View source for Winter Olympic Games

{{Short description|Major international multi-sport event}}
{{For-multi|the upcoming games|2026 Winter Olympics|other|Winter Olympics (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} 
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
{{Olympic Games sidebar}}
{{Infobox recurring event
| name        = Winter Olympic Games
| image       = 2022 Winter Olympics cauldron at Yanqing Winter Olympic Cultural Square (20220219134049).jpg
| image_size  = 200px
| caption     = The Olympic flame in [[Beijing]] during the [[2022 Winter Olympics]]
| list_years  = yes
| list_sports = yes
}}
The '''Winter Olympic Games''' ({{langx|fr|link=no|Jeux olympiques d'hiver}}),{{efn|"French and English are the official languages for the Olympic Games".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/General/EN-Olympic-Charter.pdf|title=Olympic Charter: Section 23 Languages|page=53|date=8 August 2021|access-date=31 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514221054/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/General/EN-Olympic-Charter.pdf|archive-date=14 May 2021|url-status=live }}</ref>}} also known as the '''Winter Olympics''', is a major international [[multi-sport event]] held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the [[1924 Winter Olympics]], were held in [[Chamonix]], France. The modern Olympic Games were inspired by the [[ancient Olympic Games]], which were held in [[Olympia, Greece]], from 776 BCE to 394 CE. The [[Pierre de Coubertin|Baron Pierre de Coubertin]] of France founded the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) 1,500 years later in 1894, leading to the first modern [[Summer Olympic Games]] in Athens, Greece in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the [[Olympic movement|Olympic Movement]], with the [[Olympic Charter]] defining its structure and authority.
The original five Winter Olympic Sports (consisting of nine disciplines) were [[Bobsleigh at the 1924 Winter Olympics|bobsleigh]], [[Curling at the 1924 Winter Olympics|curling]], [[Ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics|ice hockey]], [[Nordic skiing at the 1924 Winter Olympics|Nordic skiing]] (consisting of the disciplines [[Military patrol at the 1924 Winter Olympics|military patrol]],{{efn|name=IOCMilitaryPatrol}} [[Cross-country skiing at the 1924 Winter Olympics|cross-country skiing]], [[Nordic combined at the 1924 Winter Olympics|Nordic combined]], and [[Ski jumping at the 1924 Winter Olympics|ski jumping]]), and [[Ice Skating|skating]] (consisting of the disciplines [[Figure skating at the 1924 Winter Olympics|figure skating]] and [[Speed skating at the 1924 Winter Olympics|speed skating]]).{{efn|At the closing of the 1924 Games a prize was also awarded for 'alpinisme' ([[mountaineering]]), a sport that did not lend itself very well for tournaments: [[Pierre de Coubertin]] presented a prize for 'alpinisme' to [[Charles Granville Bruce]], the leader of the expedition that tried to climb [[Mount Everest]] in 1922.}} The Games were held every four years from 1924 to 1936, interrupted in 1940 and 1944 by [[World War II]], and resumed in [[1948 Winter Olympics|1948]]. Until 1992, the [[Summer Olympic Games]] and the Winter Olympic Games were held in the same year. A decision to change this was made in 1986, when during the [[List of IOC meetings|91st International Olympic Committee session]], IOC members decided to alternate the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games on separate four-year cycles in even-numbered years. Also, at that same congress it was decided that [[1992 Winter Olympics]] would be the last to be held in the same year as the Summer Games and that to change the rotation, the games that would be held in 1996 would be brought forward by two years, being scheduled to [[1994 Winter Olympics|1994]]. After those games, the next were to be [[1998 Winter Olympics|held in 1998]] when the four-year Olympic Cycle resumed.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Archives|first=L. A. Times|date=14 October 1986|title=Olympics to Hold Events Every 2 Years: Winter Games to Be Split Off, Start Own 4-Year Cycle in '94|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-10-14-mn-3527-story.html|access-date=12 February 2024|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Riding|first=Alan|date=12 February 1993|title=OLYMPICS: One Year to Lillehammer; '94 Olympics Are on Schedule Now That Budget Games Are Over|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/12/sports/olympics-one-year-lillehammer-94-olympics-are-schedule-now-that-budget-games-are.html|access-date=12 February 2024|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The Winter Olympic Games have evolved since their inception. Sports and disciplines have been added and some of them, such as [[Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics|alpine skiing]], [[Luge at the Winter Olympics|luge]], [[Short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics|short track speed skating]], [[Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics|freestyle skiing]], [[Skeleton at the Winter Olympics|skeleton]], and [[Snowboarding at the Winter Olympics|snowboarding]], have earned a permanent spot on the Olympic program. Some others, including [[Curling at the Winter Olympics|curling]] and [[Bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics|bobsleigh]], have been discontinued and later reintroduced; others have been permanently discontinued, such as [[Military patrol (sport)|military patrol]], though the modern Winter Olympic sport of [[Biathlon at the Winter Olympics|biathlon]] is descended from it.{{efn|name=IOCMilitaryPatrol|The official website of the IOC now treats Men's Military Patrol at the 1924 Games as a separate discipline, without mixing it with the sports of [[Nordic skiing|Skiing]] or [[Biathlon]].<ref name=IOC1924AllSports>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/chamonix-1924/results
|title=Chamonix 1924 Results|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=IOC1924Biathlon>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/chamonix-1924/results/military-patrol/military-patrol-men|title=Chamonix 1924 Military Patrol Men Results|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> However, the 1924 Official Report treats it as an event and discipline within what was then called Skiing and is now called [[Nordic skiing]].<ref name=OffRep1924MilPat01>Official Report (1924), p.&nbsp;646: Le Programme ... II. — Epreuves par équipes - 12. Ski : Course militaire (20 à 30 kilomètres, avec tir). (The Programme ... II. — Team events - 12. Skiing : Military Race (20 to 30 kilometres, with shooting)).</ref><ref name=OffRep1924MilPat02>Official Report (1924), p.&nbsp;664: CONCOURS DE SKI - Jurys - COURSE MILITAIRE. (Skiing Competitions - Juries - Military Race)</ref>}} Still others, such as [[speed skiing]], [[bandy]] and [[skijoring]], were [[demonstration sports]] but never incorporated as Olympic sports. The rise of television as a global medium for communication enhanced the profile of the Games. It generated income via the sale of broadcast rights and advertising, which has become lucrative for the IOC. This allowed outside interests, such as television companies and corporate sponsors, to exert influence. The IOC has had to address numerous criticisms over the decades like internal scandals, the use of [[Doping at the Olympic Games|performance-enhancing drugs]] by Winter Olympians, as well as a political [[boycott]] of the Winter Olympic Games. Countries have used the Winter Olympic Games as well as the Summer Olympic Games to proclaim the superiority of their political systems.

The Winter Olympic Games have been hosted on three continents by thirteen countries, all of whom are located in the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. They have been held four times in the [[United States at the Olympics|United States]] ([[1932 Winter Olympics|1932]], [[1960 Winter Olympics|1960]], [[1980 Winter Olympics|1980]], and [[2002 Winter Olympics|2002]]), three times in [[France at the Olympics|France]] ([[1924 Winter Olympics|1924]], [[1968 Winter Olympics|1968]], and [[1992 Winter Olympics|1992]]) and twice each in [[Switzerland at the Olympics|Switzerland]] ([[1928 Winter Olympics|1928]] and [[1948 Winter Olympics|1948]]), [[Austria at the Olympics|Austria]] ([[1964 Winter Olympics|1964]] and [[1976 Winter Olympics|1976]]), [[Norway at the Olympics|Norway]] ([[1952 Winter Olympics|1952]] and [[1994 Winter Olympics|1994]]), [[Japan at the Olympics|Japan]] ([[1972 Winter Olympics|1972]] and [[1998 Winter Olympics|1998]]), [[Italy at the Olympics|Italy]] ([[1956 Winter Olympics|1956]] and [[2006 Winter Olympics|2006]]) and [[Canada at the Olympics|Canada]] ([[1988 Winter Olympics|1988]] and [[2010 Winter Olympics|2010]]). Also, the Winter Olympic Games have been held just once each in [[Germany at the Olympics|Germany]] ([[1936 Winter Olympics|1936]]), [[Yugoslavia at the Olympics|Yugoslavia]] ([[1984 Winter Olympics|1984]]), [[Russia at the Olympics|Russia]] ([[2014 Winter Olympics|2014]]), [[South Korea at the Olympics|South Korea]] ([[2018 Winter Olympics|2018]]), and [[China at the Olympics|China]] ([[2022 Winter Olympics|2022]]). The IOC has selected the Italian cities of [[Milan]] and [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]] to host the [[2026 Winter Olympics]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/48748380|title=Winter Olympics: Italy's Milan-Cortina bid chosen as host for the 2026 Games|work=BBC News|date=24 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics|website=milanocortina2026.org|url=https://www.milanocortina2026.org/}}</ref>  The Winter Olympics are usually held in February, during the winter season of the Northern Hemisphere. {{As of|2024}}, no city in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] has applied to host the Winter Olympic Games in the month of August (during the winter months of the Southern Hemisphere).

{{As of|2022}}, twelve countries have participated in every Winter Olympic Games{{snd}}Austria, Canada, [[Finland at the Olympics|Finland]], France, [[Great Britain at the Olympics|Great Britain]], [[Hungary at the Olympics|Hungary]], Italy, Norway, [[Poland at the Olympics|Poland]], [[Sweden at the Olympics|Sweden]], Switzerland, and the United States. Also, Czechoslovakia participated in all Winter Olympic Games before its [[Dissolution of Czechoslovakia|dissolution]] and its successors, Czech Republic and Slovakia have participated in all Winter Games thereafter. Six of these countries have won medals at every Winter Olympic Games{{snd}}Austria, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States. The only country to have won a gold medal at every Winter Olympic Games is the United States. Norway leads the [[all-time Olympic Games medal table|all-time medal record]] for the Winter Olympic Games. When including defunct states, Germany (comprising the former countries of West Germany and East Germany) leads, followed by Norway, Russia (including the former Soviet Union), and the United States.

==History==
===Early years===
[[File:1908 Olympic Games Ulrich Salchow.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=a man standing on ice in figure skates|[[Ulrich Salchow]]<br />at the 1908 Olympics]] A predecessor, the [[Nordic Games]], were organised by General [[Viktor Gustaf Balck]] in [[Stockholm]], Sweden, in 1901 and were held again in 1903 and 1905 and then every fourth year thereafter until 1926.<ref name=origins>{{cite journal|title=The Nordic Games and the Origins of the Winter Olympic Games|last=Edgeworth|first=Ron|publisher=LA84 Foundation|journal=International Society of Olympic Historians Journal|volume=2|issue=2|date=May 1994|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv2n2/JOHv2n2h.pdf|access-date=9 March 2009|archive-date=27 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727010955/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv2n2/JOHv2n2h.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Balck was a charter member of the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]] and a close friend of [[Olympic Games]] founder [[Pierre de Coubertin]]. He attempted to have winter sports, specifically [[figure skating]], added to the Olympic programme but was unsuccessful until the [[1908 Summer Olympics]] in London.<ref name=origins/> Four figure skating events were contested, at which [[Ulrich Salchow]] (10-time world champion) and [[Madge Syers]] won the individual titles.<ref>{{cite news|title=1908 Figure Skating Results|website=[[CNN/SI]]|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/events/1998/nagano/medals/1908Results.html|access-date=9 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010211191356/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/events/1998/nagano/medals/1908Results.html|archive-date=11 February 2001 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Figure Skating History|website=CNN/SI|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2002/sport_explainers/figureskating_history/|access-date=9 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040814210217/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2002/sport_explainers/figureskating_history/|archive-date=14 August 2004 }}</ref>

Three years later, Italian count [[Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux]] proposed that the IOC stage a week of winter sports included as part of the [[1912 Summer Olympics]] in Stockholm, Sweden. The organisers opposed this idea because they desired to protect the integrity of the Nordic Games and were concerned about a lack of facilities for winter sports.<ref>Judd (2008), p. 21</ref><ref name=cbc.ca>{{cite news|title=1924 Chamonix, France|work=[[CBC Sports]]|date=18 December 2009|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/2.722/1924-chamonix-france-1.812439|access-date=5 March 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302162004/http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/history/story/2009/11/25/sp-1924-chamonix.html|archive-date=2 March 2010}}</ref><ref>Findling and Pelle (2004), p. 283</ref>

The idea was resurrected for the [[1916 Summer Olympics|1916 Games]], which were to be held in Berlin, Germany. A [[International Winter Sports Week|winter sports week]] with [[speed skating]], figure skating, [[ice hockey]] and [[Nordic skiing]] were planned, but the 1916 Olympics was cancelled after the outbreak of [[World War I]].<ref name=cbc.ca/>

===1920 to 1936===
[[File:Sonja Henie gold 1928.jpg|thumb|upright|Sonia Henie's Olympic gold medal, St. Moritz 1928.]]
The first Olympics after the war, the [[1920 Summer Olympics]], were held in [[Antwerp]], Belgium,<ref name=Games1920/> and featured figure skating<ref name=1920figureskating>{{cite web|title=1920 Olympic Figure Skating|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/antwerp-1920/results/figure-skating|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> and an ice hockey tournament. Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey were banned from competing in the games. At the [[List of IOC meetings|IOC Congress]] held the following year it was decided that the host nation of the [[1924 Summer Olympics]], France, would host a separate "International Winter Sports Week" under the patronage of the IOC. [[Chamonix]] was chosen to host this week (actually 11&nbsp;days) of events.

