St. Moritz 1928

Firsts…

These Winter Games were the first to be held in a different nation from the Summer Games of the same year. They also marked the participation of Japanese athletes for the first time. A new event was contested: the skeleton.

Memorable skating champions

Aged just 15, Sonja Henie of Norway caused a sensation by winning women’s figure skating. Her record as the youngest winner of an individual event stood for 74 years. In the men’s event, Sweden’s Gillis Grafström won his third consecutive gold medal, despite suffering from a badly swollen knee.

The skeleton

Considered the world's first sliding sport, the skeleton event made its debut. It was staged on the Cresta Run, the famous track made of natural ice which has been reconstructed every winter since the 1870s. It is considered the birthplace of skeleton.

Phenomenal winning margin

The 50km cross country race took place in freakish weather conditions. At the beginning, the temperature was 0°C; by the end it had risen to 25°C. Sweden’s Per Erik Hedlund was the only competitor to conquer the conditions, winning in a time more than 13 minutes faster than any of the other skiers.

NOCs: 25
Athletes: 464 (26 women, 438 men)
Events: 14
Volunteers: n/a
Media: n/a

Skeleton

A new event was contested: the skeleton, which is like luge except that the athletes descend headfirst.

The Japanese Athletes

First Asian participation in the Winter Games, with the presence of Japanese athletes.

Speed skating event cancelled

The 10,000m speed skating was cancelled because of the condition of the ice (warm wind).

Horses on a frozen lake

Equestrian competitions held on the frozen lake in St Moritz were one of the main attractions outside the Olympic events.

Skating in the hotel

Owing to the bad weather, some of the figure skating events were held on the Kulm rink in the eponymous hotel, which, like many other establishments, had its own rink and curling sheets.

Birthplace of skeleton

The skeleton event was staged on the Cresta Run. This track made of natural ice has been reconstructed every winter since the 1870s. The major part of the route of this track lies in a ravine from which stones and earth were used to construct the turns. The track’s wooden structure is then covered with snow and ice. It is considered the birthplace of skeleton. The events of the 1948 Olympic Games also took place on this track

Ceremonies

Saint-Moritz 19 February 1928. Closing Ceremony : Standard bearers ot the Nations.

Official opening of the Games by:
President of the Helvetic Confederation Edmund Schulthess.

Lighting the Olympic Flame by:
A symbolic fire at an Olympic Winter Games was first lit in 1936 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Olympic Oath by:
Hans Eidenbenz (cross country skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping).

Officials' Oath by:
The officials' oath at an Olympic Winter Games was first sworn in 1972 at Sapporo.

On the obverse, a skater with her arms spread out, surrounded by snow crystals. The medals were made by Huguenin Frères, Le Locle.

The reverse comprised of the Olympic rings at the top with the inscription " II. JEUX OLYMPIQUES D'HIVER ST.-MORITZ 1928" underneath. On each side an olive branch.

It comprises the Swiss and Olympic flags with, in the background, the Corvatsch piz (mountain of the Grisons).
12,000 copies were produced.

The official report of St. Moritz 1928 is composed of two very brief volumes. The first, “Rapport général du Comité exécutif des IImes Jeux Olympiques d'hiver et documents officiels divers”, provides an official report on the organisation and running of the Games. The second, “Résultats des concours des IImes Jeux Olympiques d'hiver organisés à St. Moritz, 1928” lists the results by discipline. The two volumes were published in 1928, in French only.