View source for 1960 Winter Olympics

{{Short description|Multi-sport event in Squaw Valley, California, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox Olympic games|1960|Winter|Olympics|
| image       = 1960 Winter Olympics logo.svg
| image_size  = 200
| caption     = Emblem of the 1960 Winter Olympics{{efn|The emblem represents a star or snowflake, and the Olympic rings.}}
| host_city   = [[Olympic Valley, California|Olympic Valley]], United States
| nations     = 30
| athletes    = 665 (521 men, 144 women)
| events      = 27 in 4 [[Olympic sports|sports]] (8 disciplines)
| opening     = February 18, 1960
| closing     = February 28, 1960
| opened_by   = [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Richard Nixon]]
| closed_by   = [[Avery Brundage]]<br>{{small|[[President of the International Olympic Committee]]}}
| cauldron    = [[Ken Henry (speed skater)|Ken Henry]]
| stadium     = [[Blyth Arena]]
| winter_prev = [[1956 Winter Olympics|Cortina 1956]]
| winter_next = [[1964 Winter Olympics|Innsbruck 1964]]
| summer_prev = [[1956 Summer Olympics|Melbourne 1956]]
| summer_next = [[1960 Summer Olympics|Rome 1960]]
}}
{{Location map
|USA
|relief     = 1
|label      = <small>Squaw<br>Valley</small>
|lat        = 39.196
|long       = -120.233
|caption    = Location in the [[United States]]
|float      = 
|background= 
|width      = 240
}}
The '''1960 Winter Olympics''' (officially the '''VIII Olympic Winter Games''' and also known as '''Squaw Valley 1960''') were a winter [[multi-sport event]] held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as [[Palisades Tahoe]]) in Squaw Valley (now known as [[Olympic Valley, California|Olympic Valley]]), California, United States. The resort was chosen to host the Games at the 1956 meeting of the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC). Squaw Valley was an undeveloped resort in 1955, so the infrastructure and all of the venues were built between 1956 and 1960 at a cost of {{US$|80000000|link=yes|year=1960}}. The layout was designed to be intimate, allowing spectators and competitors to reach most of the venues on foot.

The 1960 Winter Games hosted athletes from 30 nations, competing in four sports and 27 events. [[Biathlon]] and women's [[speed skating]] made their Olympic debuts. [[Bobsled]] was not on the Winter Olympic program for the only time; the organizers had decided the events did not warrant the cost of building a bobsled venue after a poll indicated that only nine countries were planning to participate.

== Host city selection ==
{{Location map
|California
|relief      = 1 
|label       = Squaw Valley
|mark        = Green_pog.svg
|lat         = 39.19631
|long        = -120.23356
|width       = 200
|float=<!--right|thumb|alt=A map of the United States with Squaw Valley in the middle west coast.-->
|caption     = Location in [[California]]
}}
[[Palisades Tahoe|Squaw Valley]], now called Palisades Tahoe, was a struggling ski resort with minimal facilities, which made its selection to host the 1960 Winter Olympics a surprise.{{sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|p=338}}  Wayne Poulsen and [[Alexander Cushing]] were inspired to bid for the Olympics by a newspaper article mentioning that [[Reno, Nevada]], and [[Anchorage, Alaska]], had expressed interest in the Games.<ref name="squawusa">{{cite web |title=The VIII Winter Olympic Games |url=http://www.squaw.com/winter/history_olympics.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716125604/http://www.squaw.com/winter/history_olympics.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |access-date=July 29, 2011 |publisher=Squaw Valley Ski Corporation |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name=squawioc>{{cite web|title=Squaw Valley 1960|publisher=International Olympic Committee|url=http://www.olympic.org/squaw-valley-1960-winter-olympics|access-date=July 29, 2011}}</ref> Poulsen, president of the Squaw Valley Development Company, petitioned California Governor [[Goodwin Knight]] to support a bid to host the Olympic Games. Knight's administration agreed and recommended that the [[California Legislature]] appropriate $1 million to the effort.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=19}}

Based on the financial support received from the State of California, the [[United States Olympic Committee]] (USOC) approved the bid on January 7, 1955. Cushing and the USOC received a resolution passed by the [[United States Congress]] and signed by President [[Dwight Eisenhower]], calling on the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) to consider Squaw Valley's bid for the 1960 Games.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=19}} Preliminary reports were drafted and submitted to the IOC, which was considering bids from [[Innsbruck]], Austria, [[St. Moritz]], Switzerland and [[Chamonix]], France.{{sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|p=338}} 

Squaw Valley was provisionally awarded the right to host the Games, but IOC president [[Avery Brundage]] {{Em dash}} himself an American {{Em dash}} warned the Organizing Committee that unless more funds were secured by April 1956, the bid would be awarded to Innsbruck.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|pp=19–20}} Another $4 million was committed by the [[California State Legislature|state legislature]], which met Brundage's requirements, and on April 4, 1956, the right to host the 1960 Winter Olympics was officially awarded to Squaw Valley.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=20}}<ref name=getgm>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hjAbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=600EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1028%2C1472479 |work=Pittsburgh Press |agency=United Press |title=Squaw Valley gets 1960 Winter Games |date=April 4, 1956 |page=48}}</ref> Competitors and officials from European nations were angered by the selection; they felt that the alpine ski courses were not up to specifications and that its base [[elevation]] of {{convert|6200|ft|round=5}} above [[sea level]] would prove too stressful on the athletes.<ref name=sroverview>{{cite web|title=1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/|access-date=August 2, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716122213/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/| archive-date= July 16, 2011 | url-status= dead}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ 1960 Winter Olympics bidding results<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aldaver.com/votes.html |title=IOC Vote History |access-date=October 6, 2011 |archive-date=May 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080525070757/http://www.aldaver.com/votes.html |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
|-
! rowspan=2 | City
! rowspan=2 | Country
! colspan=2 style="background:silver;"| Round
|-
! style="background:silver;"| 1
! style="background:silver;"| 2
|-
||[[Palisades Tahoe|Squaw Valley]] || {{flag|United States|1912}} || style="text-align:center;"|'''30''' || style="text-align:center;"|'''32'''
|-
||[[Innsbruck]] || {{flag|Austria}} || style="text-align:center;"|24 || style="text-align:center;"|30
|-
||[[Garmisch-Partenkirchen]] || {{flag|West Germany}} || style="text-align:center;"|5 || style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
||[[St. Moritz]] || {{flag|Switzerland}} || style="text-align:center;"|3 || style="text-align:center;"|—
|}