[[1924 Winter Olympics|The 1924 games]] in Chamonix proved to be a success when more than 250 athletes from 16 nations competed in 16 events.<ref name=Games1924/> Athletes [[Finland at the 1924 Winter Olympics|from Finland]] [[Norway at the 1924 Winter Olympics|and Norway]] won 28 medals, more than the rest of the participating nations combined.<ref>{{cite web|title=1924 Chamonix Winter Games|website=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1924/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417042619/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1924/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|access-date=12 March 2009}}</ref> The first gold medal awarded was won by [[Charles Jewtraw]] of the United States in the 500-meter speed skate. [[Sonja Henie]] of Norway, at just 11 years old, competed in the ladies' figure skating and, although finishing last, became popular with fans. [[Gillis Grafström]] of Sweden defended his 1920 gold medal<ref name=1920figureskating/> in men's figure skating, becoming the first Olympian to win gold medals in both Summer and Winter Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|title=1924 Figure Skating Results|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/chamonix-1924/results/figure-skating|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> 
Germany remained banned until 1925, and instead hosted a series of games called [[Deutsche Kampfspiele]], starting with the winter edition of 1922 (which predated the first Winter Olympics). In 1925 the IOC decided to create a separate winter event and the 1924 games in Chamonix were retroactively designated as the first Winter Olympics.<ref name=cbc.ca/><ref name=Games1924/>

[[St. Moritz]], Switzerland, was appointed by the IOC to host the [[1928 Winter Olympics|second Winter Games]] in 1928.<ref>Findling and Pelle (2004), pp. 289–290</ref> Fluctuating weather conditions challenged the hosts. The [[Olympic Games ceremony|opening ceremony]] was held in a blizzard while warm weather conditions plagued sporting events throughout the rest of the games.<ref>Findling and Pelle (2004), p. 290</ref> Because of the weather the 10,000&nbsp;metre speed-skating event had to be abandoned and officially cancelled.<ref name=warmweather>{{cite web|title=1928 Sankt Moritz Winter Games|website=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1928/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417041048/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1928/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|access-date=12 March 2009}}</ref> The weather was not the only noteworthy aspect of the 1928 games: [[Sonja Henie]] of [[Norway at the 1928 Winter Olympics|Norway]] returned to the Winter Olympics to make history when she won the [[Figure skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics|ladies' figure skating]] at the age of 15. She became the youngest Olympic champion in history, a distinction she held for 70&nbsp;years, and went on to defend her title at the next two Winter Olympics.<ref name=Games1928/> [[Gillis Grafström]] won his third consecutive figure skating gold<ref>{{cite web|title=1928 Olympics Figure Skating Results|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/st-moritz-1928/results/figure-skating|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> and went on to win silver in 1932,<ref name=1932Figureskating>{{cite web|title=1932 Olympics Figure Skating Results|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/lake-placid-1932/results/figure-skating|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> becoming the most decorated men's figure skater to date.

The [[1932 Winter Olympics|next Winter Olympics]], held in Lake Placid, New York, United States was the first to be hosted outside of Europe. Seventeen nations and 252 athletes participated.<ref name=Games1932/> This was less than in 1928, as the journey to [[Lake Placid, New York|Lake Placid]] was too long and expensive for some European nations that encountered financial problems in the midst of the [[Great Depression]]. The athletes competed in fourteen events in four sports.<ref name=Games1932/> Virtually no snow fell for two months before the Games, and there was not enough snow to hold all the events until mid-January.<ref>Findling and Pelle (2004), p. 298</ref> Sonja Henie defended her Olympic title,<ref name=1932Figureskating/> and [[Eddie Eagan]] of the United States, who had been an Olympic champion in boxing in 1920,<ref>{{cite web|title=Antwerp 1920 Boxing Results|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/antwerp-1920/results/boxing|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> won the gold medal in the [[Bobsleigh at the 1932 Winter Olympics|men's bobsleigh event]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Guardian Story of 1932 Bobsled Team|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2010/feb/25/forgotten-story-magnificent-men-flying-machine|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|location=London|date=25 February 2010|access-date=23 February 2020}}</ref> to join [[Gillis Grafström]] as the only athletes to have won gold medals in both the [[Summer Olympic Games|Summer]] and Winter Olympics.<ref name=Games1932/> Eagan has the distinction as the only Olympian as of 2020 to accomplish this feat in different sports.<ref>{{cite web|title=Olympic Athlete Edward Eagan|url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/edward-eagan|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>

The German towns of [[Garmisch-Partenkirchen|Garmisch and Partenkirchen]] joined to organise the [[1936 Winter Olympics|1936 Winter Games]], held from 6–16 February.<ref>Seligmann, Davison, and McDonald (2004), p. 119</ref> This was the last time the [[1936 Summer Olympics|Summer]] and Winter Olympics were held in the same country in the same year. [[Alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics|Alpine skiing]] made its Olympic debut, but skiing teachers were barred from entering because they were considered to be professionals.<ref name=Games1936/> Because of this decision [[Switzerland at the 1936 Winter Olympics|the Swiss]] [[Austria at the 1936 Winter Olympics|and Austrian]] skiers refused to compete at the games.<ref name=Games1936/>

[[World War II]] interrupted the Winter Olympics. The [[1940 Winter Olympics|1940 games]] had been awarded to [[Sapporo]], Japan, but the decision was rescinded in 1938 because of the Japanese [[Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945)|invasion]] of China. The games were then to be held at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, but the 1940 games were cancelled following the German [[invasion of Poland]] in 1939.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The First Four Olympics|last=Lund|first=Mortund|journal=Skiing Heritage Journal|publisher=International Skiing History Association|date=December 2001|page=21|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XFgEAAAAMBAJ&q=winter+olympics+world+war+2+cancel&pg=PA21|access-date=18 April 2011}}</ref> Due to the ongoing war, the [[1944 Winter Olympics|1944 games]], originally scheduled for [[Cortina D'Ampezzo]], Italy, were cancelled.<ref>Mallon and Buchanon (2006), p. xxxii</ref>

===1948 to 1962===
[[File:1956 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies.jpg|thumb|alt=An open-air arena with crowds in the stands and people on the playing field surrounding a rostrum|upright|The opening ceremonies of the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo]]
St. Moritz was selected to host the [[1948 Winter Olympics|first post-war games, in 1948]]. Switzerland's neutrality had protected the town during World War II, and most venues from the 1928 games remained in place, which made St. Moritz a logical choice. It became the first city to host a Winter Olympics twice.<ref>Findling and Pelle (2004), p. 248</ref> Twenty-eight countries competed in Switzerland, but athletes from Germany and Japan were not invited.<ref name=Games1948/> Controversy erupted when two hockey teams from the [[United States at the 1948 Winter Olympics|United States]] arrived, both claiming to be the legitimate U.S. Olympic hockey representative. The [[Olympic flag#Flag|Olympic flag]] presented at the [[1920 Summer Olympics]] in Antwerp was stolen, as was its replacement. There was unprecedented parity at these games, during which 10 countries won gold medals—more than any games to that point.<ref>Findling and Pelle (2004), pp. 250–251</ref>

The [[Olympic Flame]] tradition was [[1952 Winter Olympics|introduced at the 1952 games]] in [[Oslo]], when the flame was lit in the fireplace by Norwegian skiing pioneer [[Sondre Nordheim]] and the first Winter torch relay was conducted by 94 torchbearers entirely on their skis.<ref name=Games1952/><ref>Findling and Pelle (2004), p. 255</ref> [[Bandy]], a popular sport in the Nordic countries, was featured as a demonstration sport, though [[Norway at the 1952 Winter Olympics|only Norway]], [[Sweden at the 1952 Winter Olympics|Sweden]], [[Finland at the 1952 Winter Olympics|and Finland]] fielded teams. Norwegian athletes won 17 medals, which outpaced all the other nations.<ref>{{cite web|title=1952 Oslo Winter Games|website=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1952/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417040522/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1952/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|access-date=14 May 2010}}</ref> They were led by [[Hjalmar Andersen]] who won three gold medals in four events in the [[Speed skating at the 1952 Winter Olympics|speed skating]] competition.<ref>{{cite web|title=Speed Skating at the 1952 Oslo Winter Games|website=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1952/SSK/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417043455/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1952/SSK/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|access-date=14 May 2010}}</ref>

After not being able to host the games in 1944, [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]] was selected to organise the [[1956 Winter Olympics]]. At the opening ceremonies the final torchbearer, Guido Caroli, entered the [[Stadio olimpico del ghiaccio|Olympic Stadium]] on ice skates. As he skated around the stadium his skate caught on a cable and he fell and burned his arm, nearly extinguishing the flame. He was able to recover and light the cauldron.<ref>{{cite web|title=1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Games|website=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1956/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417041338/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1956/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|access-date=13 March 2009}}</ref> These were the first Winter Games to be televised, and the first Olympics ever broadcast to an international audience, though no television rights were sold until the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in [[Rome]].<ref name=g136>Guttman (1986), p. 135</ref> The Cortina games were used to test the feasibility of televising large sporting events.<ref name=g136/>

The [[Soviet Union at the 1956 Winter Olympics|Soviet Union]] made its Olympic debut and had an immediate impact, winning more medals than any other nation.<ref name=Games1956/> The Soviets' immediate success might be explained by the advent of the state-sponsored "full-time amateur athlete". The [[Soviet Union at the Olympics|USSR]] entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students, soldiers, or working in a profession, but many of whom were in reality paid by the state to train full-time.<ref name=Benjamin_Daniel>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,976117-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902183140/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,976117-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 September 2009|title=Traditions Pro Vs. Amateur|author=Benjamin, Daniel|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=18 March 2009|date=27 July 1992}}</ref><ref name=Otto_Schantz>{{cite web|last=Schantz|first=Otto|title=The Olympic Ideal and the Winter Games Attitudes Towards the Olympic Winter Games in Olympic Discourses—from Coubertin to Samaranch|publisher=Comité International Pierre De Coubertin|url=http://www.coubertin.ch/pdf/schantz.pdf|access-date=13 September 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505052232/http://www.coubertin.ch/pdf/schantz.pdf|archive-date=5 May 2013 }}</ref> [[Chiharu Igaya]] won the first Winter Olympics medal [[Japan at the 1956 Winter Olympics|for Japan]] and the continent of Asia when he placed second in the slalom.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chiharu Igaya|website=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ig/chiharu-igaya-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417073527/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ig/chiharu-igaya-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|access-date=23 August 2010}}</ref>

The IOC awarded the [[1960 Winter Olympics|1960 Olympics]] to [[Squaw Valley Ski Resort|Squaw Valley]], United States.<ref name=Games1960/> 
the announcement of its selection came as a shock as the resort was undeveloped and unknown outside the United States. About US$80,000,000 was spent over four years to build the completely non-existent infrastructure.<ref name=j27>Judd (2008), pp. 27–28</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Backstage at Winter Olympics|last=Shipler|first=Gary|journal=[[Popular Science]]|date=February 1960|page=138|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vyoDAAAAMBAJ&q=1960+winter+olympics&pg=PA136|access-date=6 August 2009}}</ref> The opening and closing ceremonies were the firsts produced by [[Walt Disney]] Company.<ref name=j28>Judd (2008), p. 28</ref> The Squaw Valley Olympics was the first Winter Games to have a dedicated athletes' village,<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|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=8 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=18 February 1960|title=Squaw Valley 1960: How it all began|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/squaw-valley-1960-how-it-all-began|access-date=31 January 2022|website=IOC}}</ref> the first to use a computer (courtesy of [[IBM]]) to tabulate results, and the first to feature female speed skating events. This edition is the only one to date to not have bobsleigh competitions, as the number of countries registered in the event was insufficient and the costs of building the track were too high for the Organizing Committee.To replace the event, an extra edition from the [[FIBT World Championships 1960|FIBT World Championship was held]].<ref name=j28/>

===1964 to 1980===
[[File:Miracle on Ice.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|alt=An empty arena with the sheet of ice and the score board|right|The [[Herb Brooks Arena]] <br />in [[Lake Placid, New York|Lake Placid]] ({{Circa|2007}}), site of<br />the "[[Miracle on Ice]]" in [[Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics|1980]]]]

The Austrian city of [[Innsbruck]] was the host in [[1964 Winter Olympics|1964]]. For the first time, the Olympic torch of the Winter Olympic Games was lit at the traditional ritual held in the temple of Olympia. Although Innsbruck was a traditional winter sports resort, unprojected warm weather caused a lack of snow and organisers were unable to save enough snow to be used during the Games, and the Austrian army was enlisted to transport snow and ice from other places to the sports venues.<ref name=j28/> [[Soviet Union at the 1964 Winter Olympics|Soviet]] speed-skater [[Lidia Skoblikova]] made history by winning all four-speed skating events. Her career total of six gold medals set a record for Winter Olympics athletes.<ref name=j28/> Also, for the first time [[Luge]] was added to the Olympic program, but the sport received bad publicity when a competitor was killed in a pre-Olympic training run.<ref name=Games1964/><ref>Judd (2008), p. 29</ref>

Held in the French town of [[Grenoble]], the [[1968 Winter Olympics]] were the first Olympic Games to be broadcast in colour. There were 1,158 athletes from 37 nations competing in 35 events.<ref name=Games1968/> [[France at the 1968 Winter Olympics|French]] alpine ski racer [[Jean-Claude Killy]] became only the second person to win all the men's alpine skiing events. Due the high interest around the world, the organising committee sold television rights for US$2&nbsp;million, which was more than twice the cost of the broadcast rights for the Innsbruck Games.<ref name=fp277>Findling and Pelle (2004), p. 277</ref> For the first time, the organizers chose to decentralize the Games to save costs and the events were spread across three long distances clusters, which led to the need to build three Olympic Villages. Along the high costs, the organisers claimed that this was necessary to accommodate technological advances, however, critics disputed this, alleging that the layout would incorporate the best possible venues for television broadcasts at the athletes' expense.<ref name=fp277/>

The [[1972 Winter Olympics|1972 Winter Games]], held in [[Sapporo]], Japan,<ref name=Games1972/> were the first to be hosted on a continent other than North America or Europe. The issue of professionalism was disputed during these Games when a number of alpine skiers were found to have participated in a ski camp at [[Mammoth Mountain]] in the United States; three days before the opening ceremony, IOC president [[Avery Brundage]] threatened to bar the skiers from competing in the Games as he insisted that they were no longer amateurs having benefited financially from their status as athletes.<ref>Findling and Pelle (2004), p. 286</ref> Eventually only [[Austria at the 1972 Winter Olympics|Austrian]] [[Karl Schranz]], who earned more than the other skiers, was excluded from the competition.<ref>Fry (2006), pp. 153–154</ref> Canada boycotted the [[Ice hockey at the 1972 Winter Olympics|1972]] and the [[Ice hockey at the 1976 Winter Olympics|1976 ice hockey tournaments]] in protest at not being able to use players from professional leagues.<ref name="Num17">{{cite web|author1=Podnieks, Andrew|author2=Szemberg, Szymon|year=2008|url=http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-17.html|title=Story #17–Protesting amateur rules, Canada leaves international hockey|website=[[International Ice Hockey Federation]]|access-date=13 May 2009}}</ref> Canadian authorities also accused the Soviet Union of using state-sponsored athletes, who were de facto professionals.<ref>{{cite news|work=CBC Sports|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/2.722/1972-sapporo-japan-1.800516|title=1972 Sapporo, Japan: An Olympics marred by scandal and controversy|date=1 December 2009|access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> [[Francisco Fernández Ochoa]] became the first and, as of 2022, the only [[Spain at the 1972 Winter Olympics|Spaniard]] to win a Winter Olympic gold medal when he triumphed in the [[Alpine skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics|slalom]].<ref name=factsheetp5>{{cite web|url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Factsheets/The-Olympic-Winter-Games.pdf|title=Factsheet - The Olympic Winter Games|page=4|date=14 October 2021|access-date=31 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717170012/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Factsheets/The-Olympic-Winter-Games.pdf|archive-date=17 July 2021|url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[1976 Winter Olympics]] had initially been awarded in 1970 to [[Denver]], [[Colorado]] in the United States. These Games would have coincided with the year of Colorado's [[centennial]] and the [[United States Bicentennial]]. However, the increasing costs of the event and the oil crisis led to a local plebiscite held in November 1972, that resulted in the city withdrawing from hosting the Games, as the people of Colorado voted against public funding of the Games by a 3:2 margin.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/millennium/1012stone.shtml|title=Colorado only state ever to turn down Olympics|newspaper=[[Rocky Mountain News]]|location=Denver|access-date=23 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601181029/http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/millennium/1012stone.shtml|archive-date= 1 June 2009 }}</ref><ref>Fry (2006), p. 157</ref> The IOC responded by offering the Games to [[Vancouver]]-[[Garibaldi Ranges|Garibaldi]], [[British Columbia]] in [[Canada]], which had previously been a finalist bid for the 1976 Games. However, a change in the provincial government resulted in an administration that did not support the Olympic bid, so the IOC's offer was rejected.<ref name=Games1976/>

