovery of penicillin in 1928- the world's first antibiotic. This class of substances is capable of inhibiting the growth and reproduction of bacteria. The early successes of antibiotics were enormous. It was possible to cure diseases that were previously fatal. However, bacteria discovered incredible adaptability and the ability to change in such a way that existing antibiotics were helpless in the fight against even the simplest infections. This the ability of bacteria to mutate has become a real threat to human health and led to the emergence of incurable infections (caused by superbugs).

Bacteria as allies and friends of humanity

Now let's talk about “good” bacteria. The evolution of animals and bacteria occurred in parallel. The structure and functions of living organisms gradually became more complex. Bacteria weren’t dozing either. Animals, including humans, become their home. They settle in the mouth, on the skin, in the stomach and other organs.

Most of them are extremely useful because helps digest food, participates in the synthesis of certain vitamins and even protects us from their pathogenic counterparts. Poor nutrition, stress and indiscriminate use of antibiotics can cause microflora disturbances, which necessarily affects a person’s well-being.

Interestingly, bacteria They are sensitive to people's taste preferences.

In Americans who traditionally consume high-calorie foods (fast foods, hamburgers), bacteria are able to digest foods high in fat. And some Japanese have intestinal bacteria adapted to digest algae.

The role of bacteria in human economic activity

The use of bacteria began even before humanity knew of their existence. Since ancient times, people have made wine, fermented vegetables, knew recipes for making kefir, curdled milk and kumiss, and produced cottage cheese and cheeses.

Much later, it was found that tiny helpers of nature - bacteria - are involved in all these processes.

As knowledge about them deepened, their application expanded. They were “trained” to fight plant pests and enrich the soil with nitrogen, silage green fodder and purify wastewater, in which they literally devour various organic residues.

Instead of an epilogue

So, humans and microorganisms are interconnected parts of a single natural ecosystem. Between them, along with competition in the struggle for living space, there is mutually beneficial cooperation (symbiosis).

To defend ourselves as a species, we must protect our bodies from the invasion of pathogenic bacteria, and also be extremely careful about the use of antibiotics.

At the same time, microbiologists are working to expand the scope of application of bacteria. An example is a project to create light-sensitive bacteria and use them to produce biological cellulose. When exposed to light, production begins, and when it is turned off, production stops.

The organizers of the project are confident that organs created from this natural biological material will not experience rejection in the body. The proposed technique opens up amazing opportunities for the world to create medical implants.

If this message was useful to you, I would be glad to see you

Winter Olympic Games - World winter sports competitions. Like the Summer Olympic Games, they are held under the auspices of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).

The first Winter Olympic Games took place in 1924. At first, the winter and summer Games were held in the same year, but since 1994, they have been held two years apart. To date, the program of the Winter Olympic Games has expanded significantly, the number of participants has increased, including many athletes from southern countries.

Winter sports were first presented at the Olympics long before not only the first Winter Games, but also before the very idea of holding them arose. Thus, with the creation in 1894 of the International Olympic Committee, among other sports, the future Olympic program it was proposed to include ice skating. However, at the first three Olympic Games there were no “ice” disciplines. They first appeared at the 1908 Games in London: skaters competed in 4 types of programs.

Official debut. France. Chamonix. 1924

When historians say that the White Games No. 1 took place in 1924 in Chamonix, they come into conflict with jurisprudence. The fact is that what happened in the French Alps 80 years ago was officially called completely differently. "A week winter sports dedicated to the upcoming Games of the VIII Olympiad in Paris"- that was the long name of the competition, for which 293 athletes from 16 countries gathered in January-February 24.

Today with the system winter species There are 15 disciplines in sports:

1) Bobsled
2) Skiing
3) Curling
4) Speed skating
5) Nordic combined
6) Ski racing
7) Ski jumping
8) Luge
9) Skeleton
10) Snowboard
11) Figure skating
12) Freestyle
13) Hockey
14) Short track
15) Biathlon

Interesting facts from the history of the Winter Olympic Games:

v For the first time in the program of large international competitions competitions reminiscent of modern biathlon were included in 1924 at the 1st Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix, France, under the name “military patrol competition”, and were held as demonstration competitions.
v Until 1988, for nine consecutive Olympics, skiers competed in only three disciplines: downhill, slalom and giant slalom. Later there were five of them - the combination was returned to the program and a super-giant was added.
v Speed skating for men has been included in the program of the Winter Olympic Games from the very beginning - since 1924, and since 1960, competitions among women have been held.
v Let us note that domestic skiers have received permission from the government of our country to participate in the Winter Olympic Games since 1956. During the Iron Curtain period Soviet athletes missed six Olympics.
v In 1908 and 1920, figure skating competitions were held at the Summer Olympics. Note that figure skating- the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic program. Since 1924, figure skating has been a constant presence at the Winter Olympics.
v At the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada, short track speed skating was introduced as a demonstration sport. Fully accepted into Olympic family it was only in 1992 and since then has been an integral part of the white Olympics.

