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Life's Simple Joys: Sports
March 12, 2020 will be known as the day the sports world died (temporarily due to the coronavirus,) and since then, life as we know it has not been the same. You see so many folks on social media trying to make the best of it. From funny memes, to those who are trying new hobbies, but watching sports and being at a sporting event is special.
By Stephanie Dolce6 years ago in Unbalanced
1968 Olympics
The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport winter festival that was held in Grenoble, France in 1968 and opened on February 6. Thirty-countries attended. In all the alpine skiing events the Frenchman Jean-Claude Killy has won three gold medals. Peggy Fleming won the United States 'first female figure skating gold medal. The games are allocated for making U.S. More famous Winter Olympics, not least due to ABC's intensive coverage of Fleming and Killy, who were instantly celebrity youngsters. The year 1968 marked the first time that the IOC had allowed East and West Germany to compete independently and the IOC for the first time required mandatory alcohol and gender testing. François Raoul, Prefect of the Isère Département, and Raoul Arduin, Chairman of the Dauphiné Ski Federation, publicly proposed the possibility of staging the 1968 Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble on 24 November 1960 for the first time. After the city council decided in principle, numerous government departments offered their assistance and the villagers around Grenoble reacted favourably, Albert Michallon, the former mayor of Grenoble, formed and chaired a plan committee on 30 December 1960. The recommendation was formally made to the IOC at a conference held in Lausanne in February 1963 involving IOC executives and members of international sporting organisations. In this case, the decision was not focused purely on sport as there were only two relevant sporting competitions in the Isère Department, the 1951 Bobsleigh World Championships in L'Alpe d'Huez and the 1959 Luge World Championships in Villard-de-Lans. Grenoble's population rose from 102,000 to 159,000 during 1946 and 1962, and the total population in Isère's department dropped from 139,000 to 250,000. Technology advancement was unable to keep pace with this exponential growth, and was essentially trapped at the same stage as before World War II. Many responsible have never kept it a secret that it is only for them to use the Olympic Games to get bigger funds to quickly improve outdated infrastructure to boost local economies. After Grenoble was chosen as the host city, the organising committee was determined by the French National Olympic Sports Committee. The game was first arranged by the Comité d'Organisation des dixièmes Jeux Olympiques, the body to coordinate the 10th Olympic Games, on 1 August 1964. Albert Michallon was the president of COJO, and was the former mayor of Grenoble. The upper panel consisted of the general assembly and its 340 members, and the advisory board was in charge of doing business and 39 members, 19 of whom were named and the other 20 elected. The Secretary General is comprised of five primary offices and 17 regional departments. In February 1968, the number of workers rose to 1920. They carried out "World Sports Weeks" to test the new sporting facility and develop the operational processes. Speed skating contests and ski races were held from 20 January to 19 February 1967, an ice hockey demonstration from 12 to 15 October 1967 and a figure-skiing contest from 23 to 25 November. On 16 December 1967 in ancient Greece the Olympic torch was illuminated at Olympia. The ceremony was initially expected to take place on 13 December but had to be delayed due to King Constantine II's coup d'état, which had been pushed out of his seat eight months ago, against Georgios Papadopoulos 'dictatorial military rule. Originally the torch relay path led from Mount Olympus to Athens. From there the torch was transported by an Air France Boeing 707 to Paris-Orly airport. The 1960 Downhill Olympic gold medalist Jean Vuarnet, who turned it over to the first torchbearer Alain Mimoun, the 1956 marathon Olympic gold medalist, got the torch there on 19 December. The emblem shows a spinning snow diamond flanked by three stylised roses and on top of the Olympic Rings in one hue. The roses are contained in the same style as the Symbol of Grenoble. The emblem covers the 1968 Grenoble "Xes Jeux Olympiques d'Hiver"
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
1984 Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, formally known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport winter festival held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 8–19 February 1984. Sapporo, Japan; and the Gothenburg member cities, including Sweden. It was the first Winter Olympic Games held in a democratic state and in a Slavic-speaking area. Following the Moscow, Soviet Union, 1980 Summer Olympics, it was also the second overall Olympics to be held in a Socialist and Slavic-speaking region, as well as the second consecutive Olympics. At the moment, Sarajevo, present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina capital, was part of the unified Yugoslavia. The torch relay started at the Winter Olympics in Olympia in 1984, and then travelled to Dubrovnik by aeroplane. Yugoslavia had a minimum span of 5,289 kilometres for torch relay. Two main highways — one in the west and one in the east. The final torchbearer was figure skater Sanda Dubravčić who won the torch from skier athlete Ivo Čarman from a total of 1600. One of the first two torches still resides in a private collection in Žalec, Slovenia, Slovenia. Additionally, after the first early games in Athens, it was the first Games played on the Balkans. The Sarajevo games have also been the only Olympics witnessed so far by a competitor of the Non-Aligned Movement. On 18 May 1978 at an 80th session of the International Olympic Committee in Athens, Greece, the host city for the XIV Winter Olympics was announced. Sarajevo had been picked by a three-way margin over Sapporo, Japan. Gothenburg became Sweden's first city to drop an Olympic Winter Olympic bid while other Swedish cities like Falun and Östersund would subsequently withdraw their successive bids for Montreal, Albertville, Lillehammer, Nagano and Salt Lake. In Greece there are also 20 more torches borne by individual competitors who were torchbearers from