[[Salt Lake City]], previously a candidate for the 1972 Winter Olympics, then put itself forward, but a tense political situation led IOC to invite Innsbruck to host the 1976 Games, as all the infrastructure used during the 1964 Games had been maintained. Despite only having half the usual time to prepare for the Games, Innsbruck accepted the invitation to replace Denver in February 1973.<ref name=Games1976/> During the opening ceremonies, two cauldrons were lit because it was the second time that the Austrian town had hosted the Winter Games.<ref name=Games1976/> The 1976 Games featured the first [[Igls bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track|combination bobsleigh-and-luge track]], in neighbouring [[Igls]].<ref name=factsheetp5/> The [[Soviet Union at the 1976 Winter Olympics|Soviet Union]] won its fourth consecutive ice hockey gold medal.<ref name=Games1976/>

[[1980 Winter Olympics|In 1980]] the Winter Olympics returned to Lake Placid, which had hosted the 1932 Games.Unlike previous editions, Lake Placid had no competitors in this bid process. [[Cyprus]] made their Olympic debut at the games. People's Republic of China and the first tropical nation [[Costa Rica]] competed for the first at the Winter Games. The [[Republic of China]] boycoted the Games, in protest of the IOC's recognition of the [[People's Republic of China]] as the only "China", and its request for the Republic of China to compete as "[[Chinese Taipei]]". The PRC, on the other hand, returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1952 and made its Winter Olympic debut.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kiat.net/olympics/history/winter/w13lakeplacid.html|title=XIII Winter Games|website=Kiat.net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617022813/http://www.kiat.net/olympics/history/winter/w13lakeplacid.html|archive-date=17 June 2012}}</ref><ref name="Findling and Pelle 1996 p. 299">Findling and Pelle (1996), p. 299</ref>

[[United States at the 1980 Winter Olympics|American]] speed-skater [[Eric Heiden]] set either an Olympic or World record in every one of the five [[Speed skating at the 1980 Winter Olympics|events]] in which he competed, winning a total of five individual gold medals and breaking the record for most individual golds in a single Olympics (both Summer and Winter).<ref>Judd (2008), pp. 135–136</ref> [[Hanni Wenzel]] won both the slalom and giant slalom and her country, [[Liechtenstein at the 1980 Winter Olympics|Liechtenstein]], became the smallest nation to produce an Olympic gold medallist.<ref name=Games1980/> In the "[[Miracle on Ice]]", the [[United States men's national ice hockey team|American hockey team]] composed of college players beat the favoured seasoned professionals from the [[Soviet Union national ice hockey team|Soviet Union]], and progressed to eventually win the gold medal.<ref>{{cite news|title=A Golden Moment|last=Huber|first=Jim|website=CNN/SI|date=22 February 2000|url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/thenetwork/news/2000/02/21/cnnsicomprofile_miracleonice/|access-date=18 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080516004705/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/thenetwork/news/2000/02/21/cnnsicomprofile_miracleonice/|archive-date=16 May 2008 }}</ref>{{efn|name=IOC1980-USA-Finland01|The US beat the Soviets as part of a [[Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics#Final round|medal round]] that also included [[Finland men's national ice hockey team|Finland]] and [[Sweden men's national ice hockey team|Sweden]], so they did not actually win the gold medal until beating Finland a few days later.<ref name="IOC1980-USA-Finland02">{{cite web|url = https://olympics.com/en/news/snapped-the-moment-that-proved-miracles-do-happen|title = Snapped: the moment that proved miracles do happen|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022 }}</ref>}}

===1984 to 1998===
[[File:Alberto Tomba Zagreb 2009.jpg|upright|thumb|right|alt=Alberto Tomba in hat and ski clothes|[[Alberto Tomba]], winner of five Olympic medals in Calgary, Albertville and Lillehammer]]
[[Sapporo]], Japan, and [[Gothenburg]], Sweden, were front-runners to host the [[1984 Winter Olympics]]. It was therefore a surprise when [[Sarajevo]], Yugoslavia, was selected as host.<ref name=sarajevosurprise>{{cite news|title=1984 Sarajevo|website=CNN/SI |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2002/coldwars/popups/change/1984.html|access-date=18 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040718104258/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2002/coldwars/popups/change/1984.html|archive-date=18 July 2004 }}</ref> The Games were well-organised and not affected by the run-up to the [[Bosnian War|war]] that engulfed the country eight years later.<ref name=Games1984/> A total of 49 nations and 1,272 athletes participated in 39 events. Host nation Yugoslavia won its first Olympic medal when alpine skier [[Jure Franko]] won silver in the giant slalom. Another sporting highlight was the free dance performance of [[Great Britain at the 1984 Winter Olympics|British]] ice dancers [[Jayne Torvill]] and [[Christopher Dean]]; their ''[[Boléro]]'' routine received unanimous perfect scores for artistic impression, earning them the gold medal.<ref name=Games1984/>

[[File:Olympic Torch Calgary 1988.jpg|thumb|upright=0.55|The Olympic Torch from the [[1988 Winter Olympic Games]] in [[Calgary]]]]
In 1988, the Canadian city of [[Calgary]] hosted the [[1988 Winter Olympics|first Winter Olympics]] to span three weekends, lasting for a total of 16 days.<ref name=Games1988/> New events were added in ski-jumping and speed skating, while future Olympic sports curling, [[short track speed skating]] and [[freestyle skiing]] made their debut appearance as demonstration sports. The speed skating events were held indoors for the first time, on the [[Olympic Oval]]. Dutch skater [[Yvonne van Gennip]] won three gold medals and set two world records, beating skaters from the favoured [[East Germany at the 1988 Winter Olympics|East German team]] in every race.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yvonne van Gennip|publisher=The Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad|url=http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/pastgames/halloffame/v/n214046870.shtml|access-date=20 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203211718/http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/pastgames/halloffame/v/n214046870.shtml|archive-date=3 February 2009}}</ref>

Her medal total was equalled by [[Finland at the 1988 Winter Olympics|Finnish]] ski jumper [[Matti Nykänen]], who won all three events in his sport. [[Alberto Tomba]], [[Italy at the 1988 Winter Olympics|an Italian]] skier, made his Olympic debut by winning both the giant slalom and slalom. East German [[Christa Luding-Rothenburger|Christa Rothenburger]] won the women's 1,000&nbsp;metre speed skating event. Seven months later she would earn a silver in track cycling at the [[1988 Summer Olympics|Summer Games]] in [[Seoul]], to become the only athlete to win medals in both a Summer and Winter Olympics in the same year.<ref name=Games1988/> The 1988 games are well remembered in popular culture from two films based on its events: ''[[Cool Runnings]]'' about the [[Jamaica national bobsled team|Jamaican bobsled team]]; and ''[[Eddie the Eagle (film)|Eddie the Eagle]]'' about British ski jumper [[Eddie the Eagle|Michael Edwards]],  who finished last but set a British record of 73.5 metres.

The [[1992 Winter Olympics|1992 Winter Games]] were the last to be held in the same year as the [[1992 Summer Olympics|Summer Games]].<ref name=Games1992/> They were hosted in the French [[Savoie]] region, with 18 events held in the city of [[Albertville]] and the remaining events spread out over the Savoie.<ref name=Games1992/> Political changes of the time were reflected in the composition of the Olympic teams competing in France: this was the first Games to be held after the [[fall of Communism]] and the [[fall of the Berlin Wall]], and Germany competed as a single nation for the first time since the 1964 Games.<ref name="Findling and Pelle 2004, p. 400">Findling and Pelle (2004), p. 400</ref>

Former [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavian]] republics [[Croatia at the 1992 Winter Olympics|Croatia]] and [[Slovenia at the 1992 Winter Olympics|Slovenia]] made their debuts as independent nations; most of the former [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] republics still competed as a single team known as the [[Unified Team at the 1992 Winter Olympics|Unified Team]], but the [[Baltic States]] made independent appearances for the first time since before World War II.<ref name="Findling and Pelle 2004, p. 400"/> At 16&nbsp;years old, [[Finland at the 1992 Winter Olympics|Finnish]] ski jumper [[Toni Nieminen]] made history by becoming the youngest male Winter Olympic champion.<ref>Findling and Pelle (2004), p. 402</ref> [[New Zealand at the 1992 Winter Olympics|New Zealand]] skier [[Annelise Coberger]] became the first Winter Olympic medallist from the southern hemisphere when she won a silver medal in the women's slalom.

The [[1994 Winter Olympics]], held in [[Lillehammer]], Norway, were the first Winter Games to be held in a different year from the Summer Games. This change resulted from the decision reached in the [[List of IOC meetings#IOC Sessions|91st IOC Session (1986)]] to separate the Summer and Winter Games and place them in alternating even-numbered years.<ref name=Games1994/> Lillehammer is the northernmost city to ever host the Winter Games. It was the second time the Games were held in Norway, after the [[1952 Winter Olympics]] in [[Oslo]], and the first time the [[Olympic Truce]] was observed. As a result, after the [[dissolution of Czechoslovakia]] in 1993, the [[Czech Republic at the 1994 Winter Olympics|Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia at the 1994 Winter Olympics|Slovakia]] made their Olympic debuts.<ref>{{cite news|last=Araton|first=Harvey|title=Winter Olympics; In Politics and on ice, neighbors are apart|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=27 February 1994|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/27/sports/winter-olympics-in-politics-and-on-ice-neighbors-are-apart.html?n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FO%2FOlympic%20Games|access-date=20 March 2009}}</ref>

The women's figure skating competition drew media attention when [[United States at the 1994 Winter Olympics|American skater]] [[Nancy Kerrigan]] was injured on 6 January 1994, in an assault planned by the ex-husband of opponent [[Tonya Harding]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Harding-Kerrigan timeline|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/olympics1998/history/timeline/timeline.htm|access-date=20 March 2009|date=1 March 1999}}</ref> Both skaters competed in the Games, but the gold medal was narrowly won by [[Oksana Baiul]] who became [[Ukraine at the 1994 Winter Olympics|Ukraine]]'s first Olympic champion, while Kerrigan won the silver medal.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barshay|first=Jill J|title=Figure Skating; It's Stocks and Bouquets as Baiul returns to Ukraine|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=The New York Times|date=3 March 1994|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/03/sports/figure-skating-it-s-stocks-and-bouquets-as-baiul-returns-to-ukraine.html|access-date=20 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Phillips|first=Angus|title=Achievements still burn bright|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/olympics1998/history/1994/1994.htm|access-date=20 March 2009|date=1 March 1999}}</ref> [[Johann Olav Koss]] of [[Norway at the 1994 Winter Olympics|Norway]] won three gold medals, coming first in all of the distance speed skating events.<ref>{{cite web|title=Johann-Olav Koss|website=[[ESPN]]|url=http://espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2010/athletes/_/athlete/34390/johann-olav-koss|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710191958/http://espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2010/athletes/_/athlete/34390/johann-olav-koss|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 July 2010|access-date=14 May 2010}}</ref>

13-year-old [[Kim Yun-Mi (speed skater)|Kim Yoon-Mi]] became the youngest-ever Olympic gold medallist when South Korea won the women's 3,000-metre speed skating relay. [[Bjørn Dæhli]] of Norway won a medal in four out of five cross-country events, becoming the most decorated Winter Olympian until then. [[Russia at the 1994 Winter Olympics|Russia]] won the most events, with eleven gold medals, while Norway achieved 26 podium finishes, collecting the most medals overall on home ground. [[Juan Antonio Samaranch]] described Lillehammer as "the best Olympic Winter Games ever" in his closing ceremony speech.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1994/ore317/ORE317i.pdf|title=Speech of the IOC President at the Closing Ceremony of the XVII Olympic Winter Games|website=[[LA84 Foundation]]|date=22 February 1998|access-date=25 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826051116/https://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1994/ore317/ORE317i.pdf|archive-date=26 August 2016|url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[1998 Winter Olympics]] were held in the Japanese city of [[Nagano (city)|Nagano]] and were the first Games to host more than 2,000 athletes.<ref name=Games1998/> The [[National Hockey League]] allowed its players to participate in the men's [[Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament|ice hockey tournament]] for the first time, and the [[Czech Republic men's national ice hockey team|Czech Republic]] won the tournament. Women's ice hockey made its debut, and the [[United States women's national ice hockey team|United States]] won the gold medal.<ref>Judd (2008), p. 126</ref> [[Bjørn Dæhlie]] of [[Norway at the 1998 Winter Olympics|Norway]] won three gold medals in Nordic skiing, becoming the most decorated Winter Olympic athlete, with eight gold medals and twelve medals overall.<ref name=Games1998/><ref>{{cite web|title=Ten Famous Olympic Skiers|url=http://www.allchalets.com/ski-news/2013/10/10-famous-olympic-skiers|website=allChalets|access-date=21 November 2021|date=29 October 2013}}</ref> [[Austria at the 1998 Winter Olympics|Austrian]] [[Hermann Maier]] survived a crash during the downhill competition and returned to win gold in the [[Alpine skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics – Men's super-G|super-G]] and the giant slalom.<ref name=Games1998/> [[Tara Lipinski]] of the [[United States at the 1998 Winter Olympics|United States]], aged just 15, became the youngest ever female gold medallist in an individual event when she won the [[Figure skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics#Ladies|Ladies' Singles]], a record that had stood since [[Sonja Henie]] of [[Norway at the 1928 Winter Olympics|Norway]] won the same event, also aged 15, in [[1928 Winter Olympics|St. Moritz in 1928]]. New world records were set in [[Speed skating at the 1998 Winter Olympics|speed skating]] largely due to the introduction of the [[clap skate]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Nevius|first=C.W.|title="Clap" Skate draws boos from traditionalists|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=5 February 1998|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/02/05/SP30664.DTL|access-date=20 March 2009}}</ref>

