After the successful winter sports week in Chamonix in 1924, separate Winter Olympics were planned for the next Olympic season. The venue was the Swiss city of St. Moritz.
25 countries took part in the second Winter Olympics. For the first time, Germany competed at the Winter Games, whose team had not previously been invited to international competitions because of the aggression in the First World War. Also, this winter Olympics was the first for the national team of Argentina, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Romania and Japan. African athletes did not participate in the competition. The Soviet Union was not admitted to the games either, although several European countries had already recognized it. The conflict was caused not only by the actions of the West, but also by the unwillingness to make concessions on the part of the Soviet government. As a result, athletes from the USSR received admission to the Olympics only after the Second World War.
The competition program has expanded. A new sport has been added - skeleton. Thus, the competition was held in 8 disciplines. Women participated only in figure skating - as solo athletes or as part of pairs.
In the unofficial standings, the Norwegian team took the first place. This country has shown its traditionally high level of athletes' training in winter sports disciplines. The best skiers and skaters of this country performed. Also one gold medal was received by the Norwegian figure skater Sonia Henie.
The second place went to the United States, with a significant lag. Gold to this state was brought by bobsledders and participants in skeleton competitions.
Team Sweden finished third. One gold medal was brought to her by skier Eric Hedlund, and the other by single skater Gillis Grafström. And the national team of the host of the competition - Switzerland - won only one bronze medal. It was received by the country's hockey team. In turn, hockey gold went to Canada - the world leader in this sport.