Ancient Olympia to the local military airport, and from Athens Domestic Airport to Panathinaikon Stadium where the Olympic Torch was handed over to the Sarajevo Olympic Games Committee. At the opening ceremonies the Olympic flag was hoisted upside down by accident. Juan Antonio Samaranch presided over First Match. Women's Nordic Skiing featured in the 20 kilometre event. Skier Jure Franko has won the first Olympic Winter medal for Yugoslavia; a silver in the giant slalom. For independent women Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen has won all three cross-country events. Gaétan Boucher and Karin Enke won two gold medals apiece in speed skating while East German women won all but three of the event's 12 medals. Austria, which has traditionally been a strong winter sports national, just earned a bronze medal. Biathletes Eirik Kvalfoss and Peter Angerer have won a perfect medal collection. The twin brothers Phil and Steve Mahre finished first and second respectively in slalom. Torvill and the Dean of Great Britain have won perfect ratings around the board for artistic performance in the ice dancing festival's free dance category, an accomplishment that has never been replicated before. The gold medals for figure skating were divided between four nations: while the Great Britain ice dancing contest was won by Torvill and Dean, the Soviet Union's Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev won the pair skating title, the men's Scott Hamilton won gold for the United States and Katarina Witt captured the first of two straight gold medals for East Germany in the women's single title. For the first season adaptive skiing became a spotlight event. Bill Johnson has been the first American to win a downhill race in Olympic history. Senegal's Lamine Guèye becomes the first Black African skier to participate at Winter Olympics. In the figure skating centre, the closing ceremonies took place indoor. The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver marks the first time the Winter Games closing ceremony marks held indoors. For the 1984 Winter Olympics, Yugoslav newspaper readers were asked to select the mascot from a six preference set. Vučko, the tiny wolf created by Slovenian artist and illustrator Jože Trobec, was the winner. A chipmunk, a fox, a mountain goat, a porcupine and a rabbit were among the other contestants. The Vučko is a longstanding symbol of Sarajevo.
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
1952 Olympics
Between 14th to 25th February 1952, the 1952 Winter Olympics, formally known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, were held in Oslo, Norway. Discussions began as early as 1935 over Oslo staging the Winter Olympic Games; the city decided to host the 1948 Olympics because World War II was impossible to do so. Alternatively, in a series that featured Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy and Lake Placid in the USA, Oslo secured the right to host the 1952 Olympics. With the exception of the alpine skiing competitions held at Norefjell, 113 km from the capital, all venues were in the metropolitan area of Oslo. A new hotel was built along with three dormitories to accommodate players and coaches for the press and dignitaries, establishing the village of the first professional athlete. The City of Oslo, in exchange for the income they generated, kept the financial responsibility of hosting the Games. The Games drew 694 athletes who competed in 4 disciplines and 22 events from 30 nations. Japan and Germany returned to the Olympic Winter Tournament because they weren't able to boycott the 1948 Games following World War II. As East Germany failed to participate as a single team, Germany was represented only by West German athletes. Portugal and New Zealand made their Winter Olympic debuts and women were permitted to take part in cross country skiing for the first time. Norwegian truck driver Hjalmar Andersen took three of four speed skating events to become the most decorated Olympic attendee. Of bobsleigh Germany regained its previous dominance, competing of four- and two-man competition. The United States 'Dick Button made the first triple jump in international competition to win his second consecutive Olympic title skating men's figure. The 1952 Games featured a showcase event, a bandy, but the competition was disputed by only three Nordic countries. Norway received 16 medals, of which seven were gold, for general medal competition. The Games closed with the raising of a banner heading from one of the host cities of Winter Olympics into the other. At each subsequent Winter Games the banner which became known as the "Oslo flag" was displayed at the host city. Anti-German rhetoric started to form plans for the 1952 Olympics during the German invasion of Norway during World War II. There were discussions on whether it should allow Germany to compete in the Olympics. When the IOC approved the West German Olympic Committee in 1950, it addressed the question of whether their inclusion in the forthcoming Games would spark international boycotts. The West German Olympic Committee West Germany was officially invited to compete in the 1952 Winter Olympics after the IOC accepted it. East Germany had been invited to collaborate as a joint entity with West Germany but refused. Norway refused to welcome German players at first and some became regarded as Nazi sympathisers. For example, Norwegian speed skater Finn Hodt was not permitted to join the Norwegian speed skating team because after the war he had collaborated with the Nazis. In the result, Norway has decided to promote the inclusion of German and Japanese competitors in the issue. The Soviet Union did not send any athletes to Oslo, though the IOC accepted it. They had intended to field an ice hockey championship team but applied too late to join the Ice Hockey Federation International. On 15 February, the opening ceremonies were held at Bislett Stadium. King George VI of Great Britain died on 6 February 1952 with his daughter Elizabeth II taking the throne as a queen, eight days before the start of the Games. As a result, all the national flags flew in half, and Princess Ragnhild opened the Games instead of her grandfather, King Haakon VII, who attended the London funeral. It was the first time a female official has left an Olympic Games open. Traditionally, the nation parade was conducted with Greece first, the rest of the nations followed by Norwegian alphabetic order, the last being the host country.