===2002 to 2022===
[[File:2002 Winter Olympics flame.jpg|thumb|alt=Interwoven steel frame several stories high with the lit flame at the top|right|upright|The Olympic flame during the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City]]
[[2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal|After a tumultuous host city process]], the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] were held in [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]], United States. 2,399 athletes from 77 National Olympic Committees participated in 78 events in 7 sports.<ref name=Games2002/> These Games were the first to take place since the [[September 11 attacks]] of 2001, which meant a higher degree of security to avoid a terrorist attack. The opening ceremony saw signs of the [[Aftermath of the September 11 attacks|aftermath of the events of that day]], including the flag that flew at [[World Trade Center site|Ground Zero]], and honour guards of NYPD and [[New York City Fire Department|FDNY]] members.<ref>{{cite web|title=Olympic Winter Games, The XIX {2002 Salt Lake City Olympics}: Day 1 {Part 1 of 3} (TV)|url=https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=all&p=383&item=112323|website=[[Paley Center for Media]]|date=8 February 2002|access-date=25 December 2018}}</ref>

[[Germany at the 2002 Winter Olympics|German]] [[Georg Hackl]] won a silver in the singles luge, becoming the first athlete in Olympic history to win medals in the same individual event in five consecutive Olympics.<ref name=Games2002/> [[Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics|Canada]] achieved an unprecedented double by winning both the men's and women's [[Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics|ice hockey]] gold medals.<ref name=Games2002/> Canada became embroiled with [[Russia at the 2002 Winter Olympics|Russia]] in a [[2002 Olympic Winter Games figure skating scandal|controversy]] that involved the judging of the [[Figure skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics|pairs figure skating]] competition. The Russian pair of [[Yelena Berezhnaya]] and [[Anton Sikharulidze]] competed against the Canadian pair of [[Jamie Salé]] and [[David Pelletier]] for the gold medal.<ref name="Roberts">{{cite news|title=The pivotal meeting; French judge's early tears indicating controversy to come|last=Roberts|first=Selena|newspaper=The New York Times|date=17 February 2002|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/17/sports/olympics-pivotal-meeting-french-judge-s-early-tears-indicated-controversy-come.html|access-date=23 March 2009}}</ref>

The Canadians appeared to have skated well enough to win the competition, yet the Russians were awarded the gold. The [[France at the 2002 Winter Olympics|French]] judge, [[Marie-Reine Le Gougne]], awarded the gold to the Russians. An investigation revealed that she had been pressured to give the gold to the Russian pair regardless of how they skated; in return, the Russian judge would look favourably on the French entrants in the ice dancing competition.<ref name="Roberts"/>

The IOC decided to award both pairs the gold medal in a second [[Olympic Games ceremony|medal ceremony]] held later in the Games.<ref>{{cite news|title=Skating scandal that left IOC on thin ice|last=Bose|first=Mihir|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London|date=17 February 2002|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/2430328/Winter-Olympics-Skating-scandal-that-left-IOC-on-thin-ice.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/2430328/Winter-Olympics-Skating-scandal-that-left-IOC-on-thin-ice.html|archive-date=10 January 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|access-date=23 March 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Australia at the 2002 Winter Olympics|Australian]] [[Steven Bradbury (speed skater)|Steven Bradbury]] became the first gold medallist from the southern hemisphere when he won the 1,000&nbsp;metre short-track speed skating event.<ref>{{cite news|title=Australia win first ever gold|work=BBC Sport|date=17 February 2002|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/winterolympics2002/hi/english/skating/newsid_1825000/1825339.stm|access-date=11 March 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Braciere Olimpico.jpg|thumb|alt=Close-up of the Olympic Flame during the [[2006 Winter Olympics]] in [[Turin]]|right|upright|A close-up of the Olympic Flame during the [[2006 Winter Olympics]] in [[Turin]]]]
The Italian city of [[Turin]] hosted the [[2006 Winter Olympics]]. It was the second time that Italy had hosted the Winter Olympic Games. [[South Korea at the 2006 Winter Olympics|South Korean]] athletes won 10 medals, including 6 gold in the short-track speed skating events. [[Jin Sun-Yu|Sun-Yu Jin]] won three gold medals while her teammate [[Hyun-Soo Ahn]] won three gold medals and a bronze.<ref name=Games2006/> In the women's [[Cross-country skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics|Cross-Country]] team pursuit [[Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics|Canadian]] [[Sara Renner]] broke one of her poles and, when he saw her dilemma, [[Norway at the 2006 Winter Olympics|Norwegian]] coach [[Bjørnar Håkensmoen]] decided to lend her a pole. In so doing she was able to help her team win a silver medal in the event at the expense of the Norwegian team, who finished fourth.<ref name=Games2006/><ref>{{cite news|last=Berglund|first=Nina|title=Canadians hail Norwegian coach's sportsmanship|newspaper=[[Aftenposten]]|location=Oslo|url=http://www.aftenposten.no/english/sports/article1225796.ece|date=20 February 2006|access-date=21 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117180333/http://www.aftenposten.no/english/sports/article1225796.ece|archive-date=17 January 2009|url-status=dead }}</ref>

On winning the Super-G, [[Kjetil-Andre Aamodt]] of Norway became the most decorated ski racer of all time with 4 gold and 8 overall medals. He is also the only ski racer to have won the same event at three Olympics, winning the Super-G in [[1992 Winter Olympics|1992]], [[2002 Winter Olympics|2002]], and [[2006 Winter Olympics|2006]]. [[Claudia Pechstein]] of [[Germany at the 2006 Winter Olympics|Germany]] became the first speed skater to earn nine career medals.<ref name=Games2006/>

In February 2009, Pechstein tested positive for [[blood doping|"blood manipulation"]] and received a two-year suspension, which she appealed. The [[Court of Arbitration for Sport]] upheld her suspension but a Swiss court ruled that she could compete for a spot on the [[Germany at the 2010 Winter Olympics|2010 German Olympic team]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Germany's Claudia Pechstein Tries to Restore Reputation|last=Crouse|first=Karen|newspaper=The New York Times|date=11 December 2009|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/sports/olympics/12speedskater.html|access-date=11 March 2010}}</ref> This ruling was brought to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which overturned the lower court's ruling and precluded her from competing in Vancouver.<ref>{{cite news|title=Claudia Pechstein's Doping Appeal Denied|last=Dunbar|first=Graham|newspaper=[[Huffington Post]]|date=26 January 2010|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/26/claudia-pechsteins-doping_n_436864.html|access-date=11 March 2010}}</ref>

In 2003, the IOC awarded the [[2010 Winter Olympics]] to [[Vancouver]], thus allowing Canada to host its second Winter Olympics. With a population of more than 2.5&nbsp;million people Vancouver is the largest metropolitan area to ever host a Winter Olympic Games.<ref>{{cite web|date=25 January 2005|url=http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo27x.htm|title=Canadian Statistics – Population by selected ethnic origins, by census metropolitan areas (2001 Census)|website=[[Statictics Canada|StatCan]]|access-date=31 May 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060519074857/http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo27x.htm|archive-date=19 May 2006}}</ref> Over 2,500 athletes from 82 countries participated in 86 events.<ref name=Games2010/> The death of [[Georgia at the 2010 Winter Olympics|Georgian]] luger [[Nodar Kumaritashvili]] in a training run on the day of the opening ceremonies resulted in the [[Whistler Sliding Centre]] changing the track layout on safety grounds.<ref>{{cite news|title=Quick to Blame in Luge, and Showing No Shame|last=Longman|first=Jere|newspaper=The New York Times|date=13 February 2010|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/sports/olympics/14longman.html|access-date=11 March 2010}}</ref>

[[Norway at the 2010 Winter Olympics|Norwegian]] cross-country skier [[Marit Bjørgen]] won five medals in the six cross-country events on the women's programme. She finished the Olympics with three golds, a silver and a bronze.<ref>{{cite news|title=Best and worst of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver|last=Jones|first=Tom|newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times|St. Petersberg Times]]|date=28 February 2010|url=http://www.tampabay.com/sports/best-and-worst-of-the-winter-olympics-in-vancouver/1076427|access-date=11 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606155451/http://www.tampabay.com/sports/best-and-worst-of-the-winter-olympics-in-vancouver/1076427|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> For the first time, [[Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics|Canada]] won a gold medal at an Olympic Games it hosted, having failed to do so at both the [[1976 Summer Olympics]] in [[Montreal]] and the [[1988 Winter Olympics]] in [[Calgary]]. In contrast to the lack of gold medals at these previous Olympics, the Canadian team finished first overall in gold medal wins,<ref name="clinch">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/27/us-clinches-medals-total-canada-most-golds/|title=U.S. clinches medals mark, Canada ties gold record|date=27 February 2010|newspaper=[[The Washington Times]]|agency=Associated Press|location=Vancouver|access-date=28 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303001703/http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/27/us-clinches-medals-total-canada-most-golds/|archive-date=3 March 2010|url-status=live  }}</ref> and became the first host nation—since [[Norway at the 1952 Winter Olympics|Norway in 1952]]—to lead the gold medal count, with 14 medals. In doing so, it also broke the record for the most gold medals won by a NOC at a single Winter Olympics (the previous was 13, set by the [[Soviet Union at the 1976 Winter Olympics|Soviet Union in 1976]] and matched by [[Norway at the 2002 Winter Olympics|Norway in 2002]]).<ref name=RecordGolds>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/2.722/canada-sets-olympic-gold-record-1.971872|title=Canada sets Olympic gold record|date=27 February 2010|access-date=27 February 2010|agency=[[Canadian Press]]|work=CBC Sports|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303045603/http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/2010/02/27/sp-canada-gold-otp.html?ref=rss|archive-date=3 March 2010 }}</ref>

The Vancouver Games were notable for the poor performance of the [[Russia at the 2010 Winter Olympics|Russian]] athletes. From their first Winter Olympics in [[1956 Winter Olympics|1956]] to the 2006 Games, a Soviet or Russian delegation had never been outside the top five medal-winning nations, but in 2010 they finished sixth in total medals and eleventh in gold medals. [[President of Russia|President]] [[Dmitry Medvedev]] called for the resignation of top sports officials immediately after the Games.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russia's president calls for resignations|work=ESPN.com|date=1 March 2010|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/winter/2010/news/story?id=4955805|access-date=11 March 2010}}</ref> Russia's disappointing performance at Vancouver is cited as the reason behind the [[Doping in Russia|enhancement of an already existing doping scheme]] alleged to have been in operation at major events such as the 2014 Games at Sochi.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1057117/biathlete-gregorin-confirmed-as-athlete-who-failed-vancouver-2010-doping-retest|title=Biathlete Gregorin confirmed as athlete who failed Vancouver 2010 doping retest|first=Michael|last=Pavitt|date=26 October 2017|website=Inside the Games|access-date=27 October 2017}}</ref>

The success of Asian countries stood in stark contrast to the under-performing Russian team, with Vancouver marking a high point for medals won by Asian countries. At the Albertville Games in 1992 the Asian countries had won fifteen medals, three of which were gold. In Vancouver, the total number of medals won by athletes from Asia had increased to thirty-one, with eleven of them being gold. The rise of Asian nations in Winter Olympics sports is due in part to the growth of winter sports programmes and the interest in winter sports in nations such as Kazakhstan, South Korea, Japan and China. These results increased the chances of an Asian city hosting the [[2018 Winter Olympics]] that would be held the following year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Surprising success bodes well for South Korea|last=Armour|first=Nancy|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]]|date=28 February 2010|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2011217829_apolysouthkoreasrise.html|access-date=24 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Winter Olympics: Who will win the most medals?|last=Sappenfield|first=Mark|newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]|date=12 February 2010|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Olympics/Olympics-blog/2010/0212/Winter-Olympics-Who-will-win-the-most-medals|access-date=24 August 2010}}</ref>

[[Sochi]], Russia, was selected as the host city for the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] over [[Salzburg]], Austria, and [[Pyeongchang County|Pyeongchang]], South Korea. This was the first time that Russia had hosted a Winter Olympics.<ref name=Games2014/> The Games took place from 7 to 23 February 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-15325178|title=Sochi 2014: A look at Russia's Olympic city|work=BBC News|first=Matthew|last=Pinsent|date=15 October 2011|access-date=15 October 2011}}</ref> A record 2,800 athletes from 88 countries competed in 98 events. The Olympic Village and Olympic Stadium were located on the [[Black Sea]] coast. All of the mountain venues were {{convert|50|km|mi}} away in the alpine region known as [[Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi, Krasnodar Krai|Krasnaya Polyana]].<ref name=Games2014/> The Games were the most expensive until the date, with a cost of £30 billion (US$51 billion).