== Organization ==
[[Image:SquawValley-Olympic-sign.jpg|thumb|220px|Sign outside the Olympic Village at Squaw Valley in 2007]]
[[File:Squaw Valley Gondola.jpg|thumb|220px|Aerial tram to High Camp]]
[[File:Palisades Tahoe Village Elevated.jpg|thumb|220px|An elevated view of the village and some of the lifts at Palisades Tahoe]]

Squaw Valley in 1956 consisted of one chair lift, two rope tows, and a fifty-room lodge. Cushing presented the site as a blank canvas of unspoiled environment, where a world-class ski resort could be constructed.{{sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|p=338}}  The obscurity of the location was underscored at the closing ceremonies of the [[1956 Winter Olympics]]. Traditionally the mayor of the current host city passes a flag to the mayor of the next host city signalling the transfer of the Games. Since Squaw Valley was an unincorporated village it had no city government. John Garland, an IOC member from California, was asked to stand in and received the flag from the mayor of [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]].{{sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|p=338}}

After winning the right to host the Games, the California Olympic Commission was formed.{{sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|p=339}}  They were given four years to build venues, an Olympic Village, and expand infrastructure. With the expansion of roads, bridges, water and electrical capacity the resort of Squaw Valley was developed. Hotels, restaurants, administration buildings, a Sheriff's office and a sewage pumping and treatment plant were all constructed to support the influx of visitors for the Games.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|pp=27–28}} Organizers wanted the Olympics to be intimate with the venues close to one another.<ref name=sroverview/>  The [[Blyth Arena|Blyth Memorial Ice Arena]] was built along with three outdoor skating rinks, a 400-meter speed skating oval and four dormitories to house athletes. One venue deemed impractical to build was the bobsled run. Organizers felt the lack of possible entrants (a pre-Olympic poll indicated that only nine countries were planning to participate) and the high cost of building the run were sufficient deterrents to leave the bobsled events off the 1960 Olympic program.{{sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|p=339}}<ref name=bobsled>{{cite news|title=Everything you need to know about bobsled|work=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/olympics1998/sport/bobsled/articles/bobsled.htm|access-date=July 29, 2011|date=February 28, 1999}}</ref>

Several design innovations and new technologies were used for the 1960 Games. The speed skating, figure skating and ice hockey events were held on artificial ice for the first time in Olympic history. A refrigeration plant capable of heating 4,800 homes had to be built to generate and maintain the ice. The heat generated from the refrigeration plant was used to warm spectators, provide hot water, and melt the snow off of roofs. New timing equipment provided by [[Longines]] was installed that used a [[quartz clock]] to measure to the hundredths of a second. [[IBM]] provided a computer that was capable of tabulating results and printing them in English and French. Blyth Arena, site of the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the figure skating and ice hockey competitions, was built with a {{convert|22|in|cm|abbr=on}} gap in the roof, which would slide closed as the cables supporting the roof contracted during cold weather.<ref name=ps138>{{cite journal|title=Backstage at Winter Olympics|last=Shipler|first=Guy|journal=Popular Science|date=February 1960|pages=137–138|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vyoDAAAAMBAJ&q=ibm%201960%20winter%20olympics&pg=PA136|access-date=August 12, 2011}}</ref>

Funding for Cushing's initial bid to the IOC came from the California Legislature and investors in the "Squaw Valley Development Company", who were owners of the existing resort.{{sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|p=338}} To fund the construction, organizers turned to the federal government, which provided about a quarter of the $80 million required to host the Games. The monies were used to build sports arenas and provide military support for security during the Games.<ref name=ungar>{{cite book|title=Olympic Games: Federal Government Provides Significant Funding and Support|last=Ungar|first=Bernard L.|publisher=United States General Accounting Office|location=Washington D.C.|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5g2gPLrnPpAC|quote=squaw.|year=2000|page=19|isbn=0-7567-1501-6|access-date=July 29, 2011}}</ref> Further funding was secured from private sponsorships and from the State of California. Governor Knight and his successor [[Edmund "Pat" Brown]] remained behind the project, seeing it as a means to showcase the state of California to the world.{{sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|p=339}} 

=== Television ===
Prior to the 1960 Winter Olympics only the [[Cold War]] standoff had been televised, notably at the [[1952 Summer Olympics]] and the [[1956 Summer Olympics]]. Other than that, 24 hours or so after the events the United States televised brief news updates on the sporting competition. The 1960 Winter Olympics were the first Olympic games that were broadcast live on US television with anchorman [[Walter Cronkite]] talking the audience through a limited coverage.<ref>{{cite book|author1= Richard O. Davies|title=Sports in American Life: A History |publisher=Wiley|year=2016|isbn=9781118912379|page=316}}</ref> Broadcasts of events to European audiences had begun in 1956.{{sfn|Toohey|Veal|2008|p=71}} What was unprecedented was the sale of exclusive United States television rights to broadcast the games. The Organizing Committee decided to sell the television broadcast rights to [[CBS]] for $50,000.<ref name=worth>{{cite news|title=Are Olympic TV rights worth the price?|last=Spence|first=Jim|date=November 20, 1988|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/20/sports/views-of-sport-are-olympic-tv-rights-worth-the-price.html|access-date=July 29, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Olympics and Television |publisher=Museum of Broadcast Communications |url=http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=olympicsand |access-date=July 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628200608/http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=olympicsand |archive-date=June 28, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Unknown at the time was how lucrative the sale of broadcast rights would become. For example, CBS purchased the rights to broadcast the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] for $550,000.<ref name=worth/> During the games, CBS broadcast 15 and a quarter hours of television focusing on ice hockey, speed skating, figure skating, alpine skiing and ski jumping.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=73}} The impact of television was felt during the games. 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]].<ref name=squawioc/>

==Politics==
[[File:Brundage at Squaw Valley.png|thumb|Brundage (left) examines the facilities at Squaw Valley, 1960 Winter Olympics.]]
Athletic competition between the Soviet Union and United States had grown intense during the 1950s. Their opposing ideologies and interests in nations such as East and West Germany, China and North and South Korea created a delicate situation as the 1960 Winter Games approached. Of particular interest was the question of whether China would be allowed to participate.{{sfn|Espy|1979|p=61}}  Chinese athletes last competed at the [[1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Summer Games]] but had since withdrawn from the IOC due to a dispute over Taiwan's participation as a separate country.<ref>{{cite web|title=China and the Olympic Movement|last=Xiao|first=Li|publisher=China Internet Information Center|url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/null/116819.htm|access-date=August 4, 2011}}</ref> The United States supported Taiwan while the Soviet Union stood behind China. Given that the 1960 Games were to be held in the US, there was concern among IOC members that the host nation would not allow China or any other Communist country to take part.{{sfn|Espy|1979|p=61}} In 1957, IOC president [[Avery Brundage]], an American, announced that if the U.S. refused entry to any country recognized by the IOC, they would revoke Squaw Valley's invitation to host the Games and he would resign the presidency.{{sfn|Espy|1979|pp=61–62}} The U.S. did allow athletes from Communist countries to participate. China continued calls for Taiwan to be expelled from the IOC, demands that were refused until China broke off relations ending any hope they would participate in the 1960 Games.{{sfn|Espy|1979|pp=62–63}}

