Lans-Naik Tejbir Bura | |
---|---|
Allegiance | Nepal |
Service | British Indian Army Nepali Army |
Rank | Naik |
Commands | 2nd Battalion of 6th Gurkha Rifles |
Tejbir Bura was a Nepalese soldier, mountaineer and a gold medalist in alpinism, as he was recognized during the 1924 Winter Olympics for his participation in the 1922 British Mount Everest expedition. [1] [2] He worked as a non-commissioned officer (NCO) of the Nepali Army. Tejbir joined the British India Army, in which he achieved the military rank of Naik, which in India is equal to the rank of corporal.
Tejbir Bura was part of the 1922 British Mount Everest expedition, an attempt to climb Mount Everest, which was led by Charles Granville Bruce of 6th Gurkha Rifles. The father of the Modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin stated that an Olympic medal for alpinism should be awarded to the Mount Everest climbers who were part of the 1922 Everest expedition. [3] [4] The athletes who were part of that expedition received gold medals at the 1924 Winter Olympics, although they are not considered in the medal tallies of the International Olympic Committee. Tejbir Bura was the first Nepalese to win an Olympic medal, and he is still regarded as the only gold medalist for Nepal in its Olympic history, despite that his medal isn't recognised as official according to the rules of the IOC. [5] His medal is in the collection of the Gurkha Museum in Winchester. [4]
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".
India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, becoming the first Asian nation to do so. Norman Pritchard represented the country and won two medals, both silver, in athletics. The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games in 1920 and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has competed at several Winter Olympic Games after its debut in 1964.
The all-time medal table for all Olympic Games from 1896 to 2024, including Summer Olympic Games, Winter Olympic Games, and a combined total of both, is tabulated below. These Olympic medal counts do not include the 1906 Intercalated Games which are no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as official Games. The IOC itself does not publish all-time tables, and publishes unofficial tables only per single Games. This table was thus compiled by adding up single entries from the IOC database.
Brigadier-General The Honourable Charles Granville Bruce, CB, MVO was a veteran Himalayan mountaineer and leader of the second and third British expeditions to Mount Everest in 1922 and 1924. In recognition of the former he was awarded a special prize at the conclusion of the first ever Winter Olympics.
India competed at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, from 6 to 18 February 1968. This was the nation's second appearance at the Winter Olympics since its debut in 1964.
India competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, from 13 to 28 February 1988. This was the nation's third appearance at the Winter Olympics since its debut in 1964 and marked its return to the Games after the 1968.
India competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, from 8 to 23 February 1992. This was the nation's fourth appearance at the Winter Olympics since its debut in 1964 and marked its second consecutive appearance after its return to the Games in 1988.
India competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, from 7 to 22 February 1998. This was the nation's fifth appearance at the Winter Olympics since its debut in 1964 and marked its return to the Games after missing the previous Olympics in 1994.
India competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States, from 8 to 24 February 2002. The country's participation in Salt Lake City marked its sixth appearance at the Winter Olympics since its debut in 1964.
Nepal has competed in twelve Summer Games, and in four Winter Olympic Games.
Theodore Howard Somervell OBE, FRCS was an English surgeon, mountaineer, painter and missionary who was a member of two expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s, and then spent nearly 40 years working as a doctor in India. In 1924 he was awarded an Olympic Gold Medal by Pierre de Coubertin for his achievements in mountaineering (Alpinism).
The 1922 British Mount Everest expedition was the first mountaineering expedition with the express aim of making the first ascent of Mount Everest. It was also the first expedition that used bottled oxygen while climbing Everest. The attempt was made from the northern side of Everest out of Tibet. At the time, Everest could not be attempted from the south out of Nepal as the country was closed to Western foreigners.
Three athletes from India participated in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, held between 12 and 28 February 2010. The country's participation in Vancouver marked its eighth appearance at the Winter Olympics since its debut in 1964.
Major Charles John Morris was a British mountaineer, anthropologist and journalist, and controller of BBC Radio's Third Programme.
Major General John Geoffrey Bruce was an officer in the British Indian Army, eventually becoming Deputy Chief of General Staff, who participated in the 1922 British Mount Everest expedition. Bruce, who had never before climbed a mountain, had been appointed as a transport officer, but chance led to him accompanying George Finch on the only summit attempt that used supplemental oxygen. Together they set a new mountaineering world record height of 27,300 ft (8,321 m), only 1,731.7 ft (527.82 m) below the summit of Mount Everest. He also took part in the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition, and for a time was slated to make the first summit attempt with George Mallory, before the party was forced to retreat and Mallory subsequently went for the top with Sandy Irvine.
The Mount Everest climbing season of 2017 began in spring with the first climbers reaching the top on May 11, from the north side. The first team on the south side reached the top on May 15. By early June, reports from Nepal indicated that 445 people had made it to the summit from the Nepali side. Reports indicate 160–200 summits on the north side, with 600–660 summiters overall for early 2017. This year had a roughly 50% success rate on that side for visiting climbers, which was down from other years. By 2018, the figure for the number of summiters of Everest was refined to 648. This includes 449 which summited via Nepal and 120 from Chinese Tibet.
India participated at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, held between 9 and 25 February 2018. The country's participation in Pyeongchang marked its tenth appearance at the Winter Olympics since its debut in 1964.
Three athletes from India qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, held between 7 and 23 February 2014. The country's participation in Sochi marked its ninth appearance at the Winter Olympics since its debut in 1964.
India competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022. The country's participation in Beijing marked its eleventh appearance at the Winter Olympics since its debut in 1964.
Olympic gold medals for alpinism were awarded in conjunction with Olympic Games in 1924, 1932 and 1936 for the greatest mountaineering achievement within the four preceding years.