On the snow, Norwegian biathlete [[Ole Einar Bjørndalen]] took two golds to bring his total tally of Olympic medals to 13, overtaking his compatriot Bjørn Dæhlie to become the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time. Another Norwegian, cross-country skier [[Marit Bjørgen]] took three golds; her total of ten Olympic medals tied her as the female Winter Olympian with most medals, alongside [[Raisa Smetanina]] and [[Stefania Belmondo]]. Snowboarder [[Ayumu Hirano]] became the youngest medallist on snow at the Winter Games when he took a silver in the [[Snowboarding at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Men's halfpipe|halfpipe]] competition at the age of fifteen.<ref name=Games2014/>

On the ice, the Netherlands team dominated the speed skating events, taking 23 medals, four clean sweeps of the podium places and at least one medal in each of the twelve medal events. [[Ireen Wüst]] was their most successful competitor, taking two golds and three silvers. In figure skating, [[Yuzuru Hanyu]] became the first skater to break the 100-point barrier in the short programme on the way to winning the gold medal. Among the sledding disciplines, luger [[Armin Zöggeler]] took a bronze, becoming the first Winter Olympian to secure a medal in six consecutive Games.<ref name=Games2014/>

Following their disappointing performance at the 2010 Games, and an investment of £600 million in elite sport, [[Russia at the 2014 Winter Olympics|Russia]] initially topped the [[2014 Winter Olympics medal table|medal table]], taking 13 gold and 33 total medals.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/26314345|title=Sochi 2014: Russia top medal table as Olympics come to an end|last=Barretto|first=Lawrence|date=23 February 2014|website=BBC News |access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref> However, [[Grigory Rodchenkov]], the former head of the Russian national anti-doping laboratory, subsequently claimed that he had been involved in doping dozens of Russian competitors for the Games, and that he had been assisted by the Russian [[Federal Security Service]] in opening and re-sealing bottles containing urine samples so that samples with banned substances could be replaced with "clean" urine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/36823453|title=Russia state-sponsored doping across majority of Olympic sports, claims report|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=18 July 2016|website=BBC News|access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref>

A subsequent [[McLaren Report|investigation]] commissioned by the [[World Anti-Doping Agency]] led by [[Richard McLaren (academic)|Richard McLaren]] concluded that a state-sponsored doping programme had operated in Russia from "at least late 2011 to 2015" across the "vast majority" of Summer and Winter Olympic sports.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/36823453|title=Russia state-sponsored doping across majority of Olympic sports, claims report|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=18 July 2016|website=BBC News|access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref> On 5 December 2017, the IOC announced that [[Russian Olympic Committee|Russia]] would compete as the [[Olympic Athletes from Russia at the 2018 Winter Olympics|Olympic Athletes from Russia]] at the 2018 Winter Olympics<ref name=russianban>{{cite press release|title=IOC suspends Russian NOC and creates a path for clean individual athletes to compete in Pyeongchang 2018 under the Olympic Flag|url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-suspends-russian-noc-and-creates-a-path-for-clean-individual-athletes-to-compete-in-pyeongchang-2018-under-the-olympic-flag|website=IOC|date=5 December 2017|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> and by the end of 2017 the [[Oswald Commission|IOC Disciplinary Commission]] had disqualified 43 Russian athletes, stripping thirteen medals and knocking Russia from the top of the medal table, thus putting Norway in the lead.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2017/11/27/sochi-olympic-medal-standings-russia-medals-stripped-doping/|title=List of Russia Olympic medals stripped; new Sochi medal standings|work=NBC Sports|date=27 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-doping-medals/russia-toppled-from-sochi-2014-medals-first-place-but-final-count-unknown-idUSKBN1DR2HP|title=Russia toppled from Sochi 2014 medals first place but final count unknown|work=Reuters|date=28 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-sanctions-six-russian-athletes-and-closes-one-case-as-part-of-oswald-commission-findings|title=IOC sanctions six Russian athletes and closes one case as part of the Oswald Commission findings|website=IOC|date=12 December 2017|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> However, nine medals were later returned, meaning that Russia reclaimed first place in the overall medal table, and joint first place with Norway in terms of gold medals.

On 6 July 2011, [[Pyeongchang County|Pyeongchang]], South Korea, was selected to host the [[2018 Winter Olympics]] over [[Munich]], Germany, and [[Annecy]], France.<ref name=2018Bids>{{cite news|title=South Korea to Host 2018 Winter Olympics|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/south-korea-host-2018-winter-208270/#!|newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|first1=Mike|last1=Barnes|date=6 July 2011|access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> This was the first time that [[South Korea]] had been selected to host a Winter Olympics and it was the second time the Olympics were held in the country overall, after the [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul]]. The Games took place from 9 to 25 February 2018.<ref name=Games2018/> More than 2,900 athletes from 92 countries participated in 102 events. The main venue cluster was the [[Alpensia Resort]] in [[Daegwallyeong-myeon]], while the ice events are held at [[Gangneung Olympic Park]] in Pyeongchang's neighbouring sea-city of [[Gangneung]].

The lead-up to the 2018 Winter Olympics was affected by [[2018 Winter Olympics#North Korean relations|the tensions between North and South Korea]] and the ongoing [[Doping in Russia|Russian doping scandal]]. Despite [[North Korea–South Korea relations|tense relations]], [[North Korea]] agreed to participate in the Games, enter with South Korea during the opening ceremony as a [[unified Korea]], and field a [[Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics|unified team]] in [[Korea women's national ice hockey team|women's ice hockey]]. Russian athletes, who complied with the IOC's doping regulations, were given the option to compete in Pyeongchang as "Olympic Athletes from Russia" (OAR).<ref name=russianban/>

The Games saw the addition of [[Snowboarding#Big air|big air snowboarding]], [[mass start]] [[speed skating]], [[mixed doubles curling]], and mixed team [[alpine skiing]] to the programme. Like four years early, the Netherlands again dominated speed skating, winning gold medals in seven of the ten individual events. Dutch speed skater [[Sven Kramer]] won gold in the men's 5000m event, becoming the only male speed skater to win the same Olympic event three times. On the snow, Norway led the medal tally in cross-country skiing, with [[Marit Bjørgen]] winning bronze in the women's team sprint and gold in the 30-kilometre classical event, bringing her total Olympic medal haul to fifteen, the most won by any athlete (male or female) in Winter Olympics history.

[[Johannes Høsflot Klæbo]] of Norway became the youngest ever male to win an Olympic gold in cross-country skiing when he won the [[Cross-country skiing at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Men's sprint|men's sprint]] at age 21. [[Noriaki Kasai]] of Japan became the first athlete in history to participate in eight Winter Olympics when he took part in the ski jumping qualification the day before the opening of the Games. [[Ester Ledecká]] of the Czech Republic won gold in the skiing super-G event and another gold in the snowboarding parallel giant slalom, making her the first female athlete to win Olympic gold medals in two sports at a single Winter Games.

Norway led the total medal standings with 39, the highest number of medals by a nation in any Winter Olympics, followed by Germany's 31 and Canada's 29. Host nation [[South Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics|South Korea]] won seventeen medals, five of them gold, its highest medal haul at a Winter Olympics.

[[Beijing]], the capital of the [[China|People's Republic of China]], was elected as the host city for the [[2022 Winter Olympics]] on 31 July 2015 at the [[128th IOC Session]]. Beijing became the first city ever to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Like the Summer Olympics held six months earlier in [[Tokyo]], the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] resulted in the implementation of strict health and safety protocols, including restrictions on public attendance at the Games. The Games included a record 109 events over 15 disciplines in seven sports with seven new medal events, including mixed team competitions in freestyle skiing aerials, ski jumping, and snowboard cross. The Games were held between 4 and 20 February 2022 at venues in Beijing and [[Zhangjiakou]] which for the first time were run entirely on [[renewable energy]]. Several of the events were impacted by temperatures as low as minus 20 [[Celsius]] and strong wind.

The first gold medal of the Games was won by [[Therese Johaug]] of [[Norway at the 2022 Winter Olympics|Norway]] in the women's skiathlon. Johaug had been excluded from the 2018 Winter Olympics in a controversial decision after having used a banned cream for sunburned lips. She went on to also win the women's 10&nbsp;km and 30&nbsp;km cross-country distances. In the women's snowboard cross, [[Lindsey Jacobellis]] of the [[United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics|United States]] won the gold, having lost the gold 16 years earlier at the [[2006 Winter Olympics]] in Torino due to a brutal fall. On the ice, the [[Netherlands at the 2022 Winter Olympics|Netherlands]] dominated with a total of six gold medals and [[Irene Schouten]] winning the women's mass start, 3,000m and 5,000m distances. [[Nils van der Poel]] of [[Sweden at the 2022 Winter Olympics|Sweden]] won the men's 5,000m and 10,000m distances, setting new Olympic records in both distances. [[Kamila Valieva]] of [[Russian Olympic Committee athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics|Russia]] was allowed to compete in the [[Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Women's singles|women's figure skating]] despite a failed doping test in December 2021. She failed, however, to win an individual medal after falling in her final routine. Russia's [[Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Team event|team gold medal]] remained in limbo for two years, pending investigation into Valieva's positive drug test, before the [[Court of Arbitration for Sport]] (CAS) disqualified Valieva for four years retroactive to 25 December 2021, leading the ISU to re-allocate the medals, upgrading the United States to gold and Japan to silver while downgrading the ROC to bronze.<ref>{{Cite web|date=31 January 2024|title=BEIJING 2022 FIGURE SKATING TEAM EVENT RESULTS|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/beijing-2022/results/figure-skating/team-event|access-date=31 January 2024|publisher=[[International Olympic Committee]]}}</ref> [[Finland at the 2022 Winter Olympics|Finland]] claimed its first ice hockey gold, having beaten the Russian Olympic Committee in the men's final on the last day of the Games.

Norway was first in the overall medal standings, claiming 37 medals in total and 16 gold medals, the highest number of gold medals of any country in a single Winter Olympics. This was the ninth time Norway claimed the highest number of gold medals at the Winter Games.

===Future===
[[File:2010-2070-2100 Climate change threatens venues of Olympic Winter Games.svg|thumb|The amount by which greenhouse gas emissions are reduced is forecast to substantially affect the number of Winter Olympic Game venues that will have reliably cold conditions.<ref name=Forbes_20220204>{{cite news|last1=Buchholz|first1=Katharina|title=Will Climate Change End The Winter Olympics?|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/katharinabuchholz/2022/02/04/will-climate-change-end-the-winter-olympics-infographic/|work=Forbes|date=4 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112112106/https://www.forbes.com/sites/katharinabuchholz/2022/02/04/will-climate-change-end-the-winter-olympics-infographic/|archive-date=12 January 2023|url-status=live }} —  Bucholz cites {{cite journal|last1=Scott|first1=Daniel|last2=Knowles|first2=Natalie L. B.|last3=Ma|first3=Siyao|last4=Rutty|first4=Michelle|last5=Steiger|first5=Robert|title=Climate change and the future of the Olympic Winter Games: athlete and coach perspectives|journal=Current Issues in Tourism|date=10 January 2022|volume=26|issue=3|pages=480–495|doi=10.1080/13683500.2021.2023480|s2cid=245865532|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13683500.2021.2023480|url-access=subscription}}</ref>]]
The [[2026 Winter Olympics]] will be held in [[Milan]]-[[Cortina d'Ampezzo]], Italy, and take place between 6 and 22 February 2026.<ref name=Games2026/>  At the [[142nd IOC Session]] in July 2024, it was confirmed that the [[2030 Winter Olympics]] will be hosted by France in the [[French Alps]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=24 July 2024|title=IOC approves French Alps' bid backed by President Macron to host the 2030 Winter Olympics|url=https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-2030-france-alps-nice-ioc-e14c106194e303b5a2ffa968740650b0|access-date=24 July 2024|website=AP News|language=en}}</ref> The [[2034 Winter Olympics]] was also awarded to be hosted by the United States in [[Salt Lake City]], Utah, previous host of the 2002 Olympics.<ref name="SLCtime">{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/7001816/salt-lake-city-2034-winter-olympics-host/|title=Salt Lake City Named Host of 2034 Winter Olympics|date=24 July 2024|access-date=24 July 2024|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|last=Gregory|first=Sean}}</ref>

==Problems and politics==
===Controversy===
{{Main|Olympic Games scandals and controversies#Winter Olympics}}
[[File:Juan Antonio Samaranch DF-ST-01-00128.JPEG.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=a head shot of Juan Antonio Samaranch with dark glasses on|[[Juan Antonio Samaranch]], former IOC president, who was in charge of the Olympic movement for more than 20 years]]
The process for awarding host city honours came under intense scrutiny after [[Salt Lake City]] had been awarded the right to host the 2002 Games.<ref name=slcorruption>{{cite news|title=Olympics corruption probe ordered|work=BBC News|date=22 December 1998|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/240831.stm|access-date=24 August 2010}}</ref> Soon after the host city had been announced it was discovered that the organisers had engaged in an elaborate bribery [[2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal|scheme]] to curry favour with IOC officials.<ref name=slcorruption/> Gifts and other financial considerations were given to those who would evaluate and vote on Salt Lake City's bid. These gifts included medical treatment for relatives, a college scholarship for one member's son and a land deal in Utah. Even IOC president [[Juan Antonio Samaranch]] received two rifles valued at $2,000. Samaranch defended the gift as inconsequential since, as president, he was a non-voting member.<ref name=Cashmore>Cashmore (2005), p. 444</ref>

The subsequent investigation uncovered inconsistencies in the bids for every Olympics (both Summer and Winter) since 1988.<ref>Cashmore (2005), p. 445</ref> For example, the gifts received by IOC members from the Japanese Organising Committee for Nagano's bid for the [[1998 Winter Olympics]] were described by the investigation committee as "astronomical".<ref>Cashmore (2003), p. 307</ref> Although nothing strictly illegal had been done, the IOC feared that corporate sponsors would lose faith in the integrity of the process and that the Olympic brand would be tarnished to such an extent that advertisers would begin to pull their support.<ref>Payne (2006), p. 232</ref>

The investigation resulted in the expulsion of 10 IOC members and the sanctioning of another 10. New terms and age limits were established for IOC membership, and 15 former Olympic athletes were added to the committee. Stricter rules for future bids were imposed, with ceilings imposed on the value of gifts IOC members could accept from bid cities.<ref>Miller, Lawrence and McCay (2001), p. 25</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Judge Drops Olympic Bid Case|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=6 December 2003|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-dec-06-sp-saltlakecity6-story.html|access-date=30 January 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Samaranch reflects on bid scandal with regret|newspaper=Deseret News|location=Salt Lake City|via=WinterSports2002.com|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/oly/view/0,3949,35000108,00.html|access-date=22 March 2002|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020226194341/http://deseretnews.com/oly/view/0%2C3949%2C35000108%2C00.html|archive-date=26 February 2002}}</ref>

===Host city legacy===
About eight years before the Winter Olympics, the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]] invites National Olympic Committees to submit bids to host the games.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Essex * |first=Stephen |last2=Chalkley |first2=Brian |date=April 2004 |title=Mega‐sporting events in urban and regional policy: a history of the Winter Olympics |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0266543042000192475 |journal=Planning Perspectives |language=en |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=201–204 |doi=10.1080/0266543042000192475 |issn=0266-5433}}</ref> According to the IOC, the host city for the Winter Olympics is responsible for "...establishing functions and services for all aspects of the Games, such as sports planning, venues, finance, technology, accommodation, catering, media services, etc., as well as operations during the Games".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Factsheets/Roles-and-responsabilities-during-the-Olympic-Games.pdf|title=Factsheet - Roles and Responsibilities during the Olympic Games|pages=4–5|date=13 October 2021|access-date=31 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723212929/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Factsheets/Roles-and-responsabilities-during-the-Olympic-Games.pdf|archive-date=23 July 2021|url-status=live }}</ref> Due to the cost of hosting the Games, most host cities never realise a profit on their investment.<ref name=riskreward>{{cite news|title=Olympic Caveat:Host cities risk debt, scandal|last=Berkes|first=Howard|series=[[Morning Edition]]|publisher=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113351145|date=1 October 2009|access-date=23 August 2010}}</ref> For example, the [[2006 Winter Olympics]] in [[Turin]], Italy, cost $3.6&nbsp;billion to host. By comparison, the [[1998 Winter Olympics]] in [[Nagano (city)|Nagano]], Japan, cost $12.5&nbsp;billion.<ref name=olympiceffect>{{cite news|title=The Olympic Effect|last=Payne|first=Bob|website=[[MSNBC]]|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26042517/|date=6 August 2008|access-date=23 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20111112010111/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26042517/|archive-date=12 November 2011}}</ref> The organisers of the Nagano Games claimed that the cost of extending the [[Shinkansen|bullet train]] service from Tokyo to Nagano was responsible for the large price tag.<ref name=olympiceffect/>