Problems similar to the issue with China broke out over North Korea and East Germany. Prior to the [[Korean War]] the IOC had recognized the Olympic committee of Korea, which was headquartered in [[Seoul]]. North Korea was not recognized as a separate country by the IOC, which maintained the existence of one Olympic committee. A unified team compromise was proposed but rejected by North Koreans, which meant only athletes from South Korea participated due to their prior recognition.{{sfn|Espy|1979|pp=66–67}}  Pressure for full recognition of East Germany continued despite the fact that both East and West Germany had participated as a [[United Team of Germany at the Olympics|unified team]] in 1956. One of the conditions for a unified German team was that the athletes be represented by a neutral flag. Initially West German officials refused to agree to this stipulation citing the fact that the West German flag had been used at both the 1956 Winter and Summer Games, although that flag was also [[Flag of East Germany#History|used by East Germany]] prior to 1959. Eventually the neutral flag was adopted and a unified German team participated.{{sfn|Espy|1979|p=67}}

== Events ==
The Games were held from February 18 to 28.<ref name=squawioc/>  Medals were awarded in 27 ''events'' contested in 4 sports (8 disciplines).<ref name=sroverview/>  The sport of [[Biathlon at the 1960 Winter Olympics|biathlon]] was added to the program as were speed skating events for women. After a poll was taken indicating that only nine countries would send a bobsled team, the organizers determined that bobsled would be removed from the Olympic program. Despite petitions from the [[International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation]] to reconsider, the organizers felt they could not justify the costs of constructing a bobsled run for nine competing nations. It would be the only time in Winter Olympic history that the bobsled events were not held.<ref name=sroverview/><ref name=bobsled/>
*{{GamesSport|Biathlon|Events=1}}
*{{GamesSport|Ice hockey|Events=1}}
*[[Ice Skating|Skating]]
**{{GamesSport|Figure skating|Events=3}}
**{{GamesSport|Speed skating|Events=8}}
*[[Skiing]]
**{{GamesSport|Alpine skiing|Events=6}}
**{{GamesSport|Nordic skiing}}
***{{GamesSport|Cross-country skiing|Events=6}}
***{{GamesSport|Nordic combined|Events=1}}
***{{GamesSport|Ski jumping|Events=1}}

=== Opening ceremonies ===
The chairman of the Pageantry Committee was [[Walt Disney]], who was responsible for producing both the [[Olympic Games ceremony|opening and closing ceremonies]] at Blyth Memorial Arena.<ref name=sroverview/> He organized an opening that included 5,000 entertainers, the release of 2,000 pigeons, and a military gun salute of eight shots, one for each of the previous Winter Olympic Games.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|pp=53–55}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Walt Disney:A Biography|last1=Krasniewicz|first1=Louise|last2=Blitz|first2=Michael|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location=Santa Barbara, USA|year=2010|page=132|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lZ3vTgpHgFoC&q=1960%20winter%20olympics%20disney&pg=PA132|isbn=978-0-313-35830-2| access-date=August 17, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> The opening ceremonies were held on February 18, 1960, at Blyth Arena in the midst of a blizzard. The heavy snow fall caused traffic problems that delayed the ceremony by an hour. The festivities began with a sustained drum roll as the flags of each participating nation were raised on specially designed flag poles. Vice President [[Richard Nixon]] represented the United States government and declared the Games open.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=53}} The Olympic cauldron was lit by [[Ken Henry (speed skater)|Kenneth Henry]], Olympic champion of the 500 meter speed skating race at the [[1952 Winter Olympics]] in Oslo. The Olympic oath was taken by [[Carol Heiss]] on behalf of all the athletes. As the national delegations left the stadium fireworks concluded the ceremonies.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=55}}

===Closing ceremonies===
The Games were brought to a close on afternoon of February 28 in Blyth Memorial Arena in front of 20,000 people. Flags of the participating nations were followed by the athletes who marched as a group with no national distinctions, a tradition carried over from the [[1956 Summer Olympics]]. The flag bearers made a semi-circle around the rostrum and the national anthems of Greece (even though the nation did not send a delegation to Squaw Valley), the United States, and Austria were played as their respective flags were raised. The [[Olympic Charter]] determinates that the [[Flag of Greece|Greek flag]] honors Greece as the originators of the Olympic Games, and it was displayed during the ceremony even despite Greece's absence, which was the only time in Olympic history that the country failed to send a team. The United States flag represented the host nation and the Austrian flag was raised because [[Innsbruck]], Austria was to be the host of the next games. IOC president Avery Brundage declared the Games closed, at which point the Olympic flame was extinguished. The Games concluded with the release of several thousand balloons.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|pp=59–60}}

== Sport competitions ==
=== Ice hockey ===
[[Image:Squaw-Valley-US-Russia-Final Buzzer-1960.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Ice hockey match between the [[United States men's national ice hockey team|United States]] and [[Soviet Union national ice hockey team|Soviet Union]]. The United States won the game, 3–2.]]
{{main|Ice hockey at the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
The [[ice hockey]] tournament took place at Blyth Arena and the [[Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink]].{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=121}}  Controversy over the amateur status of communist players overshadowed the event. [[Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Canadian]] Olympic officials objected to the use of "professional amateurs" by [[Eastern Bloc]] countries, and especially the [[Soviet Union at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Soviet Union]]. They alleged that the Soviets were giving their elite hockey players phantom jobs in the military that allowed them to play hockey full-time, which gave Soviet teams an advantage that they used to dominate Olympic hockey tournaments for more than 30&nbsp;years.{{sfn|Caraccioli|Caraccioli|2006|p=48}}  This issue started coming to light during the 1960 Games and would culminate in a Canadian boycott of the Olympic hockey tournament at the [[1972 Winter Olympics|1972]] and [[1976 Winter Olympics]].{{sfn|Caraccioli|Caraccioli|2006|p=xvii}}  The team from the [[United States at the 1960 Winter Olympics|United States]] won an improbable gold medal, defeating the favored Canadian and Soviet teams, who took silver and bronze respectively.<ref name=srhockey>{{cite web|title=Ice Hockey at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/ICH/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417054022/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/ICH/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 4, 2011}}</ref>  This was the first Olympic gold medal in ice hockey for the United States and it would mark the last time a Soviet team did not win the Olympic tournament until the [[United States at the 1980 Winter Olympics|United States]] [[Miracle on Ice|victory]] at the [[1980 Winter Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/olympics/2008/results/historical/events/322.htm|title=Ice Hockey: Ice Hockey Men|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=August 4, 2011}}</ref>

