History
Fast Facts
Host City: Squaw Valley, CaliforniaOpening date: Feb. 18, 1960
Closing date: Feb. 28, 1960
Nations: 30
Athletes: 665 (522 Men, 143 Women)
27 events in 6 sports
There was an outcry from Europe when tiny Squaw Valley was selected over Innsbruck, Austria, as the site of the 1960 Winter Games. A planned but still basically undeveloped resort area when it was selected, Squaw Valley was transformed into a winter sports complex through $15 million in development before the games opened.
Organizers decided to save $750,000 by not building a bobsled run. But the program was expanded with the addition of biathlon and women's speed skating.
Weather was once again a problem shortly before the Olympics. Organizers actually hired Piute Indians to do a snow dance, but a deluge of rain was the only result. Snow finally arrived just before the opening ceremonies, which had to be delayed to await the arrival of Vice-President Richard Nixon, who was to declare the games open. The storm had held up his flight.
The spectacular opening ceremony, produced by Walt Disney, included 1,300 musicians, a 3,000-member chorus, and the release of 2,000 pigeons and 20,000 balloons.
After the opening, weather was fine and there were no further problems. American interest was high, not only because of the location, but also because the Winter Games were televised live by an American network for the first time. CBS paid $50,000 for rights.
The U. S. hockey team came up with two major upsets, 2-1 over Canada and 4-3 over the Soviets, then beat Czechoslovakia 9-4 to win the gold medal. Other golds went to Carol Heiss and David Jenkins, who succeeded his older brother as Olympic champion.
The women's Alpine team, though, was a major disappointment, failing to win a single gold medal. Soviet success continued with a total of seven golds, including three in women's speed skating.
Finnish cross-country skier Veiko Hakulinen, competing in his third Winter Olympics, was the only athlete to win three medals in 1960. That gave him a total of seven for his career.
For the second straight time, the Soviet Union easily topped all nations with a total of 17 medals. The United States was second with 11.