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
1960 Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics, formally known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport festival held in Squaw Valley, California, United States from 18–28 February 1960. Squaw Valley was chosen to host the Games at the International Olympic Committee meeting held in 1956. This was an undeveloped property in 1955, and the houses and all the facilities were constructed from 1956 to 1960 at a cost of US$ 80,000,000. It was intended to be informal, allowing fans and rivals to walk to almost any venue. Squaw Valley welcomed athletes from thirty countries, participating in four athletic competitions and twenty-seven. The athletes made their Olympic speed skating and biathlon debuts. Following a vote showing that only nine nations were willing to send a bobsled team, organisers agreed that the bobsled events would not afford the cost of constructing a venue, and the bobsled was not on the Olympic Winter schedule for the first and last time. Cold War diplomacy has compelled the IOC to discuss China's and Taiwan's position. Though China was behind the Soviet Union, the US remained behind Taiwan. Considering that the 1960 Games were to take place in America, IOC members were angry that the US did not allow it to compete with China or any other Communist nation. In 1957, IOC president Avery Brundage, an American himself, declared that if the US declined to represent another nation accepted by the IOC, then the offer to host the Squaw Valley Olympics would be revoked and the presidency dissigned. Bowing to external criticism, the United States has permitted athletes from the Communist countries to compete. China continued to insist on withdrawing Taiwan from the IOC, requests which were rejected before China cut off its ties and ended the possibility of joining in 1960. Squaw Valley was a failing ski resort with limited amenities making its selection a failure to host the Olympic Winters of 1960. Wayne Poulsen and Alexander Cushing, inspired by a newspaper storey on an Olympic bid, note that Reno, Nevada and Anchorage, Alaska, have expressed interest in the Olympics. Poulsen, chairman of Squaw Valley Development Corporation, petitioned California Governor Goodwin Knight to approve a proposal to host the Olympic Games. Knight's office approved the $1,000,000 payment, and urged the California Legislature to approve it. On 7 January 1955 the United States Olympic Committee accepted the bid on the basis of financial support from the State of California. Cushing and the USOC also issued a bill accepted by the US Congress and signed by President Dwight Eisenhower calling on the International Olympic Committee to consider Squaw Valley's 1960 Games bid. Preliminary reports were written and submitted to the IOC which had received offers from Innsbruck, Austria, St. Moritz, Switzerland and Chamonix, France. A temporary right to host the Olympics was given to Squaw Valley, but IOC president Avery Brundage warned the Organizing Committee that the contract would be awarded to Innsbruck before more funding had been secured by April 1956. The State Senate pledged another $4,000,000 which met Brundage's requirements. On 4 April 1956 Squaw Valley was formally awarded the right to host the 1960 Winter Olympics. Participants and officials from European nations were irritated by the architecture; they felt the alpine ski courses were not up to standards and the athletes would consider the altitude too difficult. Television was not new to the Olympic Winter Games; the 1956 broadcasting of the games had started by the European audiences. The auction of the USA's sole broadcast rights to air the Games was groundbreaking. The Planning Committee voted to sell the TV broadcasting rights to CBS for $50,000. This was not clear at the time how profitable it would have been to sell television rights. Beginning from the 1960 Summer Olympics, CBS acquired $550,000 in broadcast rights.
