Overview:

Officially recognized as “I Olympic Winter Games”, the 1924 Winter Olympics was a sports event which took place in Chamonix, France. It was formerly known as the “International Winter Sports Week” and was hosted in association with the 1924 Summer Olympics which took place in Paris.

All the individual events took place at the foot of Mont-Blanc in Chamonix. Up to the year 1992, the Winter and Summer Olympics took place in the same calendar year. Sports like figure skating and Ice Hockey were seen in the London and Antwerp Games. However, they were limited due to the ongoing climate at that time. After numerous suggestions which called for equality to winter sports, the International Olympic Committee decided to hold the “International Winter Sports Week” in Chamonix, in the year 1924.

Notable Highlights:

The second day of the 1924 Winter Olympics witnessed Charles Jewtraw being awarded the first gold medal in Winter Olympic history for winning the 500 meter speed skating event. Sonja Henie, an eleven year old girl, featured in the women’s figure skating competition. She finished last but became an instant hit with the fans. Coincidently, she went on to bag the gold medals for the same competition in the next three Winter Olympics. The Ice Hockey team of Canada dominated the Winter Olympics by finishing their qualifying rounds with a total score of 110-3. At the conclusion of the 1924 Winter Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin presented an award to Charles Granville Bruce, who was the leader of the expedition which made an effort to climb Mt. Everest in the year 1922.

One year after the conclusion of the “International Winter Sports Week”, the International Olympic Committee recognized it and renamed it to “I Olympic Winter Games”. It was decided that the Winter Olympics would take place once every four years and in the same year in which the Summer Olympics takes place. In the year 1974, the International Olympic Committee awarded the last medal of the 1924 Winter Olympics to Andres Haugen. Haugen had finished fourth in ski jumping in 1924, but was found to have finished third. An error was spotted in the score of Norwegian skier, Thorleif Haug, who was the gold medalist. This made the IOC reverse its decision fifty years after the event.