=== Cross-country skiing ===
{{Main|Cross-country skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
[[File:Sixten Jernberg, Innsbruck 1964.jpg|thumb|right|Sixten Jernberg in an Olympic cross-country race]]
There were six [[cross-country skiing (sport)|cross-country skiing]] races at the 1960 Olympics, four for men and two for women, all held at the McKinney Creek Cross-Country Complex. Soviet women swept the 10&nbsp;kilometer race, which was the first medal sweep for the Soviets in cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympics.<ref name=srcc>{{cite web|title=Cross Country Skiing at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/CCS/|access-date=August 11, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716122219/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/CCS/| archive-date= July 16, 2011 | url-status= dead}}</ref><ref name=mariya>{{cite web|title=Mariya Gusakova|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gu/mariya-gusakova-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418033240/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gu/mariya-gusakova-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 18, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref> They were however upset by [[Sweden at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Sweden]] in the 3×5 kilometer relay.<ref name=srcc/>  Nordic countries dominated the men's competition. Swedish lumberjack [[Sixten Jernberg]] added a gold and silver to the four medals he won in 1956. He would add two golds and a bronze in [[1964 Winter Olympics|1964]] to finish his Olympic career with nine medals, which made him the most decorated Winter Olympian.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sixten Jernberg|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/je/sixten-jernberg-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417070624/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/je/sixten-jernberg-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sixten Jernberg|publisher=ESPN|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/winter/2010/athletes/_/athlete/33164/sixten-jernberg|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref> The [[Finland at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Finnish]] skier [[Veikko Hakulinen]] added a gold, silver and bronze to the two golds and two silvers he had won in [[1952 Winter Olympics|1952]] and 1956.<ref name=judd/><ref>{{cite web|title=Veikko Hakulinen|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/veikko-hakulinen-1.html|access-date=August 11, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716122226/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/veikko-hakulinen-1.html| archive-date= July 16, 2011 | url-status= dead}}</ref>

=== Biathlon ===
{{Main|Biathlon at the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
[[File:Klas Lestander in Squaw Valley 1960.jpg|thumb|left|Klas Lestander during the 1960 Olympic biathlon competition]]
[[Biathlon]] made its Olympic debut in 1960. The precursor to biathlon, [[military patrol]], was on the Olympic program for the [[1924 Winter Olympics|first Olympic Games]] in 1924. It was a [[demonstration sport]] at the [[1928 Winter Olympics|1928]], [[1936 Winter Olympics|1936]], and [[1948 Winter Olympics]], though the competition was only open to members of the armed forces. Military patrol fell out of favor in 1948 due to anti-military sentiments in the post World War II era.{{sfn|Crego|2003|p=132}}  Biathlon took its place and was instated as a full Olympic sport in 1960. It encompassed a 20&nbsp;kilometer cross-country race with four shooting stations at ranges from {{convert|100|to|250|m|ft|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Crego|2003|pp=132–133}}  [[Klas Lestander]] from Sweden became the first Olympic champion, [[Antti Tyrväinen]] from Finland and Soviet [[Aleksandr Privalov]] placed second and third respectively.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biathlon at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/BIA/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417054027/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/BIA/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref>

=== Nordic combined ===
{{Main|Nordic combined at the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
The [[Nordic combined]] competition was held on February 21 at the Squaw Valley normal hill and the McKinney Creek Cross-Country Complex. The athletes had three jumps on February 21 followed by a 15&nbsp;kilometer cross-country race.<ref name=srnc>{{cite web|title=Nordic Combined at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/NCO/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417053620/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/NCO/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref>  [[Germany at the 1960 Winter Olympics|German]] skier [[Georg Thoma]] became the first non-Nordic athlete to win the event. He would win bronze medal in the Nordic combined in 1964.<ref>{{cite web|title=Georg Thoma|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/th/georg-thoma-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418135437/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/th/georg-thoma-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 18, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref> [[Tormod Knutsen]] of Norway and [[Nikolay Gusakov]] of the Soviet Union placed second and third, respectively. Gusakov's wife, [[Maria Gusakova]], competed in the cross-country events, winning a gold and silver.<ref name=srnc/><ref>{{cite web|title=Nikolay Gusakov|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gu/nikolay-gusakov-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418033216/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gu/nikolay-gusakov-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 18, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref>

=== Ski jumping ===
{{Main|Ski jumping at the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-37342-0004, Oberwiesenthal, Oster-Skispringen, Helmut Recknagel.jpg|thumb|right|Helmut Recknagel at a ski jumping event]]
There was one [[ski jumping]] event at the 1960 Games, the men's normal hill, which was held on February 28. In 1964, the competition would be expanded to include a men's large hill event. [[Helmut Recknagel]] became the first German to win the event.<ref name=srsj>{{cite web|title=Ski Jumping at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/SKJ/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417054019/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/SKJ/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ski Jumping|publisher=ESPN|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/winter/2010/sports/_/name/sj/ski-jumping|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref>  In [[1994 Winter Olympics|1994]] he would be joined by [[Jens Weißflog]] as the only German ski jumping Olympic champions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Olympic Ski Jumping Medalists|publisher=Ski Jumping Committee-USSA Eastern Division|url=http://www.skijumpeast.com/olymdls.htm|access-date=August 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930042500/http://www.skijumpeast.com/olymdls.htm|archive-date=September 30, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Niilo Halonen]] from Finland and [[Austria at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Austrian]] [[Otto Leodolter]] earned the silver and bronze medals.<ref name=srsj/>

