Before Beijing, 20 cities around the world hosted the Winter Olympics. Unlike the Summer Olympics, most of the previous Winter Olympics have been held in small cities, and the Winter Olympics have largely made them a success. Many once obscure cities have been ignited by the Winter Olympics and have become ice and snow meccas and popular tourist cities. Others, but continue to be silent. When the grand occasion has passed, how a city should make subsequent use of these venues and facilities to make them work for the city has raised a question for future generations.
14th Yugoslavia Sarajevo
February 8 - 19, 1984
1272 athletes from 49 countries participated, 6 major events, 10 points and 39 minor events
This is the first time that the Winter Olympics have been held in a socialist country, and they already have the experience of successfully hosting major winter sports events including the Alpine Skiing World Cup and championships.
Although some conditions occurred at the beginning of the Winter Olympics due to climatic conditions, which forced the alpine skiing event to be postponed by 4 days, overall, the Winter Olympics will be widely regarded as a great success. Since then, winter sports have been vigorously carried out in Yugoslavia. But the 1992 War in Bosnia and Herzegovina severely damaged the city's Winter Olympics buildings, and some venues have since been restored, but many more have since been abandoned.
15th Calgary, Canada
February 8 - February 28, 1988
1423 athletes from 57 countries participated, 6 major events, 10 sub-events and 46 minor events
Many years later, when people talk about the first Winter Olympics in Canada's history, they will think of a daily average of 17 °C. When a fierce wave of Chinook wind blew through the mountain city of Calgary, it not only brought record heat days, but also completely disrupted the outdoor event schedule. Some events were postponed because strong winds could pose a danger to athletes; some venues had to use artificial snowmaking equipment. It was also the first time in the history of the Winter Olympics that all alpine skiing was placed on artificial snow. Beyond the untimely weather, the event was overshadowed by the tragic death of The Austrian ski team doctor Joerg Oberhammer. On February 25, after colliding with a skier, he was knocked under a snowmobile and crushed to death on the spot. There has been more than one similar death in the history of the Winter Olympics.
Despite these surprises, the Winter Olympics have played a key role in raising Calgary's profile on the world stage. The $829 million mark proved to be no wasted money, and the five new venues have been used to host various snow sports events every year since then, and Canada has since been regarded as one of the best host countries for the Winter Olympics.
16th Albert City, France
February 8 - February 23, 1992
1801 athletes from 64 countries participated, 12 sub-events in 6 major events and 57 minor events
This is the third time France has hosted the Winter Olympics, and the number of cities bidding for this Winter Olympics has reached a record seven, including Cortina D'Ampezzo, who hosted the Winter Olympics, and the magnificent Berchtesgaden, a small city named after Hitler's "Eagle's Nest". Albert City, though unknown, had an astonishing lead, with 51 votes, compared to second-placed Sofia with just 25.
Albert City is actually perfectly located, surrounded by at least 7 famous mountains, which is ideal for winter sports. But the experience of hosting the Winter Olympics has not developed the area into a tourist city, and its pillar industry is still industry.
It was also the last time the Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics were held in the same year, and spectators witnessed some of the changes in the participating countries brought about by political climate change: the Berlin Wall had fallen in late 1989, and Germany was finally able to compete as a unified country. Croatia and Slovenia, which split off from the former Yugoslavia, competed as independent states for the first time.
Seventeenth Lillehammer, Norway
From February 12 to February 27, 1994, 1,737 athletes from 67 countries participated, with 6 major events, 12 sub-events and 61 minor events
You may never have heard of the city, but forget that it's the closest to the Arctic Circle of any city that has hosted the Winter Olympics.
18th Nagano, Japan
February 7 - February 22, 1998
2176 athletes from 72 countries participated, 14 in 7 major events and 68 minor events
Nagano was also miserable, having lost to Sapporo in both previous Olympic bids.
Located at 36 degrees north latitude, the city is also the southernmost city in the Northern Hemisphere where the Winter Olympics are held. Nagano is a mountainous city with a lot of snow all year round. The biggest challenge they faced at the time was the traffic problem. The Olympic Village is 7 kilometers away from the city center, and the arena is relatively scattered, and there is only one road leading to the outside world, which can easily lead to serious traffic jams. To address this problem, the Japanese government decided to extend the Shinkansen network to Nagano, which opened five months before the start of the Winter Olympics.
19th Salt Lake City, USA
February 8 - February 24, 2002
2399 athletes from 78 countries participated, 7 major events, 15 sub-events and 78 minor events
It's a Winter Olympics that has been shrouded in scandal before it even begins: Before winning the right to host, Salt Lake City had bid for four Winter Olympics, each time with only to accompany them. A scandal broke out in 1998, and several IOC members were accused of receiving gifts from the Salt Lake City Bid Delegation. The investigation eventually led to the expulsion of the IOC members involved and the replacement of the chairman of the Salt Lake City Bid Committee.
As the first major international event to be held in the United States after the 9/11 incident, the Winter Olympics have comprehensively improved the security specifications.
This was also the first Winter Olympics after the establishment of the World Anti-Doping Agency, and many athletes were disqualified for failing to pass the drug test.