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
1956 Olympics
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Winter Games, were a multi-sport festival held from 26 January to 5 February 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. First awarded at the 1944 Winter Olympics, Cortina defeated Toronto, Colorado Springs, and Lake Placid in 1956 for the right to host the Games. The Cortina Games were unique in that each location was within walking distance. The organising committee provided financial assistance for infrastructure upgrades to the Italian government, but much of the Games 'expense had to be privately funded. The planning committee was also the first to rely heavily on support for corporate sponsorship. Thirty-two nations took part in the four sporting competitions, and twenty-four – by far the highest number of countries taking part in the Winter Olympics. Toni Sailer from Austria was the first competitor to sweep all three alpine skiing events in one single Olympics. For the last time in those Games the figure skating exhibition was played outdoors. Logistically the only obstacle faced at alpine ski competitions was a shortage of snow. To counter this, the Italian army brought in huge quantities of snow to provide sufficient protection for the courses. Politics didn't influence the 1956 Winter Games — unlike the Melbourne Summer Games, Where later in the year other nations boycotted the Hungarian Revolution after the Soviet repression, and the Suez War. The Cortina Olympics was the first reporting for international viewers during the Winter Olympics. Cortina is expected to co-host Winter Olympics with Milan in 2026, 70 years from the Games in 1956. Cortina d'Ampezzo is a ski resort village located in the Mountains of the Dolomites, in Italy's north east corner. It had a population of 6,500, in 1956. Count Alberto Bonacossa, an experienced alpine skier, figure skater and member of the International Olympic Committee since 1925, led the campaign to add Cortina d'Ampezzo to the Olympic Games. He persuaded the city council of Cortina to apply for the Games of 1944. Cortina d'Ampezzo was awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics at the 38th IOC Congress held in London in 1939 but the Games were cancelled due to the start of World War II. The Italian Winter Sports Federation met in Milan in 1946 and voted to approve a new effort to host the Winter Games at Cortina. Cortina's bid to host the 1952 Winter Olympics at the 40th IOC Session in Stockholm, Sweden, was suggested by a delegation headed by Count Bonacossa They received support from both the town hall and the National Olympic Committee of Italy. Cortina is strongly rejected by a competing offer from Oslo, Norway. Count Bonacossa and CONI also tabled a new proposal for the Winter Games of 1956. Selection of the host city took place in Rome, at the 43rd IOC conference. On 28 April 1949, Cortina d'Ampezzo was chosen from bids from Toronto, Colorado Springs and Lake Placid, with 75% of the vote. Unfortunately, three years before he could see Cortina organising the Games, Bonacossa died on 30 January 1953. In all, 32 nations had sent the athletes to Cortina d'Ampezzo. Bolivia and Iran first participated along with the Soviet Union in the Winter Olympics, making Bolivia the first entirely tropical nation to take part in a Winter Olympic. After skipping the 1952 Winter Olympics, Japan, Liechtenstein and Turkey joined, while Canada, Denmark, New Zealand and Portugal did not partake in those Games, despite having played in the previous edition. Participants from West Germany and East Germany competed together as Germany's Joint Team, an alliance which would continue for the next two Olympiads. Since the allies triumphed in World War II, the Cold War came to an end. Most soviet countries in Eastern Europe had participated in Worker's Games or Spartakiads until 1952. The Soviet Union returned from international exile by eschewing the Spartakiad and taking part in the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics; they made their debut at the Cortina Games at the Winter Olympics.