=== Figure skating ===
{{Main|Figure skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
Held at [[Blyth Arena|Blyth Memorial Arena]], the [[figure skating]] competition took place between February 19 and 26. Although this was not the first time figure skating had been held indoors, it would never be contested outdoors again.<ref name=srfs>{{cite web|title=Figure Skating at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/FSK/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417063557/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/FSK/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref>  There were three events: men's and women's singles and the pairs competition. In the men's event, [[David Jenkins (figure skater)|David Jenkins]] of the United States, brother of 1956 Winter Olympic figure skating champion [[Hayes Jenkins]], won the gold medal.<ref name=judd>{{cite book|title=The Winter Olympics|last=Judd|first=Ron C.|publisher=The Mountaineers Books|location=Seattle, USA|year=2008|isbn=9781594850639|page=28}}
</ref>  It was his second Olympic medal, having won the bronze in 1956.<ref>{{cite web|title=Figure Skating at the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1956/FSK/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417054054/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1956/FSK/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref>  [[Czechoslovakia at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Czechoslovakian]] [[Karol Divín]] took the silver medal, and Canadian [[Donald Jackson (figure skater)|Donald Jackson]] won the bronze.<ref name=srfs/><ref>{{cite web|title=Czechoslovakia|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/TCH/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417092821/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/TCH/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref> American Carol Heiss, winner of the silver medal in 1956, became the Olympic champion in 1960. A year later she married Hayes Jenkins and starred in ''[[Snow White and the Three Stooges]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Carol Heiss|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/carol-heiss-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417223544/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/carol-heiss-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref> The [[Netherlands at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Dutch]] skater [[Sjoukje Dijkstra]] took the silver medal; she would finish her amateur career with an Olympic gold medal in [[1964 Winter Olympics|1964]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sjoukje Dijkstra|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/di/sjoukje-dijkstra-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417231825/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/di/sjoukje-dijkstra-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref> [[Barbara Ann Roles]] competed for the United States and won its third figure skating medal of the competition when she took the bronze. The Soviet Union made its Olympic figure skating debut by sending two couples to compete in the pairs competition; the result belied the fact that Soviet skaters would soon come to dominate this event.<ref name=srfs/> The competition was won by the Canadian pair of [[Barbara Wagner]] and [[Robert Paul (figure skater)|Bob Paul]] who had won the last three world championships. The German pair [[Marika Kilius]] and [[Hans-Jürgen Bäumler]] followed their recent European championship victory with the Olympic silver medal, and the American husband-and-wife team of [[Ron Ludington|Ron]] and [[Nancy Ludington]] took the bronze.<ref>{{cite web|title=Figure Skating at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games: Mixed Pairs|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/FSK/mixed-pairs.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417223829/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/FSK/mixed-pairs.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref>

=== Speed skating ===
{{Main|Speed skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
Women were allowed to compete in the Olympic [[speed skating]] competition for the first time in 1960. Multiple nations had requested the inclusion of women's speed skating events in the program for the 1956 Games, but the request was rejected by the IOC.<ref>{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of the Modern Olympic Movement|last1=Findling|first1=John E.|last2=Pelle|first2=Kimberly D.|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location=Westport, USA|year=1996|page=259|isbn=0313284776}}</ref>  The issue was revisited for the 1960 Games, and since women had been competing internationally since 1936 and there was a World Championship for women's speed skating, the IOC agreed to four events; 500, 1,000, 1,500, and 3,000 meters (the same as the number of men's events).<ref name="srss">{{cite web|title=Speed Skating at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/SSK/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417054029/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/SSK/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref>  Most of the events were held on the Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink, which was an outdoor skating oval, and featured artificial ice, a first for the Olympic speed skating competition. Given the altitude and the artificial ice, the rink was the fastest in the world, as evidenced by [[Norway at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Norwegian]] [[Knut Johannesen]]'s world record in the 10,000 meter event. At 15:46.6 he was the first skater ever to break the 16-minute barrier, and eclipsed the previous world record by 46 seconds.<ref name=srss/>  Despite Johannesen's victory, the Soviets dominated the speed skating events, winning all but two of the races. [[Yevgeny Grishin (speed skater)|Yevgeny Grishin]] won both the 500 and 1,500 meter races, though he shared the 1,500 meter gold medal with Norwegian [[Roald Aas]]. Grishin said that "watching the Soviet flag wave in the blue American sky" was the proudest moment of his life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radiovesti.ru/brand/60935/episode/1359901/|title = Зимняя Олимпиада 1960 года: советский флаг в американском небе}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Speed Skating at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games:Men's 1,500 metres|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/SSK/mens-1500-metres.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418034803/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/SSK/mens-1500-metres.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 18, 2020|access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref>  [[Lidiya Skoblikova]] from the Soviet Union was the other double gold medalist, when she won the 1,500 and 3,000 meter events. [[Poland at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Polish]] skaters [[Helena Pilejczyk]] and [[Elwira Seroczyńska]] placed second and third in the 1,500 meter event, which were Poland's only medals of the Games. They were just the second and third Poles ever to win Winter Olympic medals.<ref>{{cite web|title=Poland|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/POL/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417093102/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/POL/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref>

=== Alpine skiing ===
{{Main|Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
Despite the facilities being constructed from scratch at Squaw Valley, the resort did have steep mountain slopes in close proximity, resulting in some of the most difficult [[alpine skiing]] courses in Olympic history.<ref name=judd/> Both men and women competed in the downhill, giant slalom and slalom with all 6 events held between February 20 and 26.<ref name=sras>{{cite web|title=Alpine Skiing at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/ASK/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417063603/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1960/ASK/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref> The men's downhill was won by [[France at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Frenchman]] [[Jean Vuarnet]] who changed the sport by becoming the first Olympic champion to use metal skis.<ref name=judd/> [[Switzerland at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Swiss]] skier [[Roger Staub]] won the giant slalom and [[Ernst Hinterseer]] from [[Austria at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Austria]] was the slalom champion. German [[Heidi Biebl]] won the women's downhill, [[Yvonne Rüegg]] of Switzerland won the giant slalom and [[Anne Heggtveit]] from Canada won the slalom. [[Penny Pitou]] of the United States was the only multiple medal winner with two silvers in the downhill and giant slalom.<ref name=sras/>

==Calendar==
:''All dates are in [[Pacific Standard Time]] ([[UTC-8]])''
The opening ceremony was held on February 18, along with the first games of the Ice hockey tournament. From February 19 to 28, at least one event final was held each day.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|pp=54–59}}

