It’s a throwback Thursday to January 25, 1924 as the first Winter Olympics began at Chamonix in the French Alps. The games were originally known as the “International Winter Sports Week,” involving six sports. According to the History Channel, “Norway won the unofficial team competition with 17 medals,” while “the United States came in third, winning its only gold medal with Charles Jewtraw’s victory in the 500-meter speed-skating event.”
The original Olympics was formed in 1896 called the Nordic Games and only Scandinavian countries competed. Similar to the modern Olympics, it was held every four years, but always in Sweden. “In 1908, figure skating made its way into the Summer Olympics in London, though it was not actually held until October, some three months after the other events were over,” History.com says. It wasn’t until 1925 that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) formally created the Winter Olympics, making the event at Chamonix the first.
The 2018 Olympic Winter Games is coming up, so watch for more information here on our blog as the February 9, 2018 start date quickly approaches.