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
1972 Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, also known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, is a multi-sport winter event held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan from February 3rd to February 13th, 1972. This became the first Winter Games to be hosted outside of Europe and North America, and after Melbourne and Tokyo only the third game became contested in those areas. Originally Sapporo secured the right to host the 1940 Winter Olympics but after his 1937 occupation of China, Japan resigned as host of the Games. In the end the games of 1940 were abandoned. Until then, the games have been organised by all the cities which granted games that were postponed due to war. Banff, Lahti, and Salt rivalled Sapporo The Games were debated at the 64th IOC Conference on April 26, 1966, held in Rome, Italy. The Japanese designed new large-scale buildings at Sapporo in anticipation, and held a trial run a full year ahead of the Olympics. An foreign sport week was arranged in February 1971 to assess the goals of the city as well as test its public mettle and hospitality, and this effort was recognised as "total success" by Olympic observers. Developing new facilities has proved to be a big boost for the Sapporo economy: by the time of the Games, the regional government had spent some $500 million in upgrading The Games organisers themselves made a respectable profit in part because they set a record of $8.47 million in broadcast rights. American Barbara Ann Cochran, one of three U.S. brothers on the Women's Alpine Skiing Team, shocked the world and became the first American woman to win a Gold Medal on Skiing when Andrea Mead Lawrence put first in the Slalom with an impressive first run followed by an even better second. Swiss almost obscure Marie-Thérès Nadig won both downhill and giant slalom competitions in alpine skiing. Norway's Magnar Solberg became the first repeat winner of the individual 20 km biathlon event, having placed first in Grenoble. Spain won first slalom skier Francisco Fernández Ochoa gold cup. American speedskaters Anne Henning and Dianne Holum made the greatest Winter Games triumph for the United States, winning two gold, one silver and one bronze respectively. Controversy over amateur status erupted three days before the Olympics, when IOC president Avery Brundage threatened to disqualify 40 funded alpine skiers and other deals. As an example, Austrian skier Karl Schranz, who earned more than $50,000 per annum from ski manufacturers, was disqualified. Meanwhile, Canada has declined to send an ice hockey team, claiming that the Communist nations 'top ice hockey teams are free to participate without restriction. Such Games are, as a historical fact, the last at which a skier has captured the gold medal using all-wooden skis. At the moment, top-level cross-country skiers used skis mostly made from synthetic fibreglass. All three women's cross-country ski contests were claimed by Galina Kulakova, who is based in the USSR. In speed skating the Dutch skater Ard Schenk has won three gold medals. Luge had his only tie in the history of the men's doubles event in Winter Olympics. The 1972 Winter Olympics featured 35 countries. The Republic of China and the Philippines were participating in their first Olympic Winters. American skater Janet Lynn won not only a bronze medal at the women's skating event, but also a huge reputation among Japanese audiences due to her free artistic programme when she featured on the cover of picture books released in Japan by "Olympic Winter Games, Sapporo 1972" and also on Japanese Television. Japan had earned a gold medal at the Winter Olympics until those events. Fans of Sapporo's host nation were excited when three Japanese competitors, led by Yukio Kasaya, swept the 70-meter gold, silver, and bronze ski jumping event; these will also be Japan's only medals to earn at these Olympics.
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
1976 Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, also known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport festival that took place in Innsbruck, Austria from 4–15 February 1976. The Tyrolean city hosted the Games which were awarded to Innsbruck for the second time since Denver, the first host city, withdrew in 1972. The 1976 Winter Olympic season selection process consisted of four bids, with Denver, USA, being selected ahead of Sion, Switzerland; Tampere, Finland; and Vancouver, British Columbia. The selection was made on 12 May 1970, at the 70th IOC Session in Amsterdam. In a national referendum on November 7, 1972, Colorado voters rejected support for the games, and a area that won the Games first lost them. On November 15, Denver formally resigned and instead the IOC awarded the games to Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, but refused after the referendum due to a constitutional amendment. Whistler will continue to be a participant in the successful bid for the 2010 games by neighbouring Vancouver. Salt Lake City agreed to host the games but the IOC, already reeling from Denver's rejection, refused and picked Innsbruck on 5 February 1973 to host the 1976 Winter Olympics which had hosted twelve years earlier the 1964 Winter Olympics. Then, Salt Lake City will host the 2002 Winter Olympics. Denver, Colorado, USA; Sion, Switzerland; Tampere, Finland; and Sports bids were made by Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; the table below shows the number of votes cast for the 69th IOC Conference on 12 May 1970 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Schneemann a snowman, in a red Tyrolean hat, was the mascot of the 1976 Winter Olympics. Crafted by Walter Pötsch, Schneeman was said to reflect the "Games of Simplicity" of 1976. This was often considered a symbol of good luck to avert the snow dearth that had marred the Innsbruck Winter Olympics of 1964. First Games presided by Michael Morris, 3rd Austrian favourite Baron Killanin Franz Klammer won the men's downhill alpine skiing event at 1:45.73, gaining immense support from his country and reigning Swiss champion Bernhard Russi. The gold caught by US Dorothy Hamill in figure Skating and influenced the iconic "wedge" haircut. John Curry, an exquisite British figure skater has adapted his style to suit Olympic jurors, earning gold. U.S. skater Terry Kubicka attempted a risky spinning backflip, only stopped it. West Germany's Rosi Mittermaier almost swept away the alpine women's skiing competitions, winning two golds and one silver, missing the third gold by 0.13 seconds. The soviet speed skater Tatiana Averina won four prizes. The East German team won one of three consecutive titles in the 4-man bobsled. The USSR won its fourth straight gold medal in ice hockey; for the second consecutive Olympics, Canada refused to send a team, rejecting the laws that permitted the USSR to sell professional players while restricting Canada to amateurs. Sweden had joined the campaign, as well. Sport innovations have arisen in the form of innovative perforated skis in alpine skiing, speed skating and ski jumping, lightweight hooded garments and minimalist helmets, making headlines in Innsbruck. A second Cauldron was designed to represent the 1976 Olympic flame games. It was lit up like the cauldron from the 1964 match. For the very first time Bobsleigh and luge were running on the same course. Galina Kulakova of the Soviet Union finished 3rd at the 5 km women's ski event, but was disqualified as a result of a positive test for banned drug ephedrine. She said it was the result of using things from the nasal spray. The FIS and the IOC also qualified her to compete in the 10 km and 45 km relay. That was the first gold to be stripped off at the Winter Olympics. At the opening, at the closing ceremony, the victory ceremony, and the handover ceremony, the Austrian anthem was played three times to remember the song's three verses. 37 Athletic events took place in 6 different disciplines. In 1976 37 countries competed in the Olympic Winter Games.