<section begin="Calendar"/>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:90%;position:relative;" width=75%
|-
|style="background-color:#00cc33;"| '''OC''' ||Opening ceremony
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"| ● ||Event competitions
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"| '''1''' ||Event finals
|style="background-color:#ee3333;"| '''CC''' ||Closing ceremony
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:90%; line-height:1.25em;" width=75%
|-
!width="24%"|February
!width="6%"|18<br/>Thu
!width="6%"|19<br/>Fri
!width="6%"|20<br/>Sat
!width="6%"|21<br/>Sun
!width="6%"|22<br/>Mon
!width="6%"|23<br/>Tue
!width="6%"|24<br/>Wed
!width="6%"|25<br/>Thu
!width="6%"|26<br/>Fri
!width="6%"|27<br/>Sat
!width="6%"|28<br/>Sun
!width="10%"|Events
|- align="center"
|style="text-align:left;"| [[File:Olympic Rings Icon.svg|20px]] Ceremonies ||style="background-color:#00cc33;text-align:center;"| '''OC''' || || || || || || || || || ||style="background-color:#ee3333;text-align:center;"| '''CC'''||{{n/a}}
|- align="center"
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Image:Ice hockey pictogram.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Ice hockey at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Ice hockey]]
|
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"|●
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"|● 
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"|●
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"|●
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"|●
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"|●
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"|●
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"|●
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"|●
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|'''1'''
|- align="center"
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Image:Figure skating pictogram.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Figure skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Figure skating]]
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|
|'''3'''
|- align="center"
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Image:Speed skating pictogram.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Speed skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Speed skating]]
|
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|'''8'''
|- align="center"
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Image:Alpine skiing pictogram.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Alpine skiing]]
|
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|
|'''6'''
|- align="center"
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Image:Cross country skiing pictogram.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Cross-country skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Cross-country skiing]]
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|'''6'''
|- align="center"
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Image:Nordic combined pictogram.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Nordic combined at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Nordic combined]]
|
|
|
|style="background-color:#3399ff;"|●
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|'''1'''
|- align="center"
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Image:Ski jumping pictogram.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Ski jumping at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Ski jumping]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|'''1'''
|- align="center"
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Image:Biathlon pictogram.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Biathlon at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Biathlon]]
|
|
|
|style="background-color:#ffcc00;"|'''1'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|'''1'''
|-
!Daily medal events !! !! 2 !! 3 !! 3 !! 3 !! 4 !! 2 !! 2 !! 4 !! 2 !! 2 !! rowspan=2|27
|-
!Cumulative Total !! !! 2 !! 5 !! 8 !! 11 !! 15 !! 17 !! 19 !! 23 !! 25 !! 27
|-
!width="24%"|February
!width="6%"|18<br/>Thu
!width="6%"|19<br/>Fri
!width="6%"|20<br/>Sat
!width="6%"|21<br/>Sun
!width="6%"|22<br/>Mon
!width="6%"|23<br/>Tue
!width="6%"|24<br/>Wed
!width="6%"|25<br/>Thu
!width="6%"|26<br/>Fri
!width="6%"|27<br/>Sat
!width="6%"|28<br/>Sun
!Total events
|}
† The numeral indicates the number of event finals for each sport held that day.<section end="Calendar"/>

==Venues==
{{Main|Venues of the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
[[File:Squaw-Valley-1960-Ski-Venues.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Alpine runs of the<br>1960 Winter Olympics]]
The lack of facilities prior to the Olympics gave organizers freedom to tailor the layout of the venues to fit the needs of the athletes.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=33}} Their vision was for an intimate Games in which athletes and spectators could walk between venues.{{sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|p=338}} This was accomplished with the exception of the cross-country events, which were held at [[McKinney Creek Stadium|McKinney Creek]], a {{convert|12|mi|km|abbr=on}} drive from Squaw Valley.{{sfn|Findling|Pelle|2004|p=339}} In prior Winter Olympics the athletes were housed in hotels or billeted with local families. Since no such facilities existed in Squaw Valley, the organizers decided to build the first Olympic Village at the Winter Games.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/how-the-olympics-got-disneyfied/552659/|title=How the Olympics Got Disneyfied|last=Weinreb|first=Michael|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-02-08|language=en-US}}</ref> Competitors slept in one of four dormitories and ate together in a dining room. The complex was located centrally, with access to all the sporting facilities.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=33}}

The peaks surrounding Squaw Valley were used for the alpine skiing events. The ladies' downhill and men's slalom and giant slalom were on KT-22 mountain, while the ladies' slalom and giant slalom were contested on Little Papoose Peak. [[Washeshu Peak|Squaw Peak]] was the site of the men's downhill competition. Prior to the Games, concerns persisted that the courses would not meet international standards. To address these concerns, a test event was held in 1959 and the attending delegates from the [[International Ski Federation]] (FIS) left assured that the events would comply with FIS rules and specifications. Bleachers were constructed for officials, coaches and spectators, along with broadcast booths for radio and television.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=93}}  [[Papoose Peak Jumps]] was located on Little Papoose Peak directly opposite [[Blyth Arena|Blyth Memorial Arena]]. Designed by [[Heini Klopfer]], the hill was innovative in that it had 40-, 60-, and 80&ndash;meter jumps. Tall trees on both sides protected athletes from the wind, and it was situated so that the sun would be at the jumper's back during the competition.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=103}}

[[McKinney Creek Stadium]] was built to host all of the cross-country races, which included the biathlon and a portion of the Nordic combined competition. It consisted of a timing building, two [[Quonset hut]]s for competitors and course workers, a scoreboard, and bleachers to accommodate 1,200 people. Shooting ranges were interspersed throughout the biathlon course, and were supervised by [[non-commissioned officer]]s of the United States military.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|pp=109–118}}

Season tickets for the Games ranged from [[United States dollar|$]]60 to $250, the latter included a reserved seat at the ice arena; the daily admission fee {{nowrap|was $7.50.<ref name=bbolyt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SVNYAAAAIBAJ&pg=2247%2C801358 |work=Bend Bulletin |location= Oregon |agency=UPI |title=$60 for Olympic season ticket |date=December 2, 1958 |page=2}}</ref>}}