School-lyceum № 64

Abstract on the discipline " Physical Culture" on the topic of:

"Winter Olympic Games: history, chronology, statistics" .

Completed by a student of 11th grade

Martynov Pavel.

Omsk - 2002

1. The emergence of the Olympic Games……………………..………………………………………………………… 2

2. I Winter Olympic Games……………………………………………………………….……. 2

3. II Winter Olympic Games…………………………………………………………….……… 3

4. III Winter Olympic Games……………………………………………………….……….. 4

5. IV Winter Olympic Games……………………………………………………………..…….. 5

6. V Winter Olympic Games………………………………………………….…………………. 6

7. VI Winter Olympic Games……………………………………………………………….….. 7

8. VII Winter Olympic Games……………………………………………………….………. 8

9. VIII Winter Olympic Games…………………………………………………………….…… 10

10. IX Winter Olympic Games…………………………………………………………..………………… 10

11. X Winter Olympic Games……………………………………………………...…………………. 11

12. XI Winter Olympic Games……………………………………………………..…………… 13

13. XII Winter Olympic Games…………………………………………………………………………………. 13

14. XIII Winter Olympic Games………………………………………………………………………………… 15

15. XIV Winter Olympic Games……………………………………………………..…………. 16

16. XV Winter Olympic Games………………………………………………………………….. 17

17. XVI Winter Olympic Games………………………………………………………………. 19

18. XVII Winter Olympic Games………………………………………………………………………………..… 22

19. XVIII Winter Olympic Games………………………………………………………..……. 27

20. XIX Winter Olympic Games………………………………………………………………………………… 29

21. Sports featured on last Olympics in Salt Lake City... 41

22. Statistics……………………………………………………………………………………………… 45

23. Emblems, symbols, medals…………………………………………………………………………………. 49

24. Sources…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 50

1. THE RISE OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

The idea of holding the Olympic Games is very ancient and has its roots in Greek mythology. It is generally accepted that the first games took place in 776 BC and were organized in honor of the god Zeus in the sanctuary of Olympia, revered by the Greeks, located in the western part of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. The name of the first Olympic winner has survived to this day. It was an athlete from the city of Elis, Koroibos.

IN Ancient Greece Only people of Greek origin could become Olympians, and only free people and only men. The competition was incredibly intense, and the winners were awarded an olive branch or a laurel wreath. Immortal glory awaited them not only in their hometown, but throughout the Greek world.

REVIVAL OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

We owe the revival of the Olympic Games to the French enthusiast and big sports fan Pierre de Coubertin, thanks to whose many years of efforts it was created on June 23, 1894 International Olympic Committee (IOC ). This organization is still the highest governing body Olympic movement.

The first World Competitions, similar to the ancient Greek Olympic Games, were held in 1896 in Athens. The program of the Games of the 1st Olympiad included 9 sports. It was decided to hold the competition on athletics, gymnastics, swimming, weight lifting, wrestling, shooting, fencing, cycling and tennis. From that moment on, the Olympic Games became the main international sporting event. They took place in various cities around the world, including Moscow in 1980. The Olympic cycle was disrupted only three times: in 1916 due to the First World War, and in 1940 and 1944 due to the Second World War.

THE RISE OF THE WINTER OLYMPICS

For the first time, the issue of holding a separate Winter Olympic Games was discussed at the IOC session in Budapest (1911), but representatives of the Scandinavian countries, fearing for the success of the traditional Nordic Games held in Stockholm and competitions in Holmenkollen, Norway, were categorically against such initiatives. In addition, two winter sports, hockey and figure skating, were already Olympic sports by 1924, as they were included in the program of the Summer Games in London (1908) and Antwerp (1920). With the assistance of the IOC and, in particular, the same tireless Pierre de Coubertin, in 1924 a “Winter Sports Week dedicated to the upcoming Games of the VIII Olympiad in Paris” was held in France, which a year later was given the official status of the First Winter Olympic Games. From then until 1992, the white Olympics kept pace with the summer Olympics, skipping 1940 and 1944 along with it. By decision of the IOC, since 1994, the Winter Olympic Games are held two years after the Summer Olympics.

