On January 25, 1924, the first Winter Olympics began at
Chamonix in the French Alps. Spectators viewed the ski
jump and bobsled as well as 12 other events involving a
total of six sports.
The “International Winter Sports Week,” as it was known,
was a great success, and in 1928 the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) officially designated the Winter Games,
staged in St. Moritz, Switzerland, as the second Winter
Olympics.
Of the nearly 300 athletes, only 13 were women, and they
only competed in the figure-skating events.
Norway won all but one of the nine skiing medals.
