History

Although an American attempt to boycott the 1936 Winter and Olympics because they were hosted by Nazi Germany failed, but at least one athlete stayed away from the Winter Games.

Speed skater Jack Shea, who had won two gold medals in 1932 in his native Lake Placid, was only 25 and at his competitive peak. However, a rabbi in Lake Placid persuaded him not to go to Germany for the 1936 games.

(For more information about the attempted boycott, see the 1936 Summer Olympics.)

The Bavarian towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics, which set records for number of athletes, 668, and number of nations represented, 28.

Alpine skiing was on the program for the first time in 1936, with the combined event for both men and women. Norway's Sonja Henie won her third gold medal, edging England's Cecilia Colledge by just 3 points. A week later, Henie won the world championship for the fourth time and then turned professional. She went on to become a multi-millionaire thanks to movie stardom and her own ice show.

Another Norwegian, Ivar Ballangrud, won three gold medals and a silver medal in speed skating. For the third time in four Winter Olmpics, Norway was the top nation with 15 medals.

Canada's string of four straight Gold Medals in ice hockey was snapped by a Great Britain team that was led by 11 Canadians who had were born in England. The U. S. claimed only one gold medal, in the two-man bobsled.

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