The organising committee had hoped that the exposure gained from hosting the Winter Olympics, and the improved access to Nagano from Tokyo, would benefit the local economy for years afterwards. In fact, Nagano's economy did experience a post-Olympic boom for a year or two, but the long-term effects have not materialised as anticipated.<ref name=olympiceffect/> The likelihood of heavy debt is a deterrent to prospective host cities, as well as the prospect of unused sports venues and infrastructure saddling the local community with upkeep costs with no appreciable post-Olympic value.<ref>{{cite web|title=The money pit that is hosting Olympic Games|last=Koba|first=Mark|website=[[CNBC]]|date=11 February 2010|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ys-cnbcolyhost021110|access-date=24 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204190846/http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ys-cnbcolyhost021110|archive-date=4 December 2010}}</ref>

The Winter Olympics has the added problem of the alpine events requiring a mountain location; the men's downhill needs an 800-metre altitude difference along a suitable course. As this is a focal event that is central to the Games, the IOC has previously not agreed to it taking place a long way from the main host city,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/its-looking-downhill-for-quebecs-winter-games-bid|title=It's looking downhill for Quebec's Olympic bid|date=13 December 2010|first=Marianne|last=White|newspaper=[[National Post]]|location=[[Toronto]]|access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> in contrast to the Summer Games, where sailing and horse sports have taken place more than {{convert|1000|km}} away. The requirement for a mountain location also means that venues such as hockey arenas often have to be built in sparsely populated areas with little future need for a large arena and for the hotels and infrastructure needed for all Olympic visitors. Due to cost issues, fewer and fewer cities are willing to host. Both the [[2006 Winter Olympics|Torino 2006]] and [[2010 Winter Olympics|Vancouver 2010]] Games, which were hosted in countries where large cities are located close to suitable mountain regions, had lower costs since more venues, hotels and transport infrastructure already existed. In contrast, the [[2014 Winter Olympics|Sochi 2014]] games had large costs as most installations had to be built.

The IOC has tried to mitigate these concerns. Firstly, it has agreed to fund part of the host city's budget.<ref>Preuss (2004), p. 277</ref> Secondly, the qualifying host countries are limited to those that have the resources and infrastructure to successfully host an Olympic Games without negatively impacting their region or nation; this rules out a large portion of the developing world.<ref>Preuss (2004), p. 284</ref> Finally, any prospective host city is required to add a "legacy plan" to their proposal, with a view to the long-term economic and environmental impact that hosting the Olympics will have.<ref name=legacyplan>{{cite news|title=Jacques Rogge: Vancouver's Winter Olympic legacy can last for 60 years|last=Rogge|first=Jacques|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/winter-olympics/7215802/Jacques-Rogge-Vancouvers-Winter-Olympic-legacy-can-last-for-60-years.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/winter-olympics/7215802/Jacques-Rogge-Vancouvers-Winter-Olympic-legacy-can-last-for-60-years.html|archive-date=10 January 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|date=12 February 2010|access-date=23 August 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Beginning with the [[2022 Winter Olympics|2022 Winter Games]], the IOC is allowing a longer distance between the alpine events and other events. The [[Oslo bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics|Oslo bid]] had {{convert|220|km}} to the [[Kvitfjell]] downhill arena, while eventual host Beijing had venues 220&nbsp;km away from the city as well. For the 2026 Winter Games, [[Stockholm–Åre bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics|Stockholm's unsuccessful bid]] proposed to hold the alpine event in [[Åre]], {{convert|620|km}} away by road, while the successful bid of 2026 has {{convert|410|km}} between [[Milan]] and [[Cortina d'Ampezzo|Cortina]].

===Doping===
In 1967 the IOC began enacting drug testing protocols. They started by randomly testing athletes at the 1968 Winter Olympics.<ref>Yesalis (2000), p. 57</ref> The first Winter Games athlete to test positive for a banned substance was [[Alois Schloder]], a [[West Germany at the 1972 Winter Olympics|West German]] hockey player,<ref name="OR1972">{{cite book|title=The Official Report of XIth Winter Olympic Games, Sapporo 1972|publisher=The Organising Committee for the Sapporo Olympic Winter Games|year=1973|page=386|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1972/orw1972.pdf|access-date=22 March 2009|archive-date=26 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226202605/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1972/orw1972.pdf|url-status=dead }}</ref> but his team was still allowed to compete.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Sports, Drugs, and the Cold War|last=Hunt|first=Thomas M.|journal=Olympika, International Journal of Olympic Studie|publisher=International Centre for Olympic Studies|volume=16|issue=1|year=2007|page=22|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/Olympika/Olympika_2007/olympika1601d.pdf|access-date=23 March 2009|archive-date=23 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723105856/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/Olympika/Olympika_2007/olympika1601d.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the 1970s testing outside of competition was escalated because it was found to deter athletes from using performance-enhancing drugs.<ref name=Mottram>Mottram (2003), p. 313</ref> The problem with testing during this time was a lack of standardisation of the test procedures, which undermined the credibility of the tests. It was not until the late 1980s that international sporting federations began to coordinate efforts to standardise the drug-testing protocols.<ref>Mottram (2003), p. 310</ref> The IOC took the lead in the fight against steroids when it established the independent [[World Anti-Doping Agency]] (WADA) in November 1999.<ref>Yesalis (2000), p. 366</ref><ref name=wada>{{cite web|title=A Brief history of anti-doping|publisher=World Anti-Doping Agency|url=http://www.wada-ama.org/en/About-WADA/History/A-Brief-History-of-Anti-Doping/|access-date=25 March 2009|archive-date=16 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816090310/http://www.wada-ama.org/en/About-WADA/History/A-Brief-History-of-Anti-Doping/|url-status=dead }}</ref>

The 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin became notable for a scandal involving the emerging trend of [[blood doping]], the use of blood transfusions or synthetic hormones such as [[Erythropoietin]] (EPO) to improve oxygen flow and thus reduce fatigue.<ref name=torinodoping>{{cite news|title=Looking for Doping Evidence, Italian Police Raid Austrians|last=Macur|first=Juliet|newspaper=The New York Times|date=19 February 2006|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/sports/olympics/19drug.html|access-date=25 March 2009}}</ref> The Italian police conducted a raid on the [[Austria at the 2006 Winter Olympics|Austrian]] cross-country ski team's residence during the Games where they seized blood-doping specimens and equipment.<ref name=hearings>{{cite news|title=IOC to hold first hearings on doping during 2006 Winter Olympics|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=9 February 2007|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/winter/2007-02-09-2006-games-doping_x.htm|access-date=25 March 2009}}</ref> This event followed the pre-Olympics suspension of 12 cross-country skiers who tested positive for unusually high levels of [[hemoglobin|haemoglobin]], which is evidence of blood doping.<ref name=torinodoping/>

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi's Russian Doping Scandal has resulted in the International Olympic Committee to begin disciplinary proceedings against 28 (later increased to 46) Russian athletes who competed at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, acting on evidence that their urine samples were tampered with.<ref name=SochiDoping>{{cite news|title=I.O.C. Starts Proceedings Against 28 Russian Athletes Over Sochi Doping|work=The New York Times|date=23 December 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/sports/olympics/russia-doping-international-olympic-committee.html|access-date=27 December 2016}}</ref><ref name=NYT160512>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/13/sports/russia-doping-sochi-olympics-2014.html|title=Russian Insider Says State-Run Doping Fueled Olympic Gold|first1=Rebecca R.|last1=Ruiz|first2=Michael|last2= Schwirtz|newspaper=The New York Times|date=12 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="nyt2">{{cite news|title=Mystery in Sochi Doping Case Lies With Tamper-Proof Bottle |first1=Rebecca R.|last1=Ruiz|first2=Michael|last2=Schwirtz|newspaper=The New York Times|date=13 May 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/13/sports/russia-doping-sochi-olympics-2014.html?_r=0|access-date=14 May 2016}}</ref><ref name=GN150601>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/01/wada-world-anti-doping-russia-olympics-games-sochi-david-howman|title=New doping report will influence decision on Russia's place at Olympics|first=Owen|last=Gibson|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|date=1 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="guardian-upheld">{{cite news|title=Russian athletics: IAAF upholds ban before Rio Olympics|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/17/russia-rio-olympics-ban-doping-iaaf-sebastian-coe|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|date=17 June 2016|access-date=21 July 2016}}</ref>

===Cold War===
The Winter Olympics were an ideological front in the [[Cold War]] since the [[Soviet Union at the 1956 Winter Olympics|Soviet Union]] first participated at the [[1956 Winter Olympics|1956 Winter Games]]. It did not take long for the Cold War combatants to discover what a powerful propaganda tool the Olympic Games could be. The advent of the state-sponsored "full-time amateur athlete" of the [[Eastern Bloc]] countries further eroded the ideology of the pure amateur, as it put the self-financed amateurs of the Western countries at a disadvantage. The [[Soviet Union at the Olympics|Soviet Union]] entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students, soldiers, or working in a profession, but many of whom were in reality paid by the state to train on a full-time basis.<ref name=Benjamin_Daniel/> Nevertheless, the IOC held to the traditional rules regarding amateurism until the '90s.<ref name=Otto_Schantz/>

The Cold War created tensions amongst countries allied to the two superpowers. The strained relationship between East and West Germany created a difficult political situation for the IOC. Because of its role in World War II, Germany was not allowed to compete at the 1948 Winter Olympics.<ref name=Games1948/> In 1950, the IOC recognised the [[German Olympic Sports Confederation|West German Olympic Committee]], and invited East and West Germany to compete as a unified team at the 1952 Winter Games.<ref name=Hill>Hill (1992), p. 34</ref> East Germany declined and instead sought international legitimacy separate from West Germany.<ref>Hill (1992), p. 35</ref>

In 1955, the Soviet Union recognised East Germany as a sovereign state, thereby giving more credibility to East Germany's campaign to become an independent participant. The IOC agreed provisionally to accept the [[National Olympic Committee of the German Democratic Republic|East German National Olympic Committee]] on condition that East and West Germans compete as one team.<ref>Hill (1992), pp. 36–38</ref> The situation became tense when the [[Berlin Wall]] was constructed by East Germany in 1961 to stop migration of its citizens and Western European nations began refusing visas to East German athletes.<ref>Hill (1992), p. 38</ref> The uneasy compromise of a unified team held until the 1968 Grenoble Games when the IOC split the teams and threatened to reject host-city bids from any country that refused entry visas to East German athletes.<ref>Hill (1992), pp. 38–39</ref>

===Boycott===
The Winter Games have had only one national team boycott when Taiwan decided not to participate in the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid. Prior to the Games, the IOC agreed to allow China to compete in the Olympics for the first time since 1952. China was given permission to compete as the "People's Republic of China" (PRC) and to use the PRC flag and anthem. Until 1980 the island of Taiwan had been competing under the name "Republic of China" (ROC) and had been using the ROC flag and anthem.<ref name="Findling and Pelle 1996 p. 299"/> The IOC attempted to have the countries compete together but when this proved to be unacceptable the IOC demanded that Taiwan cease to call itself the "Republic of China".<ref>Hill (1992), p. 48</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=History of the Winter Olympics|work=BBC Sport|date=5 February 1998|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/53103.stm|access-date=26 March 2009}}</ref>

The IOC renamed the island "[[Chinese Taipei]]" and demanded that it adopt a different flag and national anthem, stipulations to which Taiwan would not agree. Despite numerous appeals and court hearings, the IOC's decision stood. When the Taiwanese athletes arrived at the Olympic village with their Republic of China identification cards they were not admitted. They subsequently left the Olympics in protest, just before the opening ceremonies.<ref name="Findling and Pelle 1996 p. 299"/> Taiwan returned to Olympic competition at the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo as Chinese Taipei. The country agreed to compete under a flag bearing the emblem of their National Olympic Committee and to play the anthem of their National Olympic Committee should one of their athletes win a gold medal. The agreement remains in place to this day.<ref>Brownell (2005), p. 187</ref>

==Sports==
The [[Olympic Charter]] limits [[winter sports]] to "those sports which are practised on snow or ice".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/General/EN-Olympic-Charter.pdf|title=Olympic Charter: Section 6 Olympic Games|page=18|date=8 August 2021|access-date=31 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514221054/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/General/EN-Olympic-Charter.pdf|archive-date=14 May 2021|url-status=live }}</ref> Since 1992 a number of new sports have been added to the Olympic programme, which include short-track speed skating, snowboarding, freestyle and moguls skiing. The addition of these events has broadened the appeal of the Winter Olympics beyond Europe and North America. While European powers such as Norway and Germany still dominate the traditional Winter Olympic sports, countries such as South Korea, Australia and Canada are finding success in these new sports. The results are more parity in the national medal tables, more interest in the Winter Olympics, and higher global television ratings.<ref>{{cite news|title=USA, Canada ride new sports to top of Winter Olympics medal count|last=Sappenfield|first=Mark|newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Olympics/2010/0225/USA-Canada-ride-new-sports-to-top-of-Winter-Olympics-medal-count|date=25 February 2010|access-date=23 August 2010}}</ref>