Blyth Memorial Arena was the centerpiece of the Games. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies jointly with Squaw Valley Olympic Skating Rink, and also hosted the figure skating competition, a few of the speed skating events, as well as most of the games in the hockey tournament.<ref>The alternate site for ice hockey and speed skating was the Squaw Valley Olympic skating rink, which was an outdoor venue with artificial ice.</ref>  All three of the sports were held indoors on artificial ice for the first time in Olympic history.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=121}}  At full capacity, the arena accommodated 11,000 people, 8,500 of whom were seated.<ref>{{cite web|title=Then and if|last=Brown|first=Matthew|work=Nevada Magazine|date=January–February 2010|url=http://www.nevadamagazine.com/issues/read/then_and_if/|access-date=August 17, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225192534/http://www.nevadamagazine.com/issues/read/then_and_if/|archive-date=December 25, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref>  One end of the stadium could be opened and closed, depending on the event. During the ceremonies it was open to allow for the entrance of the athletes; during the competitions it was closed to accommodate more spectators. A special machine was created to resurface the ice for all three competitions. It could lay a new ice surface on the 400-meter speed skating track in 45&nbsp;minutes. In addition to resurfacing the ice, the machine created the snow dividers that delineated the racing lanes.{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=121}}  The roof was designed on a suspension principle, using cables rather than vertical supports; this removed any visual impediments for the audience, but it weakened the strength of the roof. Given the amount of annual snowfall designers planned on using heat generated by the refrigeration plant to melt the snow.<ref name=ps138/>{{sfn|Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|1960|p=121}}  There were flaws in the design and miscalculations in the load the roof could bear, and during a particularly heavy snowfall in 1983, a portion of the roof collapsed and the building was subsequently demolished.<ref name=srhockey/>

{{as of|2016}}, three buildings from the 1960 Winter Olympics remain in Palisades Tahoe (formerly known as Squaw Valley).<ref name=SFGATE_expansion>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Big-Squaw-Valley-resort-expansion-heads-to-10616440.php|author=Peter Fimrite|title=Big Squaw Valley resort expansion gets the green light|date=15 November 2016|work=SFGATE|access-date=15 November 2016}}</ref> An expansion of the resort's village, currently in the planning stages, would see two of these buildings demolished.<ref name="SFGATE_expansion" />

==Participating nations==
Athletes from 30 nations competed at the 1960 Games. South Africa competed at the Winter Games for the first time and was the first African country to participate; it would be the last until 1994. Athletes from [[West Germany at the Olympics|West Germany]] (FRG) and [[East Germany at the Olympics|East Germany]] (GDR) competed together as the [[United Team of Germany]] from 1956 to 1964. The number at the end of each country denotes the number of athletes each country sent.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|title=Olympic Countries|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419213644/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 19, 2020|access-date=July 31, 2013}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable collapsible" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Participating [[:Category:Nations at the 1960 Winter Olympics|National Olympic Committees]]
|-
|
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
*{{flagIOC|ARG|1960 Winter|6}}
*{{flagIOC|AUS|1960 Winter|31}}
*{{flagIOC|AUT|1960 Winter|26}}
*{{flagIOC|BUL|1960 Winter|7}}
*{{flagIOC|CAN|1960 Winter|44}}
*{{flagIOC|CHI|1960 Winter|5}}
*{{flagIOC|TCH|1960 Winter|21}}
*{{flagIOC|DEN|1960 Winter|1}}
*{{flagIOC|FIN|1960 Winter|48}}
*{{flagIOC|FRA|1960 Winter|26}}
*{{flagIOC|GBR|1960 Winter|17}}
*{{flagIOC|HUN|1960 Winter|3}}
*{{flagIOC|ISL|1960 Winter|4}}
*{{flagIOC|ITA|1960 Winter|28}}
*{{flagIOC|JPN|1960 Winter|41}}
*{{flagIOC|LIB|1960 Winter|2}}
*{{flagIOC|LIE|1960 Winter|3}}
*{{flagIOC|NED|1960 Winter|7}}
*{{flagIOC|NZL|1960 Winter|4}}
*{{flagIOC|NOR|1960 Winter|29}}
*{{flagIOC|POL|1960 Winter|13}}
*{{flagIOC|RSA|1960 Winter|4}}
*{{flagIOC|KOR|1960 Winter|7}}
*{{flagIOC|URS|1960 Winter|62}}
*{{flagIOC|ESP|1960 Winter|4}}
*{{flagIOC|SWE|1960 Winter|47}}
*{{flagIOC|SUI|1960 Winter|21}}
*{{flagIOC|TUR|1960 Winter|2}}
*{{flagIOC|USA|1960 Winter|79}} '''(host)'''
*{{flagIOC|EUA|1960 Winter|74}}
{{div col end}}
|}

===Number of athletes by National Olympic Committee===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="border:0;"
|- 
! [[List of IOC country codes|IOC Letter Code]]
! Country
! Athletes
|-
| USA || {{flagIOC|USA|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 79
|-
| EUA || {{flagIOC|EUA|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 74
|-
| URS || {{flagIOC|URS|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 62
|-
| FIN || {{flagIOC|FIN|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 48
|-
| SWE || {{flagIOC|SWE|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 47
|-
| CAN || {{flagIOC|CAN|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 44
|-
| JAP || {{flagIOC|JPN|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 41
|-
| AUS || {{flagIOC|AUS|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 31
|-
| NOR || {{flagIOC|NOR|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 29
|-
| ITA || {{flagIOC|ITA|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 28
|-
| AUT || {{flagIOC|AUT|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 26
|-
| FRA || {{flagIOC|FRA|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 26
|-
| CZE || {{flagIOC|TCH|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 21
|-
| SWI || {{flagIOC|SUI|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 21
|-
| GRB || {{flagIOC|GBR|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 17
|-
| POL || {{flagIOC|POL|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 13
|-
| BUL || {{flagIOC|BUL|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 7
|-
| KOR || {{flagIOC|KOR|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 7
|-
| NET || {{flagIOC|NED|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 7
|-
| ARG || {{flagIOC|ARG|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 6
|-
| CHI || {{flagIOC|CHI|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 5
|-
| ICE || {{flagIOC|ISL|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 4
|-
| NZE || {{flagIOC|NZL|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 4
|-
| SAF || {{flagIOC|RSA|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 4
|-
| SPA || {{flagIOC|ESP|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 4
|-
| HUN || {{flagIOC|HUN|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 3
|-
| LIE || {{flagIOC|LIE|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 3
|-
| LEB || {{flagIOC|LIB|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 2
|-
| TUR || {{flagIOC|TUR|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 2
|-
| DEN || {{flagIOC|DEN|1960 Winter}} ||align=center| 1
|- class="sortbottom"
|colspan=2; style="text-align:right; border:0px; background:#fff;"| '''Total''' ||style="text-align:center; border:0px; background:#fff;"| '''665'''
|-
|}

