The Winter Olympic Games, 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 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, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority. The original five Winter Olympic Sports were bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing, and skating. The Games were held every four years from 1924 to 1936, interrupted in 1940 and 1944 by World War II, and resumed in 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 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. After those games, the next were to be held in 1998 when the four-year Olympic Cycle resumed.
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948, were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936.
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter Olympics, the first being in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo; Italy had also hosted the Summer Olympics in 1960 in Rome.
Peggy Gale Fleming is a retired American figure skater. She is the 1968 Winter Olympic Champion in the ladies' singles, being the only American gold medalist at these Games, and a three-time World Champion (1966–1968) in the same event. Fleming has been a television commentator in figure skating for over 20 years, including at several Winter Olympic Games.
The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, took place in Oslo, Norway, from 14 to 25 February 1952. A total of 694 athletes representing 30 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in the Games, taking part in 22 events from 6 sports.
Shani Earl Davis is an American former speed skater.
Maria Valentina Vezzali is an Italian politician and retired Olympic and World Champion foil fencer. As a fencer, Vezzali won six Olympic gold medals and was a 16-time World Champion in foil. She is one of only five athletes in the history of the Summer Olympic Games to have won five medals in the same individual event.
Cindy Klassen, is a Canadian retired long track speed skater. She is a six-time medallist having achieved one gold, two silver, three bronze at the Winter Olympics.
William Joseph Cheek is an American former speed skater and inline speed skater. He specialized in the short and middle distances and won Olympic gold in 2006. Currently Cheek is a media entrepreneur.
Azerbaijan sent a delegation to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy from 10–26 February 2006. The nation was making its third appearance at a Winter Olympics. The Azerbaijani delegation consisted of two athletes, an ice dancing team of American-born Kristin Fraser and Russian-born Igor Lukanin. They finished the competition in 19th place. As of the conclusion of these Olympics, Azerbaijan has never won a Winter Olympics medal.
Svetlana Sergeyevna Zhurova is a speed skater from Russia and a deputy at the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
Jay William Hakkinen is a former biathlete. He is a four-time American Olympian, and his 10th-place finish in the 20-kilometer individual race at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was the best finish ever by an American biathlete.
Arianna Fontana OMRI is an Italian short track speed skater, who has won eleven Olympic medals among these two gold medals in the 500m short track, one at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and the second one at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Her medal haul following the 2022 Games made her the short track skater with the most Olympic medals. It also made her the Italian sportswoman with the highest number of Winter Olympic medals, one more than Stefania Belmondo. She specializes in the 500 m event.
Orazio Fagone is an Italian sledge hockey player and former short track speed skater who competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics, 1992 Winter Olympics and 1994 Winter Olympics. After a motorcycle accident, he also competed as paralympic hockey player and wheelchair curler.
Michele Antonioli is an Italian short track speed skater who competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics and in the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Anthony J. Lobello Jr. is a retired short track speed skater, inline speed skater, and coach who competed for the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics and for Italy at the 2014 Winter Olympics. He also competed in the US team's 2010 Olympics qualifying event, held in Marquette, Michigan in September 2009, although he was not selected for the team after being hampered by illness during the trials.
The Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Azzurre is the sport section of the Italian police force Polizia Penitenziaria.
Joachim Nshimirimana is a Burundian athlete who specialized in marathon and long-distance running. He represented Burundi at two Olympic games and also holds Italian citizenship.
Events from the year 1998 in Sweden
Laura Barquero Jiménez is a Spanish pair skater. With her former skating partner, Marco Zandron, she is the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy silver medalist and the 2021 Spanish national champion.
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