2. I WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES

293 athletes attended the competition, including 13 women from 16 countries.
Took part best athletes northern countries - Norway, Finland, Sweden. Medals were awarded in 14 types of competitions in 5 sports.
The program included bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, ski jumping and biathlon, speed skating, figure skating, and hockey. Women competed only in figure skating on skates.
The first gold medal went to the US athlete Ch. Jutrow, who, in a bitter struggle with the Norwegian O. Olsen, managed to win the 500-meter speed skating race. However, all other medals - 14 out of 15 awarded in this sport - went to representatives of Finland and Norway. The hero of the competition was the Finnish speed walker K. Thunberg, who managed to achieve convincing victories with Olympic records at distances of 1500 and 5000 m, as well as in the all-around.
Norwegian athletes were the winners in all skiing disciplines. Of the 12 medals up for grabs, they lost only one - the bronze medal in the 18 km race went to Finnish skier T. Nick. The strongest skier in the world of those years, Norwegian T. Haug, was awarded three gold and one bronze medals.
The four from Switzerland won the bobsleigh. Canadian athletes were unsurpassed in hockey, having a huge advantage over their opponents. So, they won against the Czechoslovakian team with a score of 30:0, and against Switzerland - 33:0.
The only sport that was distinguished by intense rivalry between athletes from various countries - Austria, Great Britain, the USA, Finland, France, Switzerland, Sweden was figure skating. The Austrian athletes performed more confidently than others, who received two gold medals: the women's competition, where there were 8 participants, with big advantage The two-time world champion X. Planck-Szabo won, and X. Engelman and A. Berger won in pair skating. It is interesting that X. Engelman, although with a different partner, was the world champion back in 1913. However, a more striking example of athletic longevity was demonstrated by runners-up Ludovika and Walter Jacobson from Finland. They won the world championship for the first time in 1911, and were champions of the 1920 Olympic Games. In the men's competition, the Swedish figure skater G. Grafström won.
In the unofficial team competition, Norwegian athletes won with an overwhelming advantage over their opponents, winning 122.5 points and 18 medals - 4 gold, 7 silver, 7 bronze. Finnish Olympians were second with 59.5 points and 9 medals - 4 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze, and third were US athletes with 26 points and 3 medals - 1 gold and 2 silver.

3. II WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES

491 athletes took part in the competition, including 27 women from 25 countries.
Medals were played in 13 numbers of the program of 6 sports.
In skiing and speed skating, although the competition became somewhat more intense, the end result was about the same as in 1924. In skiing competitions, Norwegian athletes lost only 1 out of 4 gold medals. In speed skating, K. Thunberg (Finland) won 2 gold medals at distances of 500 and 1500 m. The Norwegians had one gold medal each - B. Evensen, who showed the same result as K. Thunberg at the 500-meter distance, and I. Ballangrud, who won the 5000 m distance. The 10,000 m speed skating competition had to be canceled due to a thaw. According to experts, only a strong thaw helped Swedish skiers win the 50 km ski race. The swollen heavy ski track did not allow the Norwegians to demonstrate their running technique.
At a distance of 18 km, the competition was held in slightly frosty conditions, the skiers from Norway were clearly stronger than their rivals. The victory at this distance was won by J. Gröttumsbroten, who was first in the double event. This outstanding athlete won the combined event at the 1932 Games.
Despite the fact that the Swiss athletes had the opportunity to thoroughly study the track on which the skeleton competitions were held, they failed to win a single medal. Here the Americans were stronger than others, managing to take first and second places in the speed sled competition. The US athletes also turned out to be stronger than others in bobsleigh - the second American team won, and the first took second place. This was the first and last time that a bobsled team consisted of 5 people. This victory began a long period of triumph for US bobsled athletes, who from the late 20s to the 40s received 14 medals, including 5 gold. Hockey tournament, as at the previous Games, without allowing the opponents to score a single goal, the Canadians won. However, this happened in the absence of the Americans, whose team did not arrive in St. Moritz. When the champions of the Games returned to their homeland, the Americans invited them to hold a meeting with a very strong hockey team Boston University. Such meetings were held frequently and the winners were always Canadians. However, this time the American hockey players won with a score of 1:0. This was the first defeat for Canadians in an international sports arena.
As at previous Games, the figure skating competitions took place in an atmosphere of intense rivalry. However, only G. Grafström managed to defend the title of champion, received in 1924. In the men's competition he won third gold medal. In the women's competition, Sonja Henie, an outstanding Norwegian figure skater who became the world champion a year before the Games, excelled. Subsequently, she became twice more Olympic champion in 1932 and 1936. Also, Sonia Henie won all the world championships until 1936. French figure skaters A. Joly and P. Brunet won in pair skating. Austrian skaters were forced to settle for two silver and bronze medals.
The overall team victory, as at the previous Games, was won by Norwegian athletes, winning 93 points and 15 medals - 5 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze. The Americans were second with 45 points and 6 medals - 2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze. The Swedish Olympians came third with 35 points and 5 medals - 2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze.

