History
Fast Facts
Host City: Albertville, FranceOpening date: Feb. 8, 1992
Closing date: Feb. 23, 1992
Nations: 64
Athletes: 1,801 (1,313 Men, 488 Women)
57 events in 10 sports
About halfway between two much better-known winter resorts, Chamonix and Grenoble, Albertville hosted a Winter Olympics that was historic in several ways. A reunified Germany sent a single team for the first time since before World War II. The Soviet Union, in the process of breaking up into separate countries, became the "UT," for "Unified Team," rather than the USSR. Three of the former component states, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, entered their own national teams.
Most important from the standpoint of the International Olympic Committee, this was the last time that the Winter and Summer Olympics were held in the same year. Two new sports, short-track speed skating and freestyle skiing, were on the program for the first time. Women's biathlon was also added.
Cross-country skiing produced the biggest medal winners at Albertville. Lyubov Egorova and Elena Valbe of the Unifiied Team won five apiece. Egorova had three gold and two silver, while Valbe won one gold and four bronze. Raisa Smetanina, also of the Unified Team, became the first athlete ever to win 10 career medals as a member of the 4 by 5-kilometer relay team, which won gold. Vegard Ulvang and Bjorn Daehlie of Norway each won three gold medals and a silver medal.
Bonnie Blair led the way with wins in the 500- and 1000-meter speed skating events as U. S. women took five gold medals. The others were won by Kristi Yamaguchi in figure skating, Cathy Turner in 500-meter short track skating, and Donna Weinbrecht in freestyle skiing.
Alberto Tomba, who had won two gold medals in 1988, didn't quite do it again. Tomba repeated in the giant slalom but had to settle for a silver medal in the slalom, which was won by Finn Christian Jagge of Norway. Another Norwegian skier, Kjetil Andre Aamodt, won the Super G event. Those were Norway's first gold medals in Alpine skiing since 1952.
At the previous five Winter Olympics, the Soviet Union and East Germany had duelled for leadership in total medals. It was different at Albertville, and the same. The German team, whose top performers were from the former East Germany, led the way with 26 medals. The Unified Team, whose athletes were all from the former Soviet Union, finished second with 23.