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
1992 Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a multi-sport, ice festival that was played from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Games that took place in the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first at the same arena where the Winter Paralympics were held. Albertville was chosen as host in 1986, and defeated Sofia, Falun, Lillehammer, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Anchorage and Berchtesgaden. The games were the 3rd Winter Olympics in France, after Chamonix in 1924 and Grenoble in 1968 and the 5th Olympics overall in the area. In Albertville only some of the skating and opening and closing ceremonies took place while the other competitions took place in the villages of Courchevel, La Plagne, Les Arcs, Les Menuires, Les Saisies, Méribel, Pralognan-de-Vanoise, Tignes and Val d'Isère. Sixty-four nations and the Joint Team of former non-Baltic Soviet republics played in the games. Upon reunification in 1990, Germany returned as a single body after five newly independent European countries, along with six 'warm-weather' states, appeared. Short track sprint cycling, women's and mogul biathlon mark their debut as an Olympic event. The competitions became the first Winter Games to feature exhibition activities up to 2014, consisting of curling, aerials, dance skiing, and sprint skiing. Outdoor speed skating arena was the last Games to have. The 1992 Winter Paralympics were followed by the Olympics from March 25 to April 1. Norwegians won every male ski race in the cross country, picking up three golds from both Bjørn Dæhlie and Vegard Ulvang. Ski jumper Toni Nieminen, 16, became the youngest male gold medallist at an Olympic Winter event. Petra Kronberger won both the mixed race and the slalom, with Bonnie Blair winning both the 500-meter and 1000-meter speed skating events and Gunda Niemann taking the fastest heats. In all men's short-track events Kim Kihoon won gold medals. In the Winter Olympics, China's Ye Qiaobo won first prize, a women's speed skating silver in 500 metres. New Zealand's Annelise Coberger has won the first Winter Olympic gold in the southern hemisphere — a silver in women's slalom. During one training session Nicolas Bochatay has been killed. Germany has won most the more gold medals. Following a six-Olympic stint with the American Broadcasting Corporation, CBS became the telecast network for the USA's Winter Games. The 1992 Olympic Winter Games marked the last time that the same year's Winter and Summer games were held. Indirect building costs for road, rail or airport facilities, hotel renovations or other industry improvements are not considered for the Games preparation and are not specifically linked to the Games. The budget and investment shortfall for Albertville 1992 were equal to a deficit of US$ 2.5 billion and a cost overrun of 13 per cent for Vancouver 2010, and a cost overrun of US$ 51 billion and 289 per cent for Sochi 2014, the latter becoming the most expensive Olympics to date. Winter Games 'total loss since 1960 has been US$ 3.1 billion, and the average cost savings is 142 per cent. The Games of 1992 still mark the final time that France hosted the Olympics. France is scheduled to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The Oxford Olympics Report projected the construction expense of the Albertville 1992 Winter Olympics in 2015-dollars at US$ 2.0 billion and a real-life revenue surplus at 137 per cent. This contains only sport-related expenditure, i.e. logistical expenditure incurred by the organising committee for the purposes of hosting the Games, e.g. expenditure on travel, logistics, staff, infrastructure, lodging, ceremonies and medical facilities, and direct capital expenditure incurred by the host city and government or private donors to build, e.g. competition stadiums.