December 6th, 2013

The first Winter Olympic Games took place in 1924 in the French city of Chamonix.

Strictly speaking, these were not games at all. Officially, the event, held in the French city of Chamonix, was called: “International Sports Week on the occasion of the VIII Olympics.”

There was still about six months left until the eighth Olympiad; it started on July 5 in Paris. As for those sports competitions that took place in Chamonix, they were only related to the games by the participation of the IOC, under whose patronage the competitions were held.

The IOC members themselves must have had no idea how successful the sports week would be. The competition received wide publicity and aroused public interest, which is what the founder of the Olympic movement, Baron de Coubertin, actually counted on. The sports week, as a result, began to be called the first Winter Olympics, although the first White Games officially took place four years later, in 1928, in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Background.

Baron de Coubertin had been nurturing the idea of holding the Winter Games for many years. However, bringing it to life turned out to be difficult. The main obstacle, oddly enough, turned out to be those countries in which winter sports are especially popular. That is, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The Scandinavian countries organized their own competitions and did not want to hand them over to the Olympic Committee. From 1901 to 1926, the so-called Nordic Games were held in Stockholm.

Official opening ceremony of the Games in Chamonix

Their participants competed in speed skating and skiing, as well as in biathlon and ski jumping. In the Alpine countries, in turn, they cultivated skiing, but the masters of these competitions were also not eager to compete at the Olympics. For the time being, Coubertin was unable to break through the wall with which the Alpine and Scandinavian states surrounded their beloved sports disciplines. At the same time, there was a very clear logic in the regular refusals that the IOC received: what kind of Olympics could there actually be if the ancient Greeks did not compete in either speed skating or alpine skiing.

And yet, skates were included in the Olympic program. True, it was not about running, but about skating. The first sets of awards (4 pieces) were awarded in 1908 at the Olympics in London. Typically, the games themselves were summer, but the skating competitions took place in October. Among the winners, by the way, was our compatriot Nikolai Kolomenkin, who competed under the name Panin. He won in free skating, becoming, at the same time, first Olympic champion in the history of Russia.

Figure skating in 1924, The first medalists in figure skating (from left to right): Herma Szabo (Hungary, gold), Efel Makelt (Great Britain, silver), Beatrice Loughran (USA, bronze).

However, this was only one discipline. And at that time Coubertin could only dream of large-scale winter games. In 1912, despite all the efforts of the baron, they did not take place. Sweden, which hosted the summer games, said a resounding no, and that was it. Then Coubertin’s plans were disrupted by the First World War, during which it was necessary to forget not only about winter, but even about summer olympiads. And yet, in the early 20s, the baron tirelessly managed to lobby for the idea of holding a winter sports week. The tiny Alpine town of Chamonix was chosen as the location.

Its mayor, by the way, did not share the IOC’s enthusiasm. Preparation for the competition went through the roof. The decisive role was apparently played by French Prime Minister Gaston Vidal, who unexpectedly announced that he was going to speak at the opening ceremony. At this point, city officials had nowhere to go. And on January 24, the week of the Winter Games began, later called the first White Olympics.

Competitions.

293 athletes (280 men, 13 women) gathered in Chamonix. The opening ceremony, despite Vidal's performance, was very modest. The Olympic flame was not lit, and the IOC flag was flown at only a few competitions. The week itself, in the end, stretched for 14 days and ended only on February 5th. 17 countries, including Scandinavian countries, delegated their teams to France. The Soviet Union was not among those invited. Germany, the instigator of the world war, also did not participate in the games.

However, its allies – Austria and Hungary – were still represented in Chamonix. The winners of the games were, of course, Norway and Finland. The teams from these countries each won four gold medals, but the Norwegians finished higher in the overall standings. According to the results of the games, their treasury totaled 17 awards, the Finns received 11. The main star of the Suomi team was speed skater Klaus Thunberg, who won three gold awards. He excelled in the all-around, as well as at distances of 5 thousand meters and one and a half kilometers.

Only at a distance of 10 kilometers did Thunberg fail to become first; he was content with silver, losing the victory to compatriot Julius Skutnabb. The Norwegians could not compete with the Finns in skating, but in skiing types they had no equal in sport. This team also found its own hero, Turnleif Haug; he also brought from Chamonix three gold medals, won in the biathlon and two cross-country skiing races. Haug won a short race of 18 kilometers and, most importantly, a marathon (50 kilometers), which is now often called the royal race.

