The Winter Olympic Games 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 the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 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 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as St. Moritz 1928, was an international winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 11 to 19 February 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Chamonix 1924, were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Originally held in association with the 1924 Summer Olympics, the sports competitions were held at the foot of Mont Blanc in Chamonix, and Haute-Savoie, France between 25 January and 5 February 1924. The Games were organized by the French Olympic Committee, and were originally reckoned as the "International Winter Sports Week." With the success of the event, it was retroactively designated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as "the first Olympic Winter Games".
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had already started on 4 May. The Games were the second to be hosted by Paris, making it the first city to host the Olympics twice.
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Albertville '92, was a winter multi-sport event held from 8 to 23 February 1992 in and around Albertville, France. Albertville won the bid to host the Winter Olympics in 1986, beating Sofia, Falun, Lillehammer, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Anchorage, and Berchtesgaden. The 1992 Winter Olympics were the last winter games held in the same year as the Summer Olympics. The Games were the fifth Olympic Games held in France and the country's third Winter Olympics, after the 1924 Winter Games in Chamonix and the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble. This games was the first of two consecutive Olympic games to be held in Western Europe, preceding the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956, was a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February 1956.
Long-track speed skating, usually simply referred to as speed skating, is the Olympic discipline of speed skating where competitors are timed while crossing a set distance. It is also a sport for leisure. Sports such as ice skating marathon, short track speedskating, inline speedskating, and quad speed skating are also called speed skating.
The 500 metres speed skating event at the 1924 Winter Olympics was held on 26 January 1924 at the Stade Olympique de Chamonix in Chamonix, France. One of five speed skating races to be contested at these Games, this was the first event ever contested at the Winter Olympics. The event was won by American Charles Jewtraw who became the first Winter Olympics gold medallist.
Belgium sent a delegation to compete at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from 7–22 February 1998. The nation was represented by only one athlete, speed skater Bart Veldkamp. He won a bronze medal in the men's 5,000 metres race. With that bronze medal, Belgium finished in joint 22nd place on the medal table.
Yngvar Bryn was a Norwegian track and field athlete and pairs figure skater who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, and in the 1920 Summer Olympics held in Antwerp, Belgium.
The 1500 metres speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1924 Winter Olympics programme. The competition was held on Sunday, January 27, 1924. Twenty-seven speed skaters from ten nations were due to compete, but five athletes withdrew, so in the end twenty-two speed skaters from nine nations competed. The Finnish athlete Asser Wallenius fell and did not finish the race.
The 5000 metres speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1924 Winter Olympics programme. The competition was held on Saturday, January 26, 1924. Thirty-one speed skaters from thirteen nations were due to compete, but nine athletes withdrew, so in the end twenty-two speed skaters from ten nations competed. The Canadian athlete Charles Gorman abandoned the race after the first round.
The all-round speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1924 Winter Olympics programme. It was a combined event of all four distances, which were held on Saturday, January 26, 1924 and on Sunday, January 27, 1924 during the Games. It was the only time that medals were awarded in all-round. Twenty-seven speed skaters from twelve nations were scheduled to compete, but four did not come to start at all, while another twelve abstained from one or more races, so that only eleven speed skaters from five nations competed in all four individual events.
The 10,000 metres speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1936 Winter Olympics programme. The competition was held on Friday, 14 February 1936. Thirty speed skaters from 14 nations competed.
The 5000 metres speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1948 Winter Olympics programme. The competition was held on Sunday, 1 February 1948. Forty speed skaters from 14 nations competed.
The 5000 metres speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1952 Winter Olympics programme. The competition was held on Sunday, 17 February 1952, at 4 p.m. Thirty-five speed skaters from 13 nations competed.
The 5000 metres speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1956 Winter Olympics programme. The competition was held on naturally frozen ice on the Lake Misurina. It was held on Sunday, 29 January 1956, started at 11 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m. Forty-six speed skaters from 17 nations competed.
The 10,000-metre speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1956 Winter Olympics programme. It was the last speed skating contest at this Games. The competition was held on naturally frozen ice on the Lake Misurina. It was held on Tuesday, 31 January 1956, from 10 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Thirty-two speed skaters from 15 nations competed.
Speed skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics was held at the Gangneung Oval in Gangneung, South Korea between 10 and 24 February 2018.
The Netherlands competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia from 7 to 23 February 2014. The Dutch team was the largest Dutch delegation at a Winter Olympics, with 41 competitors that participated in bobsleigh, short track speed skating, snowboarding, and speed skating.