===Current sports===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Sport
! Years
! Events
! Events list
|-
|[[Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics|Alpine skiing]]
|Since 1936
|align=center|11<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Alpine-Skiing/|title=Alpine Skiing|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's: [[Downhill (ski competition)|downhill]], [[Super giant slalom skiing|super G]], [[Giant slalom skiing|giant slalom]], [[Slalom skiing|slalom]], [[Alpine skiing combined|alpine combined]].<br />Women's: [[Downhill (ski competition)|downhill]], [[Super giant slalom skiing|super G]], [[Giant slalom skiing|giant slalom]], [[Slalom skiing|slalom]], [[Alpine skiing combined|alpine combined]].<br />Mixed [[Slalom skiing|parallel slalom]].
|-
|[[Biathlon at the Winter Olympics|Biathlon]]
|Since 1960{{efn|name=IOCMilitaryPatrol}}
|align=center|11<ref name=biathlon>{{cite web|url = https://olympics.com/en/sports/Biathlon/|title=Biathlon|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's: sprint 10&nbsp;km, individual 20&nbsp;km, pursuit 12.5&nbsp;km, mass start 15&nbsp;km, relay 4×7.5&nbsp;km.<br />Women's: sprint 7.5&nbsp;km, individual 15&nbsp;km, pursuit 10&nbsp;km, mass start 12.5&nbsp;km, relay 4×6&nbsp;km.<br />Mixed relay 4×6&nbsp;km.
|-
|[[Bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics|Bobsleigh]]
|1924–1956, since 1964
|style="text-align:center;"|4<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Bobsleigh/|title=Bobsleigh|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's: four-man race, two-man race. Women's: two-woman race, monobob race.
|-
|[[Cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympics|Cross-country skiing]]
|Since 1924
|style="text-align:center;"|12<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Cross-Country-Skiing/|title=Cross Country Skiing|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's: sprint, team sprint, 15&nbsp;km, 30&nbsp;km skiathlon, 50&nbsp;km mass start, 4×10&nbsp;km relay.<br />Women's: sprint, team sprint, 10&nbsp;km, 15&nbsp;km skiathlon, 30&nbsp;km mass start, 4×5&nbsp;km relay.
|-
|[[Curling at the Winter Olympics|Curling]]
|1924, since 1998
|style="text-align:center;"|3<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Curling/|title=Curling|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's, women's and mixed doubles tournaments.
|-
|[[Figure skating at the Winter Olympics|Figure skating]]
|{{nowrap|Since 1924{{efn-lr|Figure skating events were held at the [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]] and [[1920 Summer Olympics]].}}}}
|style="text-align:center;"|5<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Figure-skating/|title=Figure Skating|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's singles. Women's singles. Pairs. Ice dancing. Team event.
|-
|[[Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics|Freestyle skiing]]
|Since 1992
|align=center|13<ref>{{cite web|title=Freestyle skiing|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Freestyle-Skiing/|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's: [[Aerial skiing|aerials]], [[Mogul skiing|moguls]], [[ski cross]], [[Half-pipe skiing|halfpipe]], [[superpipe|big air]], [[slopestyle]].<br />Women's: [[Aerial skiing|aerials]], [[Mogul skiing|moguls]], [[ski cross]], [[Half-pipe skiing|halfpipe]], [[superpipe|big air]], [[slopestyle]].<br />Mixed [[Aerial skiing|aerials]].
|-
|[[Ice hockey at the Winter Olympics|Ice hockey]]
|{{nowrap|Since 1924{{efn-lr|A [[Ice hockey at the 1920 Summer Olympics|men's ice hockey tournament]] was held at the [[1920 Summer Olympics]].}}}}
|align=center|2<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Ice-Hockey/|title=Ice Hockey|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's and women's tournaments.
|-
|[[Luge at the Winter Olympics|Luge]]
|Since 1964
|align=center|4<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Luge/|title=Luge|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's singles, Women's singles, Men's doubles, Women's doubles, mixed team relay.
|-
|[[Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics|Nordic combined]]
|Since 1924
|align=center|3<ref>{{cite web|url= https://olympics.com/en/sports/Nordic-Combined/|title=Nordic Combined|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's 10&nbsp;km individual normal hill, 10&nbsp;km individual large hill, team 4×5&nbsp;km large hill.
|-
|style="white-space:nowrap;"|[[Short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics|Short track speed skating]]
|Since 1992
|align=center|9<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Short-Track-Speed-Skating/|title=Short Track Speed Skating|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's: 500&nbsp;m, 1000&nbsp;m, 1500&nbsp;m, 5000&nbsp;m relay.<br />Women's: 500&nbsp;m, 1000&nbsp;m, 1500&nbsp;m, 3000&nbsp;m relay.<br />Mixed 2000&nbsp;m relay.
|-
|[[Skeleton at the Winter Olympics|Skeleton]]
|1928, 1948, Since 2002
|align=center|2<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Skeleton/|title=Skeleton|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's and women's events.
|-
|[[Ski jumping at the Winter Olympics|Ski jumping]]
|Since 1924
|align=center|5<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Ski-Jumping/|title=Ski Jumping|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's: individual normal hill, individual large hill, team large hill.<br />Women's: individual normal hill.<br />Mixed team normal hill.
|-
|[[Ski mountaineering at the Winter Olympics|Ski mountaineering]]
|2026
|align=center|3<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympics.com/en/sports/ski-mountaineering/|title=Ski Mountaineering|website=IOC|access-date=26 February 2025}}</ref>
|Men's sprint.<br />Women's sprint.<br />Mixed relay.
|-
|[[Snowboarding at the Winter Olympics|Snowboarding]]
|Since 1998
|align=center|11<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Snowboard/|title=Snowboard|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's: snowboard cross, parallel, half-pipe, slopestyle, big air.<br />Women's: snowboard cross, parallel, half-pipe, slopestyle, big air.<br />Mixed snowboard cross.
|-
|[[Speed skating at the Winter Olympics|Speed skating]]
|Since 1924
|align=center|14<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/sports/Speed-skating/|title=Speed Skating|website=IOC|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
|Men's: 500&nbsp;m, 1000&nbsp;m, 1500&nbsp;m, 5000&nbsp;m, 10,000&nbsp;m, mass start, team pursuit.<br />Women's 500&nbsp;m, 1000&nbsp;m, 1500&nbsp;m, 3000&nbsp;m, 5000&nbsp;m, mass start, team pursuit.
|}
{{notelist-lr}}

===Demonstration events===
[[Demonstration sports#Winter Olympics|Demonstration sports]] have historically provided a venue for host countries to attract publicity to locally popular sports by having a competition without granting medals. Demonstration sports were discontinued after [[1992 Winter Olympics|1992]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Olympic Sports|url=http://www.insidethegames.com/olympic-sports/|website=Inside The Games|access-date=2 August 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710163205/http://www.insidethegames.com/olympic-sports/|archive-date=10 July 2014 }}</ref> Military patrol, a precursor to the [[biathlon]], was a medal sport in 1924 and was demonstrated in 1928, 1936 and 1948, becoming an official sport in 1960.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biathlon history|website=[[U.S. Biathlon Association]]|url=http://www.usbiathlon.org/history.html|access-date=26 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20111008235442/http://www.usbiathlon.org/history.html|archive-date=8 October 2011}}</ref> The [[special figures]] figure skating event was only contested at the [[Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Figure Skating at the 1908 London Summer Games|website=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/FSK/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417050321/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/FSK/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|access-date=26 March 2009}}</ref> [[Bandy]] (Russian hockey) is a sport popular in the Nordic countries and Russia. In the latter it is considered a [[national sport]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eng.tatar-inform.ru/news/2011/01/21/33986/|title=Russian bandy players blessed for victory at world championship in Kazan|date=21 January 2011|website=[[Tatarstan]] Information Agency|access-date=31 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424230703/http://eng.tatar-inform.ru/news/2011/01/21/33986/|archive-date=24 April 2012}}</ref> It was demonstrated at the Oslo Games.<ref name=demosports>{{cite journal|title=Strangest Olympics Sports in History|last=Arnold|first=Eric|journal=[[Forbes]]|date=28 January 2010|url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/01/28/olympics-demonstration-sports-lifestyle-sports-strangest-vancouver.html|access-date=16 March 2010}}</ref>

[[Ice stock sport]], a German variant of curling, was demonstrated in 1936 in Germany and 1964 in Austria.<ref name=Games1936/> The [[ski ballet]] event, later known as ski-acro, was demonstrated in 1988 and 1992.<ref>{{cite news|title=Freestyle Skiing History|agency=CBC Sports|newspaper=The National Post|location=Toronto|date=4 December 2009|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/2.722/freestyle-skiing-history-1.790944|access-date=16 March 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100128224737/http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/history/story/2009/11/25/spo-sport-history-freestyleskiing.html|archive-date=28 January 2010 }}</ref> [[Skijöring]], skiing behind dogs, was a demonstration sport in St. Moritz in 1928.<ref name=demosports/> A [[Sled dog race at the 1932 Winter Olympics|sled-dog race]] was held at Lake Placid in 1932.<ref name=demosports/> [[Speed skiing]] was demonstrated in Albertville at the 1992 Winter Olympics.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hitting the slopes in the fast lane|last=Janofsky|first=Michael|newspaper=The New York Times|date=18 December 1991|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/18/sports/albertville-profile-speed-skiing-hitting-the-slopes-in-the-fast-lane.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/S/Skiing|access-date=26 March 2009}}</ref> [[Winter pentathlon]], a variant of the [[modern pentathlon]], was included as a demonstration event at the 1948 Games in Switzerland. It included [[cross-country skiing (sport)|cross-country skiing]], [[shooting sports|shooting]], [[Downhill (ski competition)|downhill skiing]], [[fencing]], and [[Equestrian at the Summer Olympics|horse riding]].<ref name=biathlon/>

==All-time medal table==
{{main|All-time Olympic Games medal table}}
The table below uses official data provided by the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]].

{{legend|BurlyWood|'''Defunct nation'''}}
{|class="wikitable"  style="width:60%; font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|-
!No. !!Nation !!style="background:gold;"|Gold !!style="background:silver;"|Silver !! style="background:#c96;"|Bronze !!Total !!Games 
|-
!1
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR}}||148||134||123||405||24
|-
!2
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA}}||114||121||95||330||24
|-
!3
|align=left|{{flagIOC|GER}}||105||97||65||267||13
|-
!4
|style="background:BurlyWood; text-align:left;"|{{flagIOC|URS}}||78||57||59||194||9
|-
!5
|align=left|{{flagIOC|CAN}}||77||72||76||225||24
|-
!6
|align=left|{{flagIOC|AUT}}||71||88||91||250||24
|-
!7
|align=left|{{flagIOC|SWE}}||65||51||60||176||24
|-
!8
|align=left|{{flagIOC|SUI}}||63||47||58||168||24
|-
!9
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NED}}||53||49||45||147||22
|-
!10
|align=left|{{flagIOC|RUS}}||47||39||35||121||6
|-
!11
|align=left|{{flagIOC|FIN}}||45||65||65||175||24
|-
!12
|align=left|{{flagIOC|ITA}}||42||43||56||141||24
|-
!13
|align=left|{{flagIOC|FRA}}||41||42||55||138||24
|-
!14
|style="background:BurlyWood; text-align:left;"|{{flagIOC|GDR}}||39||36||35||110||6
|-
!15
|align=left|{{flagIOC|KOR}}||33||30||16||79||19
|-
!16
|align=left|{{flagIOC|CHN}}||22||32||23||77||12
|-
!17
|align=left|{{flagIOC|JPN}}||17||29||30||76||23
|-
!18
|align=left|{{flagIOC|GBR}}||12||5||17||34||24
|-
!19
|style="background:BurlyWood; text-align:left;"|{{flagIOC|FRG}}||11||15||13||39||6
|-
!20
|align=left|{{flagIOC|CZE}}||10||11||13||34||7
|-
|}

===Medal leaders by year===
{|class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|style="background:gold;text-align:center;"|[[File:Olympic rings.svg|30px]] '''Winter Olympics [[All-time Olympic Games medal table|medal table]] [[List of Olympic teams by medals won#Winter Olympics|leaders by year]]'''
|-
|
{{div col|small=yes|colwidth=20em}} 
{{plainlist}}
* [[1924 Winter Olympics medal table|1924]]: {{flag IOC|NOR|1924 Winter}}
* [[1928 Winter Olympics medal table|1928]]: {{flag IOC|NOR|1928 Winter}}
* [[1932 Winter Olympics medal table|1932]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1932 Winter}}
* [[1936 Winter Olympics medal table|1936]]: {{flag IOC|NOR|1936 Winter}}
* [[1948 Winter Olympics medal table|1948]]: {{flag IOC|NOR|1948 Winter}} and {{flag IOC|SWE|1948 Winter}}
* [[1952 Winter Olympics medal table|1952]]: {{flag IOC|NOR|1952 Winter}}
* [[1956 Winter Olympics medal table|1956]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1956 Winter}}
* [[1960 Winter Olympics medal table|1960]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1960 Winter}}
* [[1964 Winter Olympics medal table|1964]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1964 Winter}}
* [[1968 Winter Olympics medal table|1968]]: {{flag IOC|NOR|1968 Winter}}
* [[1972 Winter Olympics medal table|1972]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1972 Winter}}
* [[1976 Winter Olympics medal table|1976]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1976 Winter}}
* [[1980 Winter Olympics medal table|1980]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1980 Winter}}
* [[1984 Winter Olympics medal table|1984]]: {{flag IOC|GDR|1984 Winter}}
* [[1988 Winter Olympics medal table|1988]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1988 Winter}}
* [[1992 Winter Olympics medal table|1992]]: {{flag IOC|GER|1992 Winter}}
* [[1994 Winter Olympics medal table|1994]]: {{flag IOC|RUS|1994 Winter}}
* [[1998 Winter Olympics medal table|1998]]: {{flag IOC|GER|1998 Winter}}
* [[2002 Winter Olympics medal table|2002]]: {{flag IOC|NOR|2002 Winter}}
* [[2006 Winter Olympics medal table|2006]]: {{flag IOC|GER|2006 Winter}}
* [[2010 Winter Olympics medal table|2010]]: {{flag IOC|CAN|2010 Winter}}
* [[2014 Winter Olympics medal table|2014]]: {{flag IOC|NOR|2014 Winter}}
* [[2018 Winter Olympics medal table|2018]]: {{flag IOC|NOR|2018 Winter}}
* [[2022 Winter Olympics medal table|2022]]: {{flag IOC|NOR|2022 Winter}}
{{endplainlist}}
{{div col end}}
|}
'''Number of occurrences'''
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%;"
|-
!Rank
!Country
!Number of games
|-
|1||style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|NOR}}||10 times
|-
|2||style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|URS}}||7 times
|-
|3||style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|GER}}||3 times
|-
|rowspan=5|4||style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|USA}}||rowspan=5|1 time
|-
|style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|SWE}}
|-
|style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|GDR}}
|-
|style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|CAN}}
|-
|style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|RUS}}
|-
|}

==List of Winter Olympic Games==
[[File:Winter olympics all cities.svg|center|632x632px|A map of Winter Olympics locations. Countries that have hosted one Winter Olympics are shaded green, while countries that have hosted two or more are shaded blue.|thumb]]