The Swiss won in bobsleigh, and the Canadians excelled in ice hockey. By the way, the Swiss also won another gold in an interesting discipline called the military patrol race. It was a competition of skiers who competed not only in speed, but also in accuracy. The military patrol race became the ancestor of biathlon, which was included in the Olympic program only in 1960.

Chamonix did not receive any benefit from the games, but went down in history as the first host city of the White Olympics. The local mayor's office, however, over time learned to benefit from this. After all, many tourists really want to see the city where the first Winter Games took place. There is even a small monument erected in their memory in Chamonix.

A total of 16 countries took part in the 1st Winter Games in Chamonix. 16 sets of awards were raffled off. The Norwegian team has the most medals (17): 4 gold, 6 silver and 7 bronze awards.

The phenomenon of 1924

Norwegian Sonja Henie came to the Olympics in Chamonix at the age of 11.
In France, Sonya took last place, but at the 2nd and 3rd Winter Games she invariably took gold.

Curling 1924

Only four teams participated in the curling tournament. Moreover, 2 teams represented Sweden. And the British won the first Olympic gold in this sport.

The 1924 Canadian hockey team was made up of players from the Toronto Granites amateur club. At the games in Chamonix, the “maple leaves” won the second olympic gold(the first time they conquered it was at the summer games in Antwerp in 1920).

Opening Ceremony 1924

No, this is not a fascist greeting. The German national team did not participate at all in the 1924 games, and the Germans had no thoughts about the superiority of the Aryan race at that time (well, maybe except for one person). What you see in the photo is the traditional Olympic greeting of French athletes.

In 1924, there was no main symbol of the Olympic Games - the Fire. Now the lighting of the Olympic flame is the culmination of the Opening Ceremony.

Bobsleigh 1924

The Great Britain Olympic team, without helmets, races towards their silver medal. The Swiss team won gold in 1924

Hockey. Team Canada vs Team USA in 1924

The 1924 Canadian hockey team was made up of players from the Toronto Granites amateur club. At the games in Chamonix, the Maple Leaves won their second Olympic gold.

In 1924, the Canadian team defeated the US team with a score of 6:1.

Total.

The public, athletes and the Olympic Committee were very pleased with the competition. Coubertin really managed to organize a holiday for everyone... except the financiers.

For the organizers of the Games, the results were disastrous. Despite Coubertin’s assurances that the competition of skiers and skaters would attract over 30 thousand spectators, only 10,044 people paid for tickets (the only source of income for the organizers at that time) - a disaster for financiers. And yet, in Chamonix, the IOC managed to achieve the main thing: public opinion reacted positively to the idea of the Winter Games.

In May 1926, in Lisbon, it was decided to hold the Second Winter Games in St. Moritz, and the Winter Sports Week was renamed the First Winter Olympics - this was the result of the difficult diplomatic mission of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, whose genius gave humanity another sports festival.

Monument to the 1st Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix

What else can I remind you about sports, well, for example: for example, and here. Look also in GIFs The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

MOSCOW, February 9 - RIA Novosti. The XXIII Winter Olympic Games start in PyeongChang (South Korea) on Friday and will last until February 25.

The following is background information on the history of the Winter Games.

The Winter Olympic Games are complex winter sports competitions held by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) once every four years.

For the first time, winter sports (figure skating) appeared at the 1908 Games in London. The issue of holding the Winter Olympic Games was discussed at the IOC session in Budapest in 1911. It was proposed to organize a special Winter Sports Week as part of the next Olympic Games in Stockholm, but the organizers of the Games opposed such a proposal. The program of the Summer Games in Antwerp (1920) included figure skating and ice hockey.

The 1st Winter Olympic Games were held from January 25 to February 5, 1924 in Chamonix (France). Their program included cross-country skiing competitions (18 and 50 km races, ski jumping, combined events), speed skating (500, 1500, 5000 and 10,000 m distances), figure skating (men's and women's singles, pair skating), and also hockey and bobsleigh. In addition, exhibition competitions were held - ski race military patrols and curling matches. A total of 16 sets of medals were competed for, for which 258 athletes from 16 countries competed. In the medal standings (hereinafter referred to as the team standings based on the number of gold medals), the Norwegian team won, winning 17 awards: 4 gold, 7 silver and 6 bronze medals. The second place was taken by the Finnish team - 11 awards (4 gold and silver, 3 bronze medals), the third - the Austrian team (2-1-0). The Games in Chamonix were originally called "Winter Sports Week" and did not have the status of the Olympic Games. Following their success, the IOC decided to hold the Winter Olympic Games regularly (every four years), and the competition held in Chamonix received official status as the first Olympic Winter Games.

