Winter Olympic Games

The Winter Olympic Games are a winter multi-sport event held quadrennially.  The winter olympic games were started in the year 1924 and the first olympic game was held in Chamonix, France.  The games continued to be held every four years till 1936 and then due to world war II the winter olympic games were not held in 1940 and 1944.  The winter olympic games were resumed in 1948 and were held in the same year alongside Summer Olympics until 1992.  After 1992, Winter Olympics separated from Summer Games so that both the games could be celebrated on alternating even years.  So after the Winter Olympic Game of 1992 the next Winter Olympics was held in the year 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway.

1. United States (4 times)
2. France (3 times)
3. Italy (2 times)
4. Japan (2 times)
5. Austria (2 times)
6. Norway (2 times)
7. Switzerland (2 times)
8. Germany (1 time)
9. Yugoslavia (1 time)
10. Canada (1 time)

Sports Events To Be Played (Only Winter Olympics 2010)

The sporting events to be played are not the same in every Winter Olympics as the IOC and the Olympic committee of the hosting nation decide which games are to be included and which are to be excluded. The 2010 Winter Olympics will have 15 winter sports events spread across 3 categories viz. Ice Sports, Alpine skiing & Snowboarding and Nordic Events.

Ice Sports

• Bobsled
• Luge
• Skeleton
• Ice Hockey
• Figure Skating
• Speed Skating
• Short Track Speed Skating
• Curling

Alpine Skiing & Snowboarding

• Alpine
• Freestyle
• Snowboarding

Nordic Events

• Biathlon
• Cross Country Skiing
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined

• Chamonix, France, 1924:
  It was the first Winter Olympics to be ever held. Originally it was called "Semaine Internationale Des Sports D'Hiver" meaning "International Winter Sports Week". Later retroactively it was known as the I Olympic Winter Game. It was held between January 25th to February 4th wherein 16 nations participated and the number of athlete participants was 258. It was held in conjunction with the Summer Olympic Games. Norway won the most medals at this event.

• St. Moritz, Switzerland, 1928:
  Officially known as the II Olympic WInter Games, It was the first Winter Olympics to be held on it's own. It was celebrated in St. Moritz Switzerland from February 11 to February 19, 1928. 25 nations and 464 athletes took part in the games. Norway again topped the medal's chart.

• Lake Placid, New York, USA 1932:
  The 1932 Winter Olympics also the III Olympic Winter Games was celebrated in lake placid, New York, U.S. The games opened on February 4th, 1932 and closed on February 15th, 1932. 17 nations and 252 athletes participated in the winter games.

• Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany 1936:
  The IV Olympic Winter Game was celebrated in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany in 1936. It was held from February 6th to February 16th, 1936. 28 nations and 646 athletes participated in the event. Also, this was the last time when both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics Games were held in the same country.

• St. Moritz, Switzerland, 1948:
  The V Olympic Winter Game were the first to be celebrated after world war II after a 12 year break. They were celebrated in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1948. The event opened on January 30 and lasted till Feb 8, 1948. 28 nations and 669 athletes participated in the event. Once again it was Norway who dominated the medal's chart.

• Oslo, Norway, 1952:
  VI Winter Olympics Games were celebrated in Oslo, Norway in 1952. The event kicked off on Feb 14th and closed on Feb 25th, 1952. 30 nations and 694 athletes participated in this winter olympic games. There were total 22 events across 6 categories. Norway again was a leader in winning medals.

• Cortino D'Ampezzo, Italy, 1956:
  The 1956 Winter Olympic Games were held from January 26th-Febuary 5th, 1956. This winter multi-sport event was celebrated in Cortino d'Ampezzo, Italy. 32 nations and 821 athletes participated in the event. This was the first time Soviet Union participated in Winter Olympics and also won more medals than any other nation.

• Squaw Valley, California, USA, 1960:
  The 1960 Winter Olympics, the VIII Olympic Winter Games was held in Squaw Valley, California, USA from February 18th to Febraury 28th, 1960. 30 nations and 665 athletes participated in 27 events across 4 categories. Soviet Union occupied the top position in the medal's tally.