Winter Olympic Games
Major international multi-sport event
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The Winter Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in Chamonix, France. The modern Olympic Games were inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BCE to 394 CE. The Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 1,500 years later in 1894, leading to the first modern Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority.
The original five Winter Olympic Sports were bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing, and skating. The Games were held every four years from 1924 to 1936, interrupted in 1940 and 1944 by World War II, and resumed in 1948. Until 1992, the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games were held in the same year. A decision to change this was made in 1986, when during the 91st International Olympic Committee session, IOC members decided to alternate the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games on separate four-year cycles in even-numbered years. Also, at that same congress it was decided that 1992 Winter Olympics would be the last to be held in the same year as the Summer Games and that to change the rotation, the games that would be held in 1996 would be brought forward by two years, being scheduled to 1994. After those games, the next were to be held in 1998 when the four-year Olympic Cycle resumed.
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IOC recommends hosts for 2030 and 2034 Winter OlympicsThe International Olympic Committee's executive board recommends France and the USA to host the Winter Olympics in 2030 and 2034 respectively.BBC Sport - Published | |
Muirhead named Team GB chef de mission for 2026 Winter GamesEve Muirhead has been named Team GB's chef de mission for the 2026 Winter Olympics.BBC Sport - Published | |
Olympic qualifying highlights: Great Britain 7-4 RomaniaWatch highlights of Great Britain’s 7-4 win over Romania that that earned the hosts a place in the final stage of qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics ice hockey tournament.BBC Sport - Published | |
Tunisia bobsleigh team ready for Cool Runnings moment at OlympicsA bobsleigh team from Tunisia is preparing for its own Cool Runnings moment after qualifying for the Winter Olympics.Sky News - Published | |
How Kenworthy’s coming out inspired a generationGus Kenworthy, the Winter Olympic freestyle skier turned actor and Youtuber, talks kisses, coming out and inspiring a generation of LGBTQ+ sports stars to be their authentic selves.BBC Sport - Published | |
How GB became 'extraordinary' after 'terrible' BeijingTeam GB were left to "lick their wounds" after a "terrible" Winter Olympics. A year on, GB's winter athletes have mounted an incredible comeback.BBC Sport - Published | |
We need to stop high-carbon sponsors - YarnoldSponsorship deals with companies with high carbon emissions is "like winter sport nailing the lid on its own coffin" says GB's most decorated Winter Olympian Lizzy Yarnold.BBC Sport - Published | |
Muirhead nominated for BBC Sports PersonalityEve Muirhead is nominated for the 2022 BBC Sports Personality of the Year after leading Great Britain's curling team to a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.BBC Sport - Published | |
Mia Brookes: Britain's teenage snowboard prospect on the 2026 Winter OlympicsBritain's exciting snowboard prospect Mia Brookes on plotting her way to the 2026 Winter Olympics.BBC Sport - Published | |
Winter Olympics: Fanny Smith awarded women's ski cross bronze after appealSwiss skier Fanny Smith will be awarded the women's ski cross Olympic bronze medal after wining an appeal against a controversial penalty at Beijing 2022.BBC Sport - Published | |
Winter Olympics: Spanish figure skater Laura Barquero fails doping testSpanish figure skater Laura Barquero tests positive for a banned substance at the Winter Olympics, according to the International Testing Agency.BBC Sport - Published | Eve Muirhead reacts to GB curling gold: 'It just all came out'Eve Muirhead tells how she was overcome with emotion after leading the GB women's curling team - which included Vicky Wright, Jen Dodds and Hailey Duff - to Winter Olympic gold.BBC Sport - Published |
Winter Olympics: Slalom demolition and curling gold for GB in day 16 best bitsBBC Sport takes a look at some of the best moments from the final day at the Winter Olympics including skiing thrills and spills and a gold at last for Team GB.BBC Sport - Published | Winter Olympics: Closing ceremony marks ends of 2022 Beijing GamesThe Beijing Games closed on Sunday, with IOC president Thomas Bach calling for political leaders to be inspired by the athletes' "examples of peace".BBC Sport - Published |
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Winter Olympics: Team GB's results from Beijing 2022All you need to know about the Great Britain team and their results in Beijing at the 2022 Winter Olympics.BBC Sport - Published | Winter Olympics: Germany's four-man bobsleigh team win goldGermany's four-man bobsleigh team, led by Francesco Friedrich, win gold at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.BBC Sport - Published |