The II Winter Olympic Games were held in St. Moritz (Switzerland) from February 11 to 19, 1928. 464 athletes from 25 countries took part in the Games, and 14 sets of medals were awarded. Skeleton was included in the program for the first time. For the first time, athletes from Asia - Japanese athletes - took part in the competition. In the medal standings, the first place was taken by the Norwegian team - 15 medals (6 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze), second place - the US team, which won 6 medals (2 gold, silver and bronze each), third place - the Swedish team with 5 medals ( 2 gold and silver, 1 bronze).

The III Winter Olympic Games were held in Lake Placid, America, from February 4 to 15, 1932. 252 athletes from 17 countries took part in them, and 14 sets of awards were competed for. At these competitions, for the only time in the history of the Olympic Games, speed skating races were held according to the rules adopted in the United States, that is, with a common start. In the medal standings, the USA team took first place - 12 awards (6 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals), the Norwegian team took second - 10 awards (3 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze medals), the Swedish team took third place - 3 awards (1 gold, 2 silver medals).

The IV Winter Olympic Games were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, from February 6 to 16, 1936. 646 athletes from 28 countries took part, and 17 sets of awards were awarded. The competition program included ski relay and competitions in the alpine skiing combination (downhill plus slalom). In the medal standings, the first place was taken by the Norwegian team - 15 awards (7 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze), the second place was taken by the German team - 6 awards (3 gold and silver each), the third place was taken by the Swedish team - 7 awards (2 gold and silver each). and 3 bronze).

The 1940 Winter Olympics were originally scheduled to take place from February 3 to 12 in Sapporo, Japan, but were canceled in 1939 due to the outbreak of World War II. The 1944 Winter Games were supposed to take place in the Italian city of Cortina d'Ampezzo, but were also cancelled.

The V Winter Olympic Games were held in St. Moritz, Switzerland from January 30 to February 8, 1948 and received a special name - the “Renaissance Games”. 669 athletes from 28 countries took part, and 22 sets of medals were competed for. Skeleton was again included in the Games program, which next appeared only in 2002. Athletes from Germany and Japan were not allowed to participate in the Games as representatives of countries that started World War II. In the medal standings, the teams of Sweden and Norway shared first place - 10 awards (4 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze). The second was the Swiss team, which also won 10 awards (3 gold and bronze and 4 silver medals). Third place went to the US team - 9 awards (3 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals).

The VI Winter Olympic Games were held in Oslo (Norway) from February 14 to 25, 1952. 694 athletes from 30 countries took part, and 22 sets of medals were competed for. For the first time, competitions were held among female skiers (a 10-kilometer race), and in alpine skiing competitions the combination was replaced by giant slalom. The hosts of the competition, the Norwegians, again excelled in the medal standings, winning 16 awards (7 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze). The Americans took second place - 11 medals (4 gold, 6 silver and 1 bronze). The Finnish team took third place - 9 awards (3 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals).

The VII Winter Olympic Games were held in the Italian Cortina d'Ampezzo from January 26 to February 5, 1956. 821 athletes from 32 countries participated, 24 sets of awards were awarded. The USSR team became the debutant of the Games. In the medal standings, it became the first, having won 16 awards ( 7 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze medals). The second place was taken by the Austrian team with 11 awards (4 gold and bronze, 3 silver). The Finnish team took third place - 7 awards (3 gold and 3 silver, 1 bronze medal).

The VIII Winter Olympic Games took place in Squaw Valley (USA) from February 18 to 28, 1960. 665 athletes from 30 countries took part in the Games, and 27 sets of medals were awarded. Biathlon, previously known as ski patrol competitions, was officially included in the Olympic program; women competed in speed skating. Due to the lack of a track, bobsleigh left the Games program for the first time. The USSR team won the medal standings, winning 21 awards (7 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze medals). The joint German team took second place - 8 awards (4 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medal). The US team was third with 10 awards (3 gold and bronze and 4 silver medals).
The IX Winter Olympic Games were held in Innsbruck (Austria) from January 29 to February 9, 1964. 1091 athletes from 36 countries took part in them, 34 sets of medals were competed for. Mongolia, India and North Korea. The USSR team won the medal standings - 25 awards (11 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze medals). The second was the Austrian team - 12 awards (4 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals), the third was the Norwegian team with 15 awards (3 gold, 6 silver and bronze medals).

The X Winter Olympic Games were held in Grenoble, France from February 6 to 18, 1968. 1,158 athletes from 37 countries took part, and 35 sets of awards were awarded. For the first time, medals featured a pictogram for each sport. In addition, the Games had their own mascot, but it was unofficial. The first place in the medal standings was taken by the Norwegian team - 14 awards (6 gold and silver medals, 2 bronze), in second place was the USSR team with 13 awards (5 gold and silver medals, 3 bronze), the third was the French team - 9 awards (4 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals).