{|class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 85%; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Year
! rowspan="2"|{{abbr|No.|Number of Winter Olympic Games}}
! rowspan="2"|Host
! rowspan="2"|Games dates /<br />Opened by
! rowspan="2"|Sports<br />(Disciplines)
! colspan="3"|Competitors
! rowspan="2"|Events
! rowspan="2"|[[National Olympic Committees|Nations]]
! rowspan="2"|Top nation
|-
! Total
! Men
! Women
|-
! colspan="11"|Amateur era{{cn|date=August 2024}}
|-
|1924<ref name="Games1924" />
|[[1924 Winter Olympics|I]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|FRA|1794}} [[Chamonix]]
|25 January – 5 February 1924<br />[[Gaston Vidal|Undersecretary of State Gaston Vidal]]
|6 (9)||258||247||11||16||16
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR|1924 Winter}}
|-
|1928<ref name="Games1928" />
|[[1928 Winter Olympics|II]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[St. Moritz]]
|11–19 February 1928<br />[[Edmund Schulthess|President Edmund Schulthess]]{{efn|name=Opened By|This office is technically not head of state in and of itself, but is the presiding officer of the [[Federal Council (Switzerland)|Federal Council]] which collectively acts as head of state.}}
|4 (8)||464||438||26||14||25
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR|1928 Winter}}
|-
|1932<ref name="Games1932" />
|[[1932 Winter Olympics|III]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|United States|1912}} [[Lake Placid, New York|Lake Placid]]
|&nbsp;4–15 February 1932<br />[[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Governor Franklin Roosevelt]]
|4 (7)||252||231||21||14||17
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1932 Winter}}
|-
|1936<ref name="Games1936" />
|[[1936 Winter Olympics|IV]]
|align=left data-sort-value="Germany (Garmisch-Partenkirchen)"|{{flagicon|Germany|1935}} [[Garmisch-Partenkirchen]]
|&nbsp;6–16 February 1936<br />[[Adolf Hitler|Chancellor Adolf Hitler]]
|4 (8)||646||566||80||17||28
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR|1936 Winter}}
|-
|[[1940 Winter Olympics|1940]]
|{{efn|name=Cancelled Games|Unlike the Summer Olympics, the cancelled [[1940 Winter Olympics]] and [[1944 Winter Olympics]] are ''not'' included in the official Roman numeral counts for the Winter Games. While the official titles of the Summer Games count [[Olympiad]]s, the titles of the Winter Games only count the Games themselves.}}
! colspan="9" data-sort-value="Japan (Sapporo)"|''Awarded to Japan ([[Sapporo]]); cancelled due to [[World War II]]''
|-
|[[1944 Winter Olympics|1944]]
|{{efn|name=Cancelled Games}}
! colspan="9" data-sort-value="Italy (Cortina d'Ampezzo)"|''Awarded to Italy ([[Cortina d'Ampezzo]]); cancelled due to World War II''
|-
|1948<ref name="Games1948" />
|[[1948 Winter Olympics|V]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[St. Moritz]]
|30 January – 8 February 1948<br />[[Enrico Celio|President Enrico Celio]]{{efn|name=Opened By}}
|4 (9)||669||592||77||22||28
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR|1948 Winter}}<br />{{flagIOC|SWE|1948 Winter}}
|-
|1952<ref name="Games1952" />
|[[1952 Winter Olympics|VI]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|Norway}} [[Oslo]]
|14–25 February 1952<br />[[Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen|Princess Ragnhild]]
|4 (8)||694||585||109||22||30
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR|1952 Winter}}
|-
|1956<ref name="Games1956" />
|[[1956 Winter Olympics|VII]]
|data-sort-value="Italy (Cortina d'Ampezzo)" align=left|{{flagicon|Italy|1946}} [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]]
|26 January – 5 February 1956<br />[[Giovanni Gronchi|President Giovanni Gronchi]]
|4 (8)||821||687||134||24||32
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1956 Winter}}
|-
|1960<ref name="Games1960" />
|[[1960 Winter Olympics|VIII]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|United States|1959}} [[Squaw Valley Ski Resort|Squaw Valley]]
|18–28 February 1960<br />[[Richard Nixon|Vice President Richard Nixon]]
|4 (8)||665||521||144||27||30
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1960 Winter}}
|-
|1964<ref name="Games1964" />
|[[1964 Winter Olympics|IX]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Innsbruck]]
|29 January – 9 February 1964<br />[[Adolf Schärf|President Adolf Schärf]]
|6 (10)||1,091||892||199||34||36
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1964 Winter}}
|-
|1968<ref name="Games1968" />
|[[1968 Winter Olympics|X]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|France}} [[Grenoble]]
|&nbsp;6–18 February 1968<br />[[Charles de Gaulle|President Charles de Gaulle]]
|6 (10)||1,158||947||211||35||37
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR|1968 Winter}}
|-
|1972<ref name="Games1972" />
|[[1972 Winter Olympics|XI]]
|data-sort-value="Japan (Sapporo)" align=left|{{flagicon|Japan|1870}} [[Sapporo]]
|&nbsp;3–13 February 1972<br />[[Hirohito|Emperor Hirohito]]
|6 (10)||1,006||801||205||35||35
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1972 Winter}}
|-
|1976<ref name="Games1976" />
|[[1976 Winter Olympics|XII]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Innsbruck]]
|&nbsp;4–15 February 1976<br />[[Rudolf Kirchschläger|President Rudolf Kirchschläger]]
|6 (10)||1,123||892||231||37||37
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1976 Winter}}
|-
|1980<ref name="Games1980" />
|[[1980 Winter Olympics|XIII]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|United States}} [[Lake Placid, New York|Lake Placid]]
|13–24 February 1980<br />[[Walter Mondale|Vice President Walter Mondale]]
|6 (10)||1,072||840||232||38||37
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1980 Winter}}
|-
|1984<ref name="Games1984" />
|[[1984 Winter Olympics|XIV]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} [[Sarajevo]]
|&nbsp;8–19 February 1984<br />[[Mika Špiljak|President Mika Špiljak]]
|6 (10)||1,272||998||274||39||49
|align=left|{{flagIOC|GDR|1984 Winter}}
|-
|1988<ref name="Games1988" />
|[[1988 Winter Olympics|XV]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Calgary]] 
|13–28 February 1988<br />[[Jeanne Sauvé|Governor-General Jeanne Sauvé]]
|6 (10)||1,423||1,122||301||46||57
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1988 Winter}}
|-
|1992<ref name="Games1992" />
|[[1992 Winter Olympics|XVI]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|France|1976}} [[Albertville]]
|&nbsp;8–23 February 1992<br />[[François Mitterrand|President François Mitterrand]]
|6 (12)||1,801||1,313||488||57||64
|align=left|{{flagIOC|GER|1992 Winter}}
|-
|1994<ref name="Games1994" />
|[[1994 Winter Olympics|XVII]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|Norway}} [[Lillehammer]]
|12–27 February 1994<br />[[Harald V of Norway|King Harald V]]
|6 (12)||1,737||1,215||522||61||67
|align=left|{{flagIOC|RUS|1994 Winter}}
|-
|1998<ref name="Games1998" />
|[[1998 Winter Olympics|XVIII]]
|data-sort-value="Japan (Nagano)" align=left|{{flagicon|Japan|1870}} [[Nagano (city)|Nagano]]
|&nbsp;7–22 February 1998<br />[[Akihito|Emperor Akihito]]
|7 (14)||2,176||1,389||787||68||72
|align=left|{{flagIOC|GER|1998 Winter}}
|-
|2002<ref name="Games2002" />
|[[2002 Winter Olympics|XIX]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|United States}} [[Salt Lake City]]
|&nbsp;8–24 February 2002<br />[[George W. Bush|President George W. Bush]]
|7 (15)||2,399||1,513||886||78||78{{efn|The [https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/salt-lake-city-2002 IOC site for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games] gives an erroneous figure of 77 participated teams; however, one can count 78 participated nations looking through [https://digital.la84.org/digital/search/searchterm/Official%20Report%20of%20the%20XIX%20Olympic%20Winter%20Games%20Results/field/title/mode/all/conn/and Official Report of the XIX Olympic Winter Games]. This error probably resulted from the fact that Costa Rica's delegation of one athlete joined the Games after the Opening Ceremony, so 77 nations participated in the Opening Ceremony and 78 nations participated in the Games.}}
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR|2002 Winter}}
|-
|2006<ref name="Games2006" />
|[[2006 Winter Olympics|XX]]
|data-sort-value="Italy (Turin)" align=left|{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Turin]]
|10–26 February 2006<br />[[Carlo Azeglio Ciampi|President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi]]
|7 (15)||2,508||1,548||960||84||80
|align=left|{{flagIOC|GER|2006 Winter}}
|-
|2010<ref name="Games2010" />
|[[2010 Winter Olympics|XXI]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Vancouver]]
|12–28 February 2010<br />[[Michaëlle Jean|Governor-General Michaëlle Jean]]
|7 (15)||2,566||1,522||1,044||86||82
|align=left|{{flagIOC|CAN|2010 Winter}}
|-
|2014<ref name="Games2014" />
|[[2014 Winter Olympics|XXII]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Sochi]]
|7–23 February 2014<br />[[Vladimir Putin|President Vladimir Putin]]
|7 (15)||2,873||'''1,714'''||1,159||98||88
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR|2014 Winter}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://olympics.com/ru/olympic-games/sochi-2014/medals|title=Сочи-2014 Медальный зачет|language=ru|trans-title=Sochi 2014 Medal count|website=olympics.com|access-date=2024-08-16}}</ref>
|-
|2018<ref name="Games2018" />
|[[2018 Winter Olympics|XXIII]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|South Korea}} [[Pyeongchang]]
|9–25 February 2018<br />[[Moon Jae-in|President Moon Jae-in]]
|7 (15)||'''2,922'''||1,680||1,242||102||'''92+1'''{{efn|The IOC site for the [https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/pyeongchang-2018 2018 Winter Olympic Games] does not include [[Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics|United Korean]] (COR) women's ice hockey team as separate "nation" when counting participating nations. Nevertheless, the IOC shows the Korean team in the [https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/pyeongchang-2018/results/ice-hockey/women Pyeongchang 2018 Ice Hockey Women's Tournament Results]. Thus, 92 national teams plus 1 team composed of athletes from both South Korea and North Korea participated in the Games.}}
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR|2018 Winter}}
|-
|2022''<ref name="Games2022" />''
|[[2022 Winter Olympics|XXIV]]
|align=left|{{flagicon|China}} [[Beijing]]
|4–20 February 2022<br />[[Xi Jinping|President Xi Jinping]]
|7 (15)||2,861||1,573||'''1,288'''||109||91
|align=left|{{flagIOC|NOR|2022 Winter}}
|-
|''2026''<ref name="Games2026" />
|''[[2026 Winter Olympics|XXV]]''
|data-sort-value="Italy (Milan & Cortina d'Ampezzo)" align=left|''{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Milan]] and [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]]''
|''6–22 February 2026''<br />''TBA''
|'''''8 (16)'''''||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||'''''116'''''||{{N/a|TBA}}
|{{N/a|TBA}}
|-
|''2030''<ref name="Games2030" />
|''[[2030 Winter Olympics|XXVI]]''
|align=left|''{{flagicon|France}} [[French Alps]]''
|''1–17 February 2030''<br/>TBA
|{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}
|{{N/a|TBA}}
|-
|''2034''<ref name="Games2034" />
|''[[2034 Winter Olympics|XXVII]]''
|align=left|''{{flagicon|United States}} [[Salt Lake City]] and [[Utah]]''
|''10–26 February 2034''<br/>TBA
|{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}
|{{N/a|TBA}}
|}

==See also==
{{Div col|colwidth=27em}}
* [[List of multiple Winter Olympic medalists]]
* [[List of participating nations at the Winter Olympic Games]]
* [[Lists of Olympic medalists]]
* [[List of Olympic Games scandals, controversies and incidents]]
* [[Winter Paralympic Games]]
* [[Paralympic Games]]
* [[Summer Olympic Games]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist
|refs =
<ref name=Games1920>{{cite web|title=Antwerp 1920|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/antwerp-1920|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1924>{{cite web|title=Chamonix 1924|website=IOC|url= https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/chamonix-1924|access-date=31 January 2022 }}</ref>
<ref name=Games1928>{{cite web|title=St. Moritz 1928|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/st-moritz-1928|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1932>{{cite web|title=Lake Placid 1932|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/lake-placid-1932|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1936>{{cite web|title=Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/garmisch-partenkirchen-1936|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1948>{{cite web|title=St. Moritz 1948|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/st-moritz-1948|access-date=6 January 2024}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1952>{{cite web|title=Oslo 1952|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/oslo-1952|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1956>{{cite web|title=Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956|website=IOC|url=https://www.olympics.com/en/olympic-games/cortina-d-ampezzo-1956|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1960>{{cite web|title=Squaw Valley 1960|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/squaw-valley-1960|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1964>{{cite web|title=Innsbruck 1964|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/innsbruck-1964|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1968>{{cite web|title=Grenoble 1968|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/grenoble-1968|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1972>{{cite web|title=Sapporo 1972|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/sapporo-1972|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1976>{{cite web|title=Innsbruck 1976|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/innsbruck-1976|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1980>{{cite web|title=Lake Placid 1980|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/lake-placid-1980|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1984>{{cite web|title=Sarajevo 1984|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/sarajevo-1984|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1988>{{cite web|title=Calgary 1988|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/calgary-1988|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1992>{{cite web|title=Albertville 1992|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/albertville-1992|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1994>{{cite web|title=Lillehammer 1994|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/lillehammer-1994|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1998>{{cite web|title=Nagano 1998|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/nagano-1998|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2002>{{cite web|title=Salt Lake City 2002|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/salt-lake-city-2002|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2006>{{cite web|title=Turin 2006|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/turin-2006|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2010>{{cite web|title=Vancouver 2010|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/vancouver-2010|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2014>{{cite web|title=Sochi 2014|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/sochi-2014|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2018>{{cite web|title=PyeongChang 2018|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/pyeongchang-2018|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2022>{{cite web|title=Beijing 2022|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/beijing-2022|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2026>{{cite web|title=Milano Cortina 2026|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/milano-cortina-2026|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2030>{{cite web|title=French Alps 2030|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/french-alps-2030|access-date=24 July 2024}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2034>{{cite web|title=Salt Lake City-Utah 2034|website=IOC|url=https://www.olympics.com/en/olympic-games/salt-lake-city-utah-2034|access-date=24 July 2024}}</ref>
}}

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{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Winter Olympics}}
* {{Official website|https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games}}
* [https://olympics.com/en/sports/winter-olympics Winter Olympic Sports] at the IOC official website

{{Olympic Games}}
{{Nations at the Olympics}}
{{Olympic Games results}}
{{Olympic Winter Games Host Cities|state=collapsed}}
{{Multi-sport events}}
{{Portal bar|Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Winter Olympic Games|Winter Olympic Games]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1924]]
[[Category:Winter multi-sport events]]
[[Category:Quadrennial sporting events]]
[[Category:February in sports]]
[[Category:Olympic Games|*]]