Winter Olympics facts
While investigating facts about Winter Olympics 2020 and Winter Olympics 2022, I found out little known, but curios details like:
Knowing he was the slowest competitor, Australian speed skater Steven Bradbury won gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics by cruising behind and simply avoiding group crashes in both the semi-final and final
how often are the winter olympics?
Philip Boit, the first Kenyan to participate in the Winter Olympics. Competing in the 10 KM classic cross-country race he came in last. The winner, Bjørn Dæhlie, waited for Boit to reach the finish line in order to hug him. The moment affected him so much Boit named his son after Dæhlie
Where was the last winter olympics held at?
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering winter olympics at whistler. Here are 50 of the best facts about Winter Olympics 2018 and Winter Olympics 2026 I managed to collect.
why is norway so good at winter olympics?
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Steven Bradbury, a speedskater and Australia’s first gold medalist in the Salt Lake Winter Olympics, won his medal by purposely going slower than the other 4 skaters and hoping that one or more of them would crash to secure at least a bronze. All four crashed near the finish line.
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In 2006, 74 yr. old Luciano Pavarotti was asked to perform at Italy's Winter Olympic's opening ceremony. Later that year he was diagnosed with inoperable, stage 4, pancreatic cancer; however, he decided to perform anyways. It was his last performance.
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26.5 million Canadians tuned into the gold medal final in men's hockey during the 2010 Winter Olympics. That's 80% of the entire country's population.
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At the 2006 Winter Olympics, a Norwegian coach handed a spare ski pole to a Canadian after she broke hers during a relay race. The Canadian skier went on to win a silver medal. Canadian citizens were so appreciative they collectively gave the coach more than 5 tons of Maple Syrup.
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The Jamaican bobsled team received $30,000 in Dogecoin, funding their trip to compete at the 2014 Winter Olympics
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The Jamaican bobsled team returned to the Winter Olympics in '14 after failing to qualify in '06 & '10. Lacking funds, the cryptocurrency Dogecoin community raised $30,000 on the teams behalf in two days
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The first time "Instant Replay" was used was in the 1960 winter olympics. In the men's slalom event, officials who were unsure if a skier had missed a gate asked CBS if they could review tape of the event. This request gave CBS the idea for what is now known as instant replay.
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Norway has the won the most gold medals in winter Olympic history and is the only nation to have at least 100 medals of each gold, silver, and bronze
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A Japanese snowboard champion became a porn star, and recently came back to won national championship in Japan after only 4 days of training, and is now prepping for next winter Olympics
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Only five (5) athletes--three women and two men--have ever won a medal at both the Winter AND Summer Olympic Games. Eddie Eagan, the first to do it, is still the only athlete to win gold in both.
Winter Olympics data charts
For your convenience take a look at Winter Olympics figures with stats and charts presented as graphic.
Why did the winter olympics happened in 1992 and 1994?
You can easily fact check why did winter olympics change years by examining the linked well-known sources.
The 1940 Winter Olympics were originally given to Japan. They declined the games due to the start of the Sino-Japanese War. Eventually they were awarded to Germany. Three months later, Germany invaded Poland. The games were canceled altogether.
The United States has more gold medals in the Olympics (Summer and Winter) than every individual country's combined medal count except for the former Soviet Union. - source
At the 2002 winter Olympics, an Australian went from last place to winning the gold medal in speed skating after every other skater crashed on the last corner. - source
The Russian F.S.B. (formerly KGB) figured out a way to open and then reseal a tamperproof urine specimen jar to cheat in the 2014 winter Olympics. - source
When winter olympics 2020?
Edward Eagan from Denver, Colorado is the only Olympian to receive gold in both the winter and summer Olympics for bobsled and boxing
How many sports are in the winter olympics?
All three Axis Powers, Germany, Japan, and Italy, were each supposed to host the 1936, 1940, and 1944 Winter Olympics respectively. Only Germany got the chance as both Japan and Italy’s Olympic opportunity were canceled due to the Second World War.
In 1924, the first Olympic Winter Games, Canada scored 132 goals and let in 3 in the entire ice hockey competition.
Norway has the most Winter Olympic medals of all time (329) with USA behind (282)
Despite having only 5 million inhabitants, Norway has the most winter Olympic medals in the world, and the top three most winning athletes are all Norwegian.
Winter olympics infographics
Beautiful visual representation of Winter Olympics numbers and stats to get perspecive of the whole story.