The XI Winter Olympic Games were held in Sapporo (Japan) from February 3 to 13, 1972. 1006 athletes from 35 countries took part in the Games, and 35 sets of medals were awarded. For the first time, the Winter Olympics took place on the Asian continent. In the medal standings, the first were the USSR athletes, who won 16 awards (8 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals), the second was the GDR team - 14 awards (4 gold, 3 silver and 7 bronze medals). In third place is the Swiss team with 10 awards (4 gold, 3 silver and bronze medals).

The XII Winter Olympic Games were held in Innsbruck (Austria) from February 4 to 15, 1976. 1,123 athletes from 37 countries took part in the competition, and 37 sets of medals were awarded. Initially, the XII Winter Olympic Games were to be held in Denver (USA), but city residents voted against the construction of Olympic facilities in a referendum for environmental reasons. As a result, the competition was moved to Innsbruck. At this Olympics, ice dancing was included in the program. For the first time, the organizers chose the official mascot of the Games; it was a snowman. The first in the medal standings was again the USSR team, which won 27 awards (13 gold, 6 silver and 8 bronze medals), the second place was taken by the GDR team - 19 awards (7 gold and bronze, 5 silver medals). Third place goes to the US team, which won 10 medals (3 gold and silver, 4 bronze).

The XIII Winter Olympic Games were held in Lake Placid (USA) from February 13 to 24, 1980. 1072 athletes from 37 countries took part in them, and 38 sets of awards were awarded. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, artificial snow was used. The first place in the medal standings was taken by the USSR team, which won 22 awards (10 gold, 6 silver and bronze medals). The GDR team took second place - 23 awards (9 gold, 7 silver and bronze medals). Team USA took third place with 12 medals (6 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals).
The XIV Winter Olympic Games were held in Sarajevo (Yugoslavia, now the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina) from February 8 to 19, 1984. 1,272 athletes from 49 countries took part in them, and 39 sets of awards were awarded. In the medal standings, the GDR team took first place - 24 awards (9 gold and silver, 6 bronze medals), the USSR team took second place - 25 awards (6 gold, 10 silver, 9 bronze medals). The USA team took third place - 8 awards (4 gold and 4 silver medals).

The XV Winter Olympic Games were held in Calgary (Canada) from February 13 to 28, 1988. 1,423 athletes from 57 countries took part in the Games, and 46 sets of awards were awarded. The competition program included super-giant slalom, curling, freestyle, and speed skating. The first place in the medal standings was again taken by the USSR team, which won 29 medals (11 gold, 9 silver and bronze medals each), the GDR team was in second place - 25 awards (9 gold, 10 silver, 6 bronze). Switzerland took third place - 15 awards (5 gold, silver and bronze medals each).

The XVI Winter Olympic Games were held in Albertville (France) from February 8 to 23, 1992. 1,801 athletes from 64 countries took part in them, and 57 sets of awards were awarded. Winter Games in last time were held in the same year as the summer ones. Debuted in the Games program women's biathlon, short track and freestyle. The United team of athletes from the former republics of the USSR took part in the competition, performing under Olympic flag("United team of independent national Olympic committees sovereign countries"). For the first time since 1936, a single German team took part in the Games. The German team won the medal standings, winning 26 awards (10 gold, 10 silver and 6 bronze medals). The joint team took second place - 23 awards (9 gold, 6 silver and 8 bronze medals), third - the Norwegian team, which won 20 medals (9 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze).
The XVII Winter Olympic Games were held in Lillehammer (Norway) from February 12 to 27, 1994. 1,737 athletes from 67 countries took part in the Games, and 61 sets of awards were awarded. Due to the rescheduling of the Olympic Games so that the Winter Games did not coincide with the Summer Games, the Lillehammer Games were held two years after the Albertville Winter Olympics. The Russian team won the medal standings - 23 medals (11 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze medals). The Norwegian team took second place with 26 awards (10 gold, 11 silver and 5 bronze medals). The German team took third place - 24 awards (9 gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze medals).

The XVIII Winter Olympic Games were held in Nagano (Japan) from February 7 to 22, 1998. 2,176 athletes from 72 countries took part in them, and 68 sets of awards were competed for. Snowboarding made its debut in the Games program, and medals were awarded in women's hockey for the first time. A big event was the first visit of NHL players to the Winter Olympics. For the first time in Winter Games Athletes from Azerbaijan, Venezuela, Kenya, Macedonia and Uruguay took part. In the medal standings, the German team took first place - 29 awards (12 gold, 9 silver and 8 bronze medals), the Norwegian team took second place - 25 awards (10 gold and silver and 5 bronze medals). Took third place Russian team, which won 18 awards (9 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze medals).