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
1992 Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics, officially known as the XXV Olympic Games, was an multi-sport event and was held in Barcelona, Spain from 25 July to 9 August 1992.Established in 1994, the International Olympic Committee has decided to organise the Summer and Winter Olympics in consecutive, even-numbered years. The 1992 Summer Olympics was the final time that the Summer and Winter Games will be held the same year. This Olympiad was the first since the Cold War began, and was spared from boycotts for the first time since the 1972 Olympiad. The Unified Team has outperformed the tally of trophies, winning 45 gold medals and 112 overall. At the opening ceremony the Greek mezzo-soprano Agnes Balsa sang "Romiossini," as the Olympic flag was paraded in the stadium. The Olympic Hymn was also sung by Alfredo Krause’s the flag was hoisted in Spanish, Catalan, and French. The Olympic cauldron, lit by the Olympic torch flame, was set on fire with a flaming spear. This was launched by the Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo, who attempted to set off the gas with the projectile above, which exploded into the cauldron. The room was where the arrow detonated. This innovative method of lighting the cauldron was meant to eliminate the possibility of stadium arrow falling when Rebollo missed its target. 1960Summer Olympics, after being expelled for their apartheid practises South Africa entered the Summer Olympics. The The Women's 10,000-meterrace has been widely discussed. The White South African athlete Elana Meyer and the Black Ethiopian athlete Derartu Tulu have marched hand in hand during a victory parade. Germany sent a new squad to the 1964 Summer Olympics, having defeated the last of those teams in 1990.In 1991, when the Soviet Union was dissolved, the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania organised their own teams for the first time since 1936.The other former Soviet republics as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan's Solidarity Squad voted to join. The World States finished fourth in the medal table and beat the USA. The split in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has led to the Olympic debuts for Serbia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thanks to UN limitations, teams from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were not permitted to play for their own team. Nevertheless, any single competitor competed as individual Olympic athletes under the Olympic banner. The participation of NBA players in basketball has helped to build the "Dream Team “of the United States, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and other NBA stars. It had allowed only European and South American stars to compete before 1992, when the Americans had college teams. The Dream Team received the gold trophy in 2010, and has-been inducted as a team into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Tatiana Guts has won gold in the All-Around division edging Shannon Miller in the US for women's artistic gymnastics. Russian swimmers dominated the men's freestyle events, with both Alexander Popov and Yevgeny Sadovyi winning two titles a piece. Sadovyi had won the relays too. Evelyn Ashford won her fourth Olympic gold medal in the 4,100-meter relay, making her one of four woman athletes in history to do so. Krisztina Egerszegi, a Hungarian student, has won three individual gold medals while swimming. At 14 and 6, Japan's Kyoko Iwasaki earned a gold medal in a breaststroke of200 metres for women making her the youngest ever gold medalist in Olympic swimming competitions. Algerian runner Hassiba Boulmerka, who was regularly targeted by Muslim groups in Algeria who appeared to have revealed so much of her body in cycling, faced death threats and was forced to flee to Europe, won the 1,500 metres, while holding the African women's record at this time. Baseball was officially an Olympic sport at six previous Olympic Summer Games. The Olympic schedule was concluded by Badminton and the female judo, while slalom canoeing returned to the Olympics following a 20-year absence. Hockey, Basque pelota, and taekwondo's both showed up at the 1992 Summer Olympics Rolling.
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
1932 Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Games, was an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games took place largely in the aftermath of the Great Depression and many nations were unable to pay for the travel to Los Angeles; 37 nations were participating in Amsterdam, equal to 46 at the 1928 Summer Olympics; US President Herbert Hoover was not present at the Games, either. The organising committee did not announce the Games ' financial reports but contemporary newspapers claimed that the Games yielded a profit of $1 million. In 1923 the selection of host city for the 1932 Summer Olympics was decided at the 23rd IOC Conference in Rome, Italy. Remarkably the selection process consisted of a single bid from Los Angeles, and because there were no bids from any other country, Los Angeles was selected by default to host the 1932 Games. Originally established in Baldwin Hills, an Olympic Village has become a destination for male-inhabited amateur athletes. Women’s clubs are operated by Chapman Park Lounge on Wilshire Boulevard. We used the table for triumph for the second time too. In 1932, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was called The Olympic Arena. Tenth Street, a major Los Angeles thoroughfare, was called Olympic Boulevard to commemorate the 10th Olympic Games. Babe Didrikson won two Gold Medals in the javelin and hurdles event. She has also played in a face-off for the high jump for a victory. Her failed jump-off has been ruled illegal, leaving Didrikson in secondi had disqualified Paavo Nurmi from the competition for alleged amateur rules violations. Finns accused the Swedish authorities of using devious