==Medal count==
{{Main|1960 Winter Olympics medal table}}
Below is a list of nations that won medals at the Games:
{{Medals table
 | caption        = 
 | host           = 
 | show_limit     = 
 | remaining_text = 
 | flag_template  = flagIOC
 | event          = 1960 Winter
 | team           = 
 | gold_URS = 7 | silver_URS = 5 | bronze_URS = 9
 | gold_EUA = 4 | silver_EUA = 3 | bronze_EUA = 1
 | gold_USA = 3 | silver_USA = 4 | bronze_USA = 3 | host_USA = yes 
 | gold_NOR = 3 | silver_NOR = 3 | bronze_NOR = 0
 | gold_SWE = 3 | silver_SWE = 2 | bronze_SWE = 2
 | gold_FIN = 2 | silver_FIN = 3 | bronze_FIN = 3
 | gold_CAN = 2 | silver_CAN = 1 | bronze_CAN = 1
 | gold_SUI = 2 | silver_SUI = 0 | bronze_SUI = 0
 | gold_AUT = 1 | silver_AUT = 2 | bronze_AUT = 3
 | gold_FRA = 1 | silver_FRA = 0 | bronze_FRA = 2
 | gold_NED = 0 | silver_NED = 1 | bronze_NED = 1
 | gold_POL = 0 | silver_POL = 1 | bronze_POL = 1
 | gold_TCH = 0 | silver_TCH = 1 | bronze_TCH = 0
 | gold_ITA = 0 | silver_ITA = 0 | bronze_ITA = 1
}}
* The host nation is highlighted in blue.
‡ Since there was a tie in the men's 1,500&nbsp;meter speed skating race ([[1956 Winter Olympics#Medal count|like in 1956]]), two gold medals and no silver medals were awarded.<ref name="srss" />

===Podium sweeps===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Date
!Sport
!Event
!NOC
!Gold
!Silver
!Bronze
|-
|February 20
|[[Cross-country skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics|Cross-country skiing]] 
|[[Cross-country skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics – Women's 10 kilometre|Women's 10 kilometer]]
|{{flagIOC|URS|1960 Winter}}
|[[Maria Gusakova]]
|[[Lyubov Kozyreva (cross-country skier)|Lyubov Kozyreva]]
|[[Radia Yeroshina]]
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Olympics}}
* [[1960 Summer Olympics]]
* [[List of 1960 Winter Olympics medal winners]]
* [[Olympic Games]]
* [[Winter Olympic Games]]
* Other Olympic Games celebrated in the United States
** [[1904 Summer Olympics]] – [[St. Louis]]
** [[1932 Summer Olympics]] – [[Los Angeles]]
** [[1932 Winter Olympics]] – [[Lake Placid, New York|Lake Placid]]
** [[1980 Winter Olympics]] – Lake Placid
** [[1984 Summer Olympics]] – Los Angeles
** [[1996 Summer Olympics]] – [[Atlanta]]
** [[2002 Winter Olympics]] – [[Salt Lake City]]
** [[2028 Summer Olympics]] – Los Angeles
** [[2034 Winter Olympics]] – Salt Lake City

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Notelist}}
'''Citations'''
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=Striking Silver: The Untold Story of America's Forgotten Hockey Team|last1=Caraccioli|first1=Jerry|last2=Caraccioli|first2=Tom|publisher=Sports Publishing LLC|location=Champaign, USA|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=29Ezba9DGs0C&q=amateurs&pg=PR17|year=2006|isbn=1-59670-078-5| access-date=August 4, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}
* {{cite book|title=Sports and games of the 18th and 19th centuries|last=Crego|first=Robert|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport, USA|year=2003|url=https://archive.org/details/sportsgamesof18t0000creg|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/sportsgamesof18t0000creg/page/132 132]|quote=biathlon 1960 winter olympics.|isbn=0-313-31610-4| access-date=August 11, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}
* {{cite book|title=The politics of the Olympic Movement|last=Espy|first=Richard|publisher=University Press|location=Berkeley, USA|year=1979|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVcYzlvnpwYC&q=amateurism%20at%20the%20olympics%201960&pg=PA61|isbn=0-520-03777-4| access-date=August 4, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}
* {{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the modern Olympic movement|last1=Findling|first1=John E.|last2=Pelle|first2=Kimberly D.|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location=Westport, USA|year=2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QmXi_-Jujj0C&q=1960%20winter%20olympics&pg=PA338|isbn=0-313-32278-3| access-date=August 1, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Squaw Valley Organizing Committee|title=VIII Olympic Winter Games Squaw Valley, California 1960 Final Report|publisher=California Olympic Commission|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1960/1960w.pdf|year=1960|location=Squaw Valley, USA|access-date=June 23, 2009 <!--DASHBot-->|archive-date=December 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225173336/https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll8/id/9406/rec/28|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book|title=The Olympic Games:A Social Science Perspective|last1=Toohey|first1=Kristine|last2=Veal|first2=A.J.|publisher=CAB International|year=2008|location=Cambridge, USA|isbn=978-1-84593-346-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywy9aslk3M8C&q=sponsorship+olympics+cortina&pg=PA148| access-date=August 1, 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IOC games|games=1960 Winter Olympics }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080517015607/http://www.1960olympicphotos.com/ Bill Briner Photo Collection of the 1960 Games]
*{{YouTube|jdUsoyZy2aA|Clip of US vs USSR ice hockey match}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080704082313/http://www.marcolympics.org/jeux/1960/winter/index.php The program of the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics]
*[http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1960/1960w.pdf 1960 Winter Olympics Official Report]

{{coord|39.19631|-120.23356|type:landmark_region:US|format=dms|display=title}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports|woly}}
{{s-bef|before=[[1956 Winter Olympics|Cortina d'Ampezzo]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=VIII Olympic Winter Games<br/>[[Squaw Valley, Placer County, California|Squaw Valley]]|years=1960}}
{{s-aft|after=[[1964 Winter Olympics|Innsbruck]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Olympic Games}}
{{Events at the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
{{Nations at the 1960 Winter Olympics}}
{{1960 Winter Olympic venues}}
{{CBS Sports}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Olympics|United States|California|Sports|1960s}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winter Olympics 1960}}

[[Category:1960 Winter Olympics| ]]
[[Category:Olympic Games in the United States|1960]]
[[Category:Winter Olympics by year|1960]]
[[Category:Olympic Games in California|Winter 1960]]
[[Category:Winter multi-sport events in the United States|Olympics 1960]]
[[Category:1960 in multi-sport events]]
[[Category:1960 in American sports]]
[[Category:History of Placer County, California]]
[[Category:History of the Sierra Nevada (United States)]]
[[Category:February 1960 sports events in the United States]]
[[Category:1960 in sports in California]]