Origins of the Winter Olympics

 Soon after the first Summer Olympics in 1896, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) proposed a separate winter competition. But the Scandinavian countries, already competing in what was called the Nordic Games, were reluctant. Germany planned the Winter Games in 1916. But World War 1 prevented any Olympic competition that year, and it was another 8 years before the IOC could gather enough support for an organised winter event. They called it the International Winter Sports Week, and it began on January 25th 1924 in Chamonix, France, an outline ski resort in the slopes of Mont Blanc, the highest European mountain peak. The International Winter Sports Week ended on February 5th 1924. It was such a success that a year later, the IOC formally amended its charter and established the first Winter Olympics in Germany. The Winter Olympics wa one of the grandest stages of athletic competition. And, it all began in the quiet mountain-town of Chamonix.