Relive the Glories of past Olympic Winter Games: St.Moritz 1948
Despite being in its infancy pre-WWII there was never any doubt that, when the fighting ended and peace was restored, the celebration of the Olympic Winter Games would continue from where it had left off.
In 1948, the Olympic Winter Games were resurrected following a 12-year gap. At short notice St. Moritz took up the torch and hosted the world for a second time. Although athletes from some countries were absent, the first time appearances of others – from Korea, Denmark, Iceland, Chile and Lebanon who had accepted the invitation of the Organizing Committee and the Swiss Olympic Committee – meant that more athletes than ever before arrived in St. Moritz to compete.
It was a promising start for the IOC and Organizing Committee’s effort to pick up the celebrations from where they had been abandoned due to WWII. Unlike the Summer Games though, the IOC decided that the 1940 and 1944 Winter Games that had gone uncelebrated would also go unnumbered. Thus, it was the Vth rather than the VIIth edition that was held in St. Moritz as part of the cycle of the XIV Olympiad.
For ten brief days in late January and early February the Olympic festivities and sporting events in the Swiss resort provided spectators with respite from focusing on the strains of post-War recovery. They could simply enjoy the feats of sporting legends, the drama and spills of the return of skeleton, exemplary displays of sportsmanship and even the throwing of a snowball or two.
Those attending the Games needed only to consult their Olympic programme brochure to find a sport competition or demonstration that was sure to both enthrall and distract them.
As in 1928, a small variety of unique sporting demonstrations were again included alongside the official competitions in St. Moritz. This time it was the modern pentathlon, partially redesigned for winter with alpine and cross country skiing replacing swimming and running, which seemed to offer the most intriguing spectacle. The idea did not catch on though and 1948 was the first and only time that a winter pentathlon was included in the Olympic festivities.
In the official sports competition Alpine skiing offered a broader range of thrills as the number of events was expanded to include three each for men and women. A trip to the slopes proved worthwhile for spectators who were treated to displays of both reckless abandon and controlled skill from athletes such as Edi Reinalter of Switzerland in the men’s slalom and Gretchen Fraser of the United States in the women’s slalom and combined events.
At the hockey rink it was sportsmanship not skill that was demonstrated by players on the Italian team who seemed more intent on apologizing for body checking an opponent then on keeping their focus on the puck. In contrast, some of the spectators in the stands would be remembered for throwing snowballs at the officials when they did not agree with the officials’ rulings.
For those wishing to avoid becoming the unexpected target of an errant snowball there was instead the unexpected opportunity to watch a legend in action. Thirty-six-year-old Birger Ruud decided to enter the ski jumping competition only at the last minute. Already a double Olympic champion, Ruud’s decision earned him a final Olympic medal, this time a silver.
The return of the Games to St. Moritz would, of course, not have been complete without the return of the skeleton. Its inclusion, for a second time on the Olympic programme brought the return of American John Heaton who again won the silver medal in the competition, this time behind Nino Bibbia of Italy.
With so many notable performances the V Olympic Winter Games admirably lived up to the fittingly sunny emblem the Organizers used on pins, programmes, and promotional materials. True to the chosen emblem, the sun had indeed come out in St. Moritz. Darker days were temporarily forgotten by spectators and athletes alike and the Winter Games proved their resilience.