tactics in their fight against Nurmi's amateur status and severed all sporting relations with Sweden’s Kitamura won the gold medal at the freestyle swimming event for the men of 1500 metres. He’s the first male swimmer ever to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games and he continues to do so. Dunc Gray won Australia's first gold medal on cycling; he seta world record in the 1000-time trial at 1 m 13s.The Dunc Gray Velodrome that was built in Sydney for the 2000 Olympic Games was named after him. The 3,000-m steeplechase went down for 3,460 almost a whole course, due to an official's mistake. In 1932 the Olympic Schedule featured 117events in 20 disciplines plus 14 others. Any of the two Jumping Equestrian competitions won no trophies. Scandals on the track and in the newspapers a year earlier had led Finland to withdraw from the Finnish-Swedish rivalry. Not until 1939, after Nurmi was fired, Finland consented to the condition return. In field hockey only three countries had participated. The host nation lost both matches, 1-24 matches against India and 2-9 matches against Japan but also won a bronze medal. Stanislaw Alexievich from Poland won the 100 m gold medal for women; in the event, four years ago, she would also win the silver medal. Eddie Tolan has previously won 100metre and 200 metre sprint events. Romeo Nery has won3 Gold Medals in gymnastics. Helene Madison won three gold medals in swimming as the Japanese dominated men's events and claimed all but one title. Takeichi Nishi and his horse Uranus were the gold medallist on the equestrian show jumping individual event. Nishi's gold medal has been Japan's only gold medal in equestrian sport to date. Nishi would later die in 1945 as an officer fighting in defence of the island of Iwo Jima and as such is a central character in Clint Eastwood's film, Letters from Iwo Jima.
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
2002 Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002, was a multi-sport winter event that took place from 8 to 24 February 2002 at and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. 2,399 athletes from 78 nations participated in 78 sports in 15 disciplines over 165 sporting activities. The 2002 Winter Olympics and the 2002 Paralympic Games were both organised by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, the first time a single body has co-ordinated both events in Olympic and Paralympic history. Utah became the sixth state of the United States to host the Olympic Games, following Florida, New York, California and Georgia. The 2002 Winter Games were the final games held in the United States until the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. They were the first Olympic Games to be held by Jacques Rogge under IOC presidency. The opening ceremony took place on 8 February 2002, and sporting events were held prior to the closing ceremony on 24 February 2002. Seven Nielsen scheduled production for the two ceremonies, and for both ceremonies, Mark Watters arranged the music. Although the number of the two potential host cities was lower, Salt Lake City was the most heavily inhabited city ever to host the Winter Olympics. The 2002 Olympic Winter Games were much better as a theme than the previous Winter Games, boasting 10 more events than the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Norway won the most gold medals while Germany won the most. The Salt Lake Games had faced a dispute over the bribes and some local opposition during the auction. Nevertheless, from a sports and industry viewpoint, this was one of the most popular Winter Olympiads in history; records were achieved in both TV and commercial programmes. About 13 billion spectator-hours were watched by about 2 billion people. The Games proved financially successful, generating more funds from fewer donors than the previous Olympic Games, leaving SLOC with a surplus of $40million. The surplus was used to found the Utah Athletic Foundation which has managed which operated all of the new Olympic stadiums. NBC became the telecast network for the US Winter Games later on following a three-Olympics run for CBS from 1992–1998. The Oxford Olympics Survey measured the manufacturing costs of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics at US$ 2.5 billion in 2015-dollars and 24 per cent of actual time excess expenditures. That mainly includes sport-related expenditures, i.e. administrative costs borne by the organising committee for the purposes of hosting the Games, e.g. spending on transportation, transport, personnel, administration, accommodation, ceremonies and medical services, and direct construction costs borne by the host city and country or private donors to build, e.g. competition stadiums; Indirect building costs for bridge, rail or airport infrastructure, hotel upgrades or other Games ready commercial developments are not included, nor are they directly related to the Games. The budget and expense overrun for Salt Lake City 2002 are compared with a deficit of US$ 2.5 billion and a cost overrun of 13 per cent for Vancouver 2010, and a cost overrun of US$ 51 billion and 289 per cent for Sochi 2014, which has been the most expensive Olympics to date. The estimated cost of Winter Games since 1960 is US$ 3.1 billion, with a gross production reduction of 142 per cent. The grass was removed inside the stadium before the ceremony, and a giant, geometrically shaped ice rink, designed by Seven Nielsen, was constructed, covering a significant portion of the Venue. Performers then put ice skates on, rather than boots. An American flag rescued on September 11 from the World Trade Center Site was carried into the stadium by an official American athlete guard and brought in by NYPD firefighters and police, Port Authority police and FDNY. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, dressed in white sweaters, sung The Star Spangled Banner, the U.S. national anthem, as it raised the flag.
By MB6 years ago in Unbalanced
