After a 12-year break, Switzerland became the organizer of the V Winter Olympic Games of our time, namely, the city of St. Moritz. The opening of the competition took place on January 30, 1048, and the results were summed up on February 8 at the closing ceremony at the Olympic Speed Skating Sports Palace.
The big break between the Olympics was caused by the fighting. Only with the establishment of peace, the International Olympic Committee made a decision to resume the games. There was no competition: the White Olympiad could only be organized by countries that did not take direct part in the Second World War. There was little choice: Sweden or Switzerland. As a result, the honor of hosting the "Revival Games" fell to the Swiss city of St. Moritz, which, unlike the declared Swedish city of Falun, had slopes suitable for ski sports.
Despite the rather short time allotted for the preparation of sports facilities, the host side did a great job. Organizing committees were created, each of which dealt with the solution of a strictly defined range of issues. In close cooperation with the Swiss government and the IOC, these committees were able to organize the first Games after the bloody war without a hitch.
This is not the first time that St. Moritz has had the honor of hosting Olympians from all over the world at its sports grounds. Despite the brilliant organization, spectators and athletes experienced great inconvenience due to the small stands, the scattered objects where the competitions were held, and their isolation from the resting places. Sports teams from 28 countries took part in the V Winter Olympics, playing 22 sets of awards. Among 669 athletes, there were only 77 women.
Some of the inconveniences caused by the remoteness of the stadiums from the hotels were more than overshadowed by the spectacle of the competition. For the first time in the history of the Olympic movement, large chronometers with Swiss precision up to hundredths of a second were installed in the stadiums, counting the time from start to finish. This made it possible to avoid a repetition of the situation when 4 athletes from different countries climbed one step of the podium.
The difficult post-war period affected the number of participants and spectators. Some athletes did not even have the necessary equipment. For example, Norwegian skiers asked the American team for the necessary equipment. The German and Japanese teams were not allowed to participate in the Games due to the fact that their countries were the aggressors who unleashed the war. But for the first time, athletes from Denmark, Iceland, Korea and Chile were presented. The Soviet team was just an observer.
In addition to 9 sports in which medals were played (speed skating, alpine skiing, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing and combined, skeleton, figure skating, ski jumping and ice hockey), demonstration performances were also held at the games: winter pentathlon and the prototype of biathlon - competitions military patrols.
In the team event, the winners were the teams of two countries at once - Norway and Sweden, which collected the same number of medals. 4 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze. The second step of the podium was not taken by anyone, but Switzerland was on the third with 3 gold, 3 silver and 10 bronze medals.