20th Turin, Italy
From February 10 to February 26, 2006, 2629 athletes from 80 countries participated, with 7 major events, 15 points and 84 minor events
After the previous Olympic bid scandal broke, the IOC reformed the voting process, and Turin was the first winter Olympic host city to emerge after the new program was launched. This also caused a big upset, after the swiss election of Sion was the highest of all cities.
This is the second time italy has hosted the Winter Olympics, and the Italians have shown great enthusiasm for it, which can also be seen as a kind of compensation for Rome's previous loss of the right to host the 2004 Summer Olympics. During the torch relay, celebrities gathered together, and George Armani, who was 72 years old at the time, also ran with great interest. The Slogan of the Turin Winter Olympics, "Passion Burns Here", is undoubtedly the highest summary of popular enthusiasm.
Of course, the disorder of the Italians was also thoroughly exposed throughout the preparatory process: the Preparations were in a difficult situation due to insufficient allocations from the Italian government to cover the expenditures, and almost led to the dissolution of the Turin Olympic Organizing Committee. The metro in Turin, which was built for the Winter Olympics, was delayed for 45 days and was not opened to the public until a week before the event, and it was frustrating that not only was it defunct at 6 p.m. every night, but it also had no direct access to any Olympic venues. After the official start of the event, it caused controversy because of the large number of vacant seats in many project competition sites, and the official answer was: the sponsor chartered the seat but did not show the scene.
Although there are countless slots, it must be admitted that this Winter Olympics has played a pivotal role in enhancing the image of Turin. Before the Winter Olympics, the city of northwestern Italy had always been known for football, and Italy's veteran football club Juventus came from here. But beyond that, it leaves a vague impression on the world. But the Holding of the Winter Olympics has reversed its traditional image, and its vibrant cultural life and historic architecture have unveiled their mysteries to the world. Turin has since become one of the most popular tourist cities in Italy and has become an important sports capital in Europe.
21st Vancouver, Canada
From February 12 to February 28, 2010, 2626 athletes from 82 countries participated, with 86 sub-events in 7 major events and 15 sub-events
The Vancouver Winter Olympics will go down in history with a spirit of hard work and simplicity, and it is undoubtedly the most simple Winter Olympics since the beginning of the 21st century. During the preparatory process, the financial crisis and economic depression led to massive budget cuts, and the Vancouver Organising Committee had to abandon all aesthetic pursuits and build and renovate the venues in a minimalist manner.
Before the opening of the Winter Olympics, some foreign media even questioned the lack of decorations with Winter Olympic elements on the streets of Vancouver, so that when people stepped into the city, they could not feel the atmosphere of the Winter Olympics at all. Did you do this to save money? The Vancouver Organising Committee has its own grievances. Given that some Olympic protesters continue to destroy existing Olympic monuments, such as the countdown clock, this has forced the city of Vancouver to install many probes. Therefore, the Olympic Organizing Committee had to reduce the decorations related to the Olympic Games as much as possible, otherwise the city would invest more police forces in this regard, which would undoubtedly be a huge amount of money.
The Winter Olympics didn't start well, with a few hours before the opening ceremony killing a Georgian bobsleigh athlete in training, raising a wave of questions about the safety of the track.
Previously, the Vancouver Organising Committee spent $16.6 million to update the competition facilities on Cypress Hill, but the El Niño phenomenon that occurred between 2009 and 2010 led to a lack of snow on the mountain. They dug up the snow in the Marmot Park, 250 kilometers away, and transported them to the race site by truck to ensure the smooth progress of many races.
22nd Sochi, Russia
From February 7 to February 23, 2014, 2,873 athletes from 88 countries participated, with 98 minor events in 7 major events and 15 points
The first Winter Olympics in Russia's history, the most expensive in history, turned out to be a great shame.
The Sochi Winter Olympics initially had a budget of $12 billion and ended up spending $51 billion, more than three times the cost of the 2012 London Olympics. The event also had record ratings, with a total of 21 billion people around the world watching the tournament.
The Russian delegation topped the medal table with 33 medals, and two years later, the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that Russia's state level funded athletes to take doping during the Sochi Winter Olympics and covered up the facts. In 2017, the IOC stripped the Russian delegation of 13 medals, though nine of them were later returned.
23rd Pyeongchang, South Korea
From February 9 to February 25, 2018, 2922 athletes from 92 countries participated, with 15 sub-events in 7 major events and 102 minor events
Another blank space on the map of the Winter Olympics was filled. In the previous bids for the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, Pyeongchang was narrowly out on both occasions. Since the loss of the right to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, South Korea has made great efforts to develop winter sports and build venues, and seven of the 13 venues of the Pyeongchang Olympics have been newly built.
Pyeongchang was able to beat established European cities such as Munich and Annecy, mainly because of its economic dimension. Bringing the Winter Olympics to South Korea means that the ski industry could see potential opportunities. South Korea, one of the world's major economies, is showing increasing interest in expensive recreational activities, including skiing.
The small city has a population of less than 50,000 and is a 50-minute high-speed train ride from Seoul. Former IOC President Rogge predicted at the time that the Winter Olympics "will leave a huge legacy, and Pyeongchang will become Asia's new winter sports center, allowing athletes and young people to practice winter sports in their own countries." "His prophecy is fulfilled to some extent today.