Winter Olympics: Women's curling team win Great Britain's only gold - highlightsWatch highlights as Great Britain have a golden finish to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics with Eve Muirhead's women's curlers crushing Japan 10-3 in Sunday's final.BBC Sport - Published | Winter Olympics: Team GB miss out on medal in four-man bobsleighGreat Britain's four-man bobsleigh team miss out on a medal at Beijing 2022, finishing sixth.BBC Sport - Published |
Winter Olympics: Team GB win gold in women's curling finalWatch the winning moment as Eve Muirhead's women's curlers claim Great Britain's only gold medal of the 2022 Winter Olympics with a 10-3 victory over Japan.BBC Sport - Published Also reported by •Sky News | Winter Olympics: Austria win skiing gold in the mixed team parallel finalAustria win gold by beating Germany in the mixed team parallel final at the Winter Olympics.BBC Sport - Published |
Team GB win first gold medal at Winter Olympics in women's curlingTeam GB have won their first gold medal of the Beijing Winter Olympics in the women's curling.Sky News - Published | Winter Olympics: Halfpipe face plant, frozen haka & crowd cam dance-off - Beijing sliderWatch the best moments from day 15 of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, including a bruising face plant in the halfpipe, a frozen haka and crowd cam dance-off.BBC Sport - Published |
Winter Olympics: China's Sui Wenjing & Han Cong win figure skating pairs goldChina's Sui Wenjing and Han Cong win figure skating pairs gold with a score of 239.88 at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.BBC Sport - Published | Winter Olympics: 'We'll be proud, but right now it sucks!' - GB men's reaction to curling final defeatTeam GB's Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan Jr react to their 5-4 defeat against Sweden in the Winter Olympics men's curling final in Beijing.BBC Sport - Published |
Winter Olympics: Great Britain lose 5-4 to Sweden in men's curling final - highlightsWatch highlights lose 5-4 to Sweden after an extra end in the men's curling final to finish with silver at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.BBC Sport - Published | Winter Olympics: Netherlands' Irene Schouten wins women's speed skating mass startNetherlands speed skater Irene Schouten wins her third gold of the Beijing Winter Olympics, pipping Canada's Ivanie Blondin by just 0.06 seconds in the women's mass start.BBC Sport - Published |
Winter Olympics: Great Britain's men have to settle for curling silver as Sweden take goldGreat Britain's men's curlers have to settle for Olympic silver as Sweden triumph 5-4 in a nerve-shredding final to claim gold.BBC Sport - Published | Winter Olympics: ROC's Alexander Bolshunov wins shortened 50km cross country gold as Andrew Musgrave 12thTeam GB's Andrew Musgrave finishes 12th as ROC's Alexander Bolshunov claims cross-country skiing gold in a 50km mass start shortened due to bad weather in Beijing.BBC Sport - Published |
Winter Olympics: Who is Kamila Valieva's coach Eteri Tutberidze?Who is the coach whose "cold" treatment of a sobbing Kamila Valieva was "chilling" to watch according to the IOC?BBC Sport - Published | Winter Olympics: New Zealand's Nico Porteous wins freeski halfpipe gold as Gus Kenworthy finishes eighthNico Porteous wins gold in the freeski halfpipe while Team GB's Gus Kenworthy finishes eighth in his last Olympic final.BBC Sport - Published |
Winter Olympics: Gus Kenworthy finishes eighth as Nico Porteous wins freeski halfpipeTeam GB's Gus Kenworthy finishes eighth in his last Olympic final as his freestyle skiing career comes to an end in an event won by New Zealand's Nico Porteous.BBC Sport - Published | GB women's curling team guaranteed at least silver at Winter Olympics after tense semi-finalTeam GB will be guaranteed a second medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics after the women's curling team beat Sweden 12-11 in the semi-final.Sky News - Published |
Winter Olympics: GB's Micha McNeill & Montell Douglas 19th after two runs of two-woman bobsleighGreat Britain's Mica McNeill and Montell Douglas are 19th out of 20 after the opening two runs of the two-woman bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.BBC Sport - Published | Winter Olympics: Bagpipe panda, hockey hits and what on earth is a 'spraffy?'Watch the best moments from day 14 of the Winter Olympics, including Eileen's Gu's stylish jumps and the games' mascot Bing Dwen Dwen conducting the bagpipes at the curling.BBC Sport - Published |
Winter Olympics: 'I've never seen a match like it!' - reaction as GB women reach curling finalJackie Lockhart, BBC Sport commentator and former world curling champion, on Great Britain women's "extraordinary" 12-11 victory over Sweden in the Olympic semi-finals in Beijing.BBC Sport - Published |