 Poster for the 1948 Winter Olympics | |
| Location | St. Moritz, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Nations | 28 |
| Athletes | 669 (592 men, 77 women) |
| Events | 22 in 4 sports (9 disciplines) |
| Opening | 30 January 1948 |
| Closing | 8 February 1948 |
| Opened by | |
| Stadium | St. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink |
Winter Summer | |
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (German: V. Olympische Winterspiele; French: Ves Jeux olympiques d'hiver; Italian: V Giochi olimpici invernali; Romansh: V Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948 (French: Saint-Moritz 1948; Romansh: San Murezzan 1948), were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936.
From the selection of a host city in a neutral country to the exclusion of Japan and Germany, the political atmosphere of the post-war world was inescapable during the 1948 Games. The organizing committee faced several challenges due to the lack of financial and human resources consumed by the war. These were the first of two winter Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Sigfrid Edström.
28 nations marched in the opening ceremonies on 30 January 1948. Bibi Torriani played for the Switzerland men's national ice hockey team and became the first ice hockey player to recite the Olympic Oath on behalf of all athletes.[1] Nearly 670 athletes competed in 22 events in four sports. The 1948 Games also featured two demonstration sports: military patrol, which later became the biathlon, and winter pentathlon, which was discontinued after these Games. Notable performances were turned in by figure skaters Dick Button and Barbara Ann Scott and skier Henri Oreiller. Most athletic venues have existed since St. Moritz first hosted the Winter Games in 1928. All the venues were outdoors, meaning the Games were heavily dependent on favorable weather conditions.
- ^ "Factsheet - Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games" (PDF) (Press release). International Olympic Committee. 9 October 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2019.