The 1956 Olympics, held in the Italian city of Cortina D'Ampezzo, went down in history with the introduction of a lot of know-how. In particular, live television broadcasts were conducted at these games for the first time, and it was here that sponsorship was first attracted for the organization and holding of the Olympic Games.
The games took place from January 26 to February 5. The city of Cortina d'Ampezzo was supposed to be the capital of the Olympics back in 1944. But the Second World War made its own adjustments to the plans of the International Olympic Committee. After the war, Cortina d'Ampezzo lost the right to host the games in 1948 to St. Moritz, and in 1952 to Oslo. The Italian winter resort was honored to host these international competitions only in 1956.
No wonder the leaders of Cortina fought so hard for the honor of hosting the VII Winter Olympic Games. For the first time, they managed to attract sponsors to the organization and conduct of competitions of this level. Prior to that, the entire financial burden fell on the shoulders of the host country. Also, it was here that the first television broadcasts were held: viewers in 22 countries were able to watch live records as records were set.
The infrastructure created especially for the Olympics was no less amazing. Especially for 1956, a 12,000th ice stadium, a new springboard, a speed skating track on a floating ice floe were erected in Cortina d'Ampezzo, where many new world records were set. The location of the Olympic venues was thought out so that they were within walking distance from each other. Everything has been thought out for the convenience of viewers, athletes and television broadcasters. The emblem of the VII Winter Olympic Games was a star stylized as a snowflake, in the center of which were placed the Olympic rings.
The number of participants was a record for that time: 821 athletes from 32 countries, of which 687 were men and only 134 were women. Another feature of these Olympic Games was the first-ever participation of Soviet athletes and teams from the GDR, Bolivia and Iran. There were no big changes in the sports program: the distance of the men's ski race was reduced to 15 km and all demonstration sports disappeared. 24 sets of medals were played.
The Soviet team did not claim a large number of medals, but its very first performance was a real triumph: 7 gold medals, 3 silver and 6 bronze medals. As a result, the USSR took first place in both the total number of awards and the number of gold medals. The second at the VII Winter Olympic Games were the Austrians with 4 gold and bronze and 3 silver, and the third - the Finns (three gold and silver and one bronze medal). The Norwegians, who had previously confidently led the five Olympics, were only seventh.
