St Moritz 1948: A war-weary world emerges from the shadows
The Swiss resort’s second Olympic Winter Games, staged 20 years after its first, provided the perfect tonic for a world still recovering from the Second World War.
After a 12-year hiatus caused by the global conflict, the Olympic Winter Games made their return, with the Swiss resort of St Moritz staging the Games for the second time in 20 years. The first major international sporting event held since 1936, the V Olympic Winter Games were dubbed “The Games of Renewal”. A welcome sign of a return to normality after the bloody global conflict, they provided a platform for the resurgence of the Olympic Movement.
Having stayed neutral during the war, Switzerland was an obvious choice as host country. Yet with many countries still struggling financially, several competitors arrived in St Moritz with little or no equipment. Among them were Norway’s skiers, who had to borrow skis from the US team just to compete. It was cooperation such as this that contributed to the “Games of Renewal” spirit and helped foster a sense of camaraderie among the athletes, many of whom had not travelled in a long time. Adding to the sense of hope and optimism in the air was the fact that the 28 competing National Olympic Committees (NOCs) sent a record number of 669 athletes to the Games, which also attracted unprecedented media coverage.