1992 Winter Olympics medal table

1992 Winter Olympics medals
LocationAlbertville,  France
Highlights
Most gold medals Germany (10)
Most total medals Germany (26)
Medalling NOCs20
← 1988 · Olympics medal tables · 1994 →

The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held in Albertville, France, from February 8 to 23. A total of 1,801 athletes representing 64 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) (+7 from 1988 Olympics) participated in 57 events (+11 from 1988) from 12 different sports and disciplines (+2 from 1988).[1] In a break from tradition, the medals were primarily made of crystal rather than metal: gold, silver, or bronze was used only on the border.[2]

Athletes from 20 NOCs won at least one medal, and athletes from 14 secured at least one gold medal. Making their first Olympic appearance since German reunification in 1990, Germany led in both gold and overall medals, with 10 and 26 respectively. The Unified Team, consisting of athletes from six former Soviet republics, was second in both categories, with 9 gold and 23 overall medals.[3] Four nations won their first Winter Olympic medal in Albertville. South Korea won the country's first Winter Olympic medal—a gold—when Kim Ki-hoon came first in the newly introduced Olympic sport of short track speed skating.[4][5] Silver medal-winning slalom skier Annelise Coberger—in addition to winning New Zealand's first Winter Olympic medal—became the first athlete from the Southern Hemisphere to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.[6] Speed skater Ye Qiaobo of the People's Republic of China and alpine skier Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg also won their countries first ever Winter Olympic medals in Albertville.[7][8] Croatia and Slovenia participated at their first Olympic Games as independent nations, though neither won a medal.[1]

Two athletes, both cross-country skiers for the Unified Team, tied for the most medals for an individual athlete with five each. Lyubov Yegorova won three gold and two silver medals, while Yelena Välbe won one gold and four bronze medals.[9] Ski jumper Toni Nieminen of Finland became the youngest male to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics at the age of 16.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "Albertville 1992". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on June 29, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  2. ^ "Medallists to get Stones". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: New Straits Times Press. January 6, 1993. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  3. ^ "1992 Albertville, France". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 18, 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  4. ^ "Winter Olympics End in Triumph as Canada Captures Gold Record". BusinessWeek. Bloomberg L.P. March 1, 2010. Archived from the original on April 4, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  5. ^ "Olympics South Korea's best-ever Games raking in cash". Channel NewsAsia. MediaCorp. March 2, 2010. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  6. ^ Leggat, David (February 12, 2010). "Winter Olympics: Medals elusive in rarefied arena". New Zealand Herald. Auckland, NZ: APN News & Media. ISSN 1170-0777. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  7. ^ "Once Banned, Speedskater wins China's First Medal". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Knight Ridder. February 11, 1992. p. D5.
  8. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Marc Girardelli". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  9. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "1992 Albertville Winter Games". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.