The XIX Winter Olympic Games were held from February 8 to 24, 2002 in Salt Lake City (USA). 2,399 athletes from 77 countries took part in them, and 78 sets of awards were awarded. Competitions in women's bobsleigh in pairs appeared in the Olympic program, and skeleton returned for the first time since 1928. In the medal standings, the Norwegian team took first place - 25 awards (13 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze medals). The German team took second place - 36 awards (12 gold, 16 silver, 8 bronze medals), the US team took third place - 34 awards (10 gold, 13 silver and 11 bronze medals).

The XX Olympic Winter Games were held in Turin (Italy) from February 10 to 26, 2006. 2,508 athletes from 80 countries competed at the Olympics. 84 sets of awards were drawn. For the first time, athletes from Albania, Madagascar and Ethiopia took part in the competition. For the first time, video broadcasts of the Games could be watched using mobile phones. The organizers built the highest bowl for olympic flame 57 meters high. The first place in the medal standings was taken by the German team - 29 awards (11 gold, 12 silver and 6 bronze medals), the second place was taken by the US team - 25 awards (9 gold and silver, 7 bronze medals). The Austrian team was in third position - 23 awards (9 gold and 7 silver and bronze medals).

The XXI Winter Olympic Games took place from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. 2,566 athletes from 82 countries took part in them, and 86 sets of awards were competed for. The first place in the medal standings was taken by Canadian athletes - 26 awards (14 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals), the German team took second place - 30 awards (10 gold, 13 silver and 7 bronze medals), the US team took third place - 37 awards (9 gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze medals).

The XXII Winter Olympic Games took place from February 7 to 23, 2014 in Sochi. 2,780 athletes from 88 countries took part in the Games, and 98 sets of awards were awarded. Athletes from Malta, Paraguay, East Timor, Togo, Tonga and Zimbabwe made their Olympic debuts. For the first time, the competition began the day before the opening of the Olympics - February 6, 2014. These were qualifying starts in sports such as slopestyle in snowboarding, mogul freestyle, team tournament figure skaters. A number of sports were only included in the Olympic program in 2011, and if they were held after the opening of the Games, this could significantly disrupt the schedule.

In the medal standings, the Russian team took first place - 33 awards (13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze medals). Norway came second - 26 awards (11 gold, 5 silver and 10 bronze medals), third place went to the Canadian team - 25 awards (10 gold, 10 silver and 5 bronze medals)

In 2016, the ex-head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov, said that at least 15 Russian medalists The 2014 Olympics in Sochi were allegedly part of the Russian “doping program” aimed at dominating the home Games.

Following an investigation by an independent commission (WADA) led into doping in Russian sports The IOC has created two commissions. One of them - led by - rechecked doping samples from the Games in Sochi. The second commission, headed by the ex-president of Switzerland, checked data on possible intervention authorities into the Russian anti-doping system.

As a result of the work of the Oswald commission, 43 Russian athletes were banned for life from the Olympics, Russia lost 13 medals (4 gold, 8 silver and one bronze) and lost first place in the medal standings of the Games in Sochi.

On December 5, 2017, the IOC Executive Committee made a decision on disqualification (ROC). Russian athletes were admitted to the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang in a neutral status - “Olympic athletes from Russia.” The fate of each future Olympian had to be decided by the IOC commission led by Valérie Fourneyron. It was she who was responsible for invitations to athletes to the Olympics, which were issued only after a thorough study of the doping “background.”

February 1, 2017 (CAS) upheld 28 appeals Russian athletes to the decision (of the IOC) that banned them for life from participating in the Olympics and annulled their results at the Games in Sochi. As a result of the CAS decision, nine medals from the 2014 Olympics will be returned. Thus, the Russian team will have 11 gold, 9 silver and 9 bronze medals, and Russia will return to first place in the medal standings.

CAS also partially granted the appeals of 11 more athletes. The court found that they were guilty of violating anti-doping rules, but replaced the lifelong ban from the Olympics with inadmissibility only to the 2018 Games. At the same time, their results at the Olympics in Sochi remained annulled. The cases of three biathletes -, and - will be considered later.

Reacting to the decision, it said that it would carefully analyze the reasoning part of the court's decision when it is available, and "discuss next steps, including filing an appeal to the Swiss Federal Court." According to Swiss law, the IOC has the right to appeal to the Federal Court within 30 days after the publication of the reasons for the verdict. After this period, the CAS decision comes into force.