The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Sarajevo '84, were a winter multi-sport event held between 8 and 19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. It was the first Winter Olympic Games held in a Slavic language-speaking country, as well as the only Winter Olympics held in a communist country before the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. It was the second consecutive Olympic Games held in a communist country, after the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event held in Sapporo, Japan, from 3 to 13 February 1972. A total of 1,006 athletes representing 35 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 35 events from 10 different sports and disciplines.
Pål Bjarne Tyldum is a retired cross-country skier from Norway. Specializing in the longer distances, he won a gold medal in the 50 km event at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, he won a gold medal in the 4 × 10 km relay. Additionally, he won three Olympic silver medals and seven national cross-country championships. His best result at the world championships was fourth place in the 30 km and 4 × 10 km relay in 1970.
Ski jumping at the 1972 Winter Olympics consisted of two events held from 6 to 11 February 1972, with the large hill event taking place at Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium, and the normal hill event at Miyanomori Ski Jump Stadium.
Yukio Kasaya is a Japanese former ski jumper. At the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo he became the first Japanese athlete to win a gold medal and the second Japanese to win any medal at the Winter Olympics. Previously he placed second at the 1970 World Championships and won the first three jumping events at the 1971/72 Four Hills Tournament. He also took part in the 1964, 1968 and 1976 Olympics and served as the Olympics flag bearer for Japan in 1976 and 1998.
Kazuyoshi Funaki is a Japanese former ski jumper. He ranked among the most successful sportsmen of its discipline, particularly in the 1990s. Funaki is known for his special variant of the V-style, in which the body lies flatter between the skis than usual.
Karl Schnabl is an Austrian former ski jumper who competed during the 1970s.
Christian Moser is an Austrian former ski jumper who competed from 1990 to 1997. At the 1994 Winter Olympics of Lillehammer, he won a bronze medal in the Team Large Hill.
Inger Aufles is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier who competed during the 1960s and 1970s. She won three Winter Olympic medals with a gold and two bronzes. Aufles also earned a silver in the 3 × 5 km relay at the 1966 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo. She won the national championships in 1968 and 1969, in the 10 km and 5 km respectively.
Alevtina Sergeyevna Olyunina is a female Soviet former cross-country skier who competed during the early 1970s for Trud Voluntary Sports Society.
Veronika Hesse is a former East German cross-country skier who competed from 1974 to 1982. She won two 4 × 5 km relay medals at the Winter Olympics with a gold in Lake Placid and a bronze in Innsbruck.
Heinz Wossipiwo is a German former ski jumper who competed from 1971 to 1975, representing East Germany.
Rudolf Höhnl is a Czechoslovakian former ski jumper. He won the bronze medal in the individual large hill at the 1974 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun. Höhnl also competed for Czechoslovakia at the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Winter Olympics.
West Germany competed at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
Karel Kodejška is a Czech former ski jumper who competed from 1969 to 1976. He won two medals at the FIS Ski Flying World Championships with a gold in 1975 and a bronze in 1973.
Finland first participated at the Olympic Games in 1908, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games and every Winter Olympic Games since then. Finland was also the host nation for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Finnish athletes have won a total of 305 medals at the Summer Games, mostly in athletics and wrestling. Finland has also won 175 medals at the Winter Games, mostly in nordic skiing events.
Fyodor Petrovich Simashev was a Russian cross-country skier who competed at the 1968 and 1972 Winter Olympics. In 1968 he only entered the 15 km race and placed 26th. In 1972 he won a gold medal in the 4×10 km and a silver in the 15 km, placing sixth-eighth in the 30 km and 50 km events. He won another relay gold medal and two individual medals at the 1970 World Championships. Domestically he won twelve Soviet titles: in the 15 km (1968), 30 km, 50 km (1974) and 4×10 km relay. In 1972 he was awarded Order of the Badge of Honor.
Lauritz Thura Thrap Schmidt was a Norwegian yacht racer and businessperson.
James Couttet was a French alpine skier and ski jumper. As an alpine skier he competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics and won two medals in 1948: a silver in the slalom and a bronze in the combined event. As a ski jumper he placed 25th in the normal hill at the 1948 Games. Couttet won a full set of medals at the world championships: a gold in 1938 and a silver and bronze in 1950. He retired in 1955 to become a skiing coach and prepare the French alpine skiing team for the 1956 Winter Olympics. He later helped design and build ski lifts. He was married to Lucienne Schmidt-Couttet, a fellow alpine skier who competed at the 1948 Olympics.
Lucienne Schmidt-Couttet was a French alpine skier and world champion, who competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics.
