1988, Calgary. The 1988 Winter Olympics were held in Calgary, Canada, from February 13 to February 28. In 46 events, 1423 people from 57 countries competed. This made it the largest winter sports event ever held with an estimated cost of $140 million.
Calgary's Olympic committee president John Fennie said, "We believe that Calgary is well-positioned to be the world's leading winter sport city." The city's mayor at the time, Dave Bronconnier, added, "This is more than a game show; this is an opportunity for Canadians and Calgarians to take part in a great Canadian success story - the rebirth of our national park."
The games were originally scheduled to be held in Salt Lake City but these were cancelled due to insufficient snowfall. Calgary won the right to host the games by bidding $10 million less than its rival city Montreal. The games were expected to generate $80 million in economic activity and 35,000 new jobs.
In December 1987, Calgary received two gold, three silver and four bronze medals at the 11th World Championships in Seoul. This was the most successful country at the tournament. NHL player Wayne Gretzky was named the best player on the ice for several events including the top goal scorer.
Calgary is a city in Canada. In 1957, the city of Calgary formed a bid group for the Winter Olympics; 24 years later, during the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he dominated the ski jump competition, earning gold...
The host city selection process began in 1983 when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched an international bidding campaign to select the site for the next Summer or Winter Games. The IOC works with its members to decide which cities should be considered for election as hosts. Elections are held every four years, with the most recent being Sochi 2014.
Canada's previous Winter Olympic hosts were Toronto and Vancouver, who both hosted the winter games in 1930 and 1974 respectively. Calgary was chosen over Montreal after Canada's capital city Paris withdrew itself from the race following the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001.
Calgary's bid was presented by John Kobs at the IOC meeting in Switzerland on December 15th 1981. His speech can be seen as one of the most important moments in the history of Calgary's bid because it showed the committee that there was support for a winter sports event beyond Quebec City and Lake Placid, New York. This support was very necessary since Canada had been defeated by France in the last Olympic ice hockey game played at the Montreal Forum (then known as the Montreal Olympic Ice Palace).
Cities that will host the Summer and Winter Olympics
| City | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Moscow | Soviet Union | 1980 |
| Sarajevo | Yugoslavia | 1984 |
| Los Angeles | United States | |
| Calgary | Canada | 1988 |
The 1988 Winter Olympics will also be remembered for the "heroic failure" of British ski jumper Michael Edwards, as well as the debut of Jamaica's national bobsleigh squad.
| Emblem of the 1988 Winter Olympics | |
|---|---|
| Host city | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Stadium | McMahon Stadium |
| Winter Albertville 1992 → Summer Seoul 1988 → |
Canada At the 1988 Winter Olympics, Finnish ski jumper Matti Nykanen and Dutch speed skater Yvonne van Gennip each won three individual gold medals.
| Emblem of the 1988 Winter Olympics | |
|---|---|
| Host city | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Nations | 57 |
| Athletes | 1,423 (1,122 men, 301 women) |
| Events | 46 in 6 sports (10 disciplines) |
During the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, Canada's Brian Orser carries the Canadian flag. The opening ceremonies were held at McMahon Stadium, home of the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. For the Games, around 20,000 temporary seats were erected to the stadium. The cost was estimated at $50 million.
Calgary's mayor, Dave Bronconnier, said: "We believe this will be one of the most memorable events in our city's history and we're delighted to have brought these Games to Calgary."
The president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, who is seen in the audience, says: "I am personally very excited about this great event which will take place in my country. I hope that all Calgarians will have a chance to enjoy the games during their stay here."
The ceremonies were directed by Canadian filmmaker John Weisberger and produced by CTV Television Network and CBC Television. They received positive reviews from critics who praised the quality of the performances and the use of technology in the production.
This ceremony took place two days before Christmas 1987. The Calgary Olympics were the first to be opened with a ceremonial start rather than a traditional time signal.
The Calgary Olympics were the first to be broadcast live across Canada on CBC Television for four years after those of Vancouver in 2010.
Atlanta's primary rivals were Toronto, whose front-running candidacy began in 1986 and had a chance to win after Canada successfully hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and Melbourne, Australia, which hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics and after Brisbane, Australia's unsuccessful bid for the 1992 games (which were awarded to Buenos Aires). Both cities made strong cases for why they should be chosen instead; both lost out to Atlanta. The decision was particularly difficult for Canadians, since their Olympic committee president at the time of the vote was from Atlanta and he voted for it there.
The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games was founded in 1987 by business leaders who wanted to bring the Olympics to Atlanta. The group included H. Lee Sullivan, who had been President Carter's chief economic adviser; Andrew Young, who became a prominent civil rights activist after working with Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement; and Vernon Parkland, who owned part of the Chicago Bulls basketball team. By 1993, when the decision to withdraw as a candidate was made, Atlanta's case was so strong that even Montreal felt compelled to praise the city's efforts: "An impressive list of advantages has been compiled by those who support Atlanta's bid for the games, not the least of which is the fact that no other city has been able to propose a program as comprehensive or as cost-effective as that proposed by Atlanta."
The United States has hosted the Winter Olympics four times (the most of any country): in 1932, 1960, 1980, and 2002. The United States has also hosted the Summer Olympics four times (1904, 1932, 1984, and 1996).
The Winter Olympics were held in 19 different cities. The Olympic Games' five-ringed insignia promotes different winter sports. The inaugural Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France, in 1924, initiating a tradition of conducting the games every four years.
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