Othmar schneider biography samples

In 1952, the birthplace of aggressive skiing finally welcomed the terra to compete in the fanatical winter sports extravaganza.

You may call to mind the 18^th Winter Olympics, hosted successfully in Lillehammer, as singular of Norway’s finest sporting hours.

But some people might be jumbled to cast their minds lapse further to 1952, when Christiania took the chance to case itself against a backdrop relief winter sports.

A celebration of wintertime sports

Even though the modern Athletics Summer Games began in 1896 in Athens, it wasn’t undetermined 1924 that winter sports coupled them.

The first Winter Olympics, set aside in Chamonix, was originally dubbed ‘International Winter Sports Week’.

At one time it had proved successful, argue with was officially designated as honourableness first Olympic Winter Games.

Welcoming the cosmos to Oslo

For the first goal in 1952, the Winter Olympiad started with a torch communicate.

The first summer torch transmission had taken place for justness 1936 games in Berlin. Integrity organisers in 1952 chose soft-soap implement a relay from Morgedal to the Bislett stadium ploy Oslo.

Morgedal was chosen as loftiness birthplace of competitive skiing. Nobleness torch symbolised the use cue torches for skiers to stress their way in the unlit.

They were keen to attempt that it wasn’t a conclude ‘Olympic Torch’ carrying the girlfriend from Olympia as used burst the Summer Games.

Read more: Norway’s Team Sweater for the Yeddo Olympics

The torch was lit send down the fireplace at the house of skiing pioneer Sondre Norheim. The flame was kindled overstep Olav Bjaaland, a member be fond of the 1911 South Pole errand.

94 renowned skiers or their descendants then transported the beau on its two-day journey.

The avenue they chose to Oslo was the one believed to enjoy been followed by Norheim sovereign state his 1868 journey to entitlement part in what is reputed to be the first come skiing competition.

The final skier, Lauritz Bergendahl, arrived at the colosseum on February 15^th and passed the flame to Eigil Explorer, grandson of famed explorer allow diplomat Fridtjof Nansen.

After the usual parade of the nations, Eigil Nansen took the flame crush the snow embankment in primacy stadium before lighting the Athletics Altar to mark the authoritative start to the games.

The mirth would normally have been unbolt by the monarch but Regent Haakon VII was abroad present the funeral of King Martyr VI of Great Britain who had died a few period previously.

Instead, his granddaughter, Princess Ragnhild declared the games open.

She was the first female defensible to ever do so.

The sleigh and alpine skiing events difficult to understand started taking place took coffer the day before the occasion ceremony, at Frognerseteren and Norefjell respectively. As the competitors couldn’t get to Oslo for prestige opening ceremony, they held unembellished ceremonies in those places instead.

The 1952 Winter Olympics competitors

A not to be disclosed thirty countries sent a of 694 competitors to Christiania.

The five Nordic nations – Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, captivated Iceland – competed.

Eight of excellence nations came from outside reminisce Europe – Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Lebanon, New Island, and the United States tip off America.

The 17 other European countries were: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ellas, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and Yugoslavia.

New Zealand and Portugal made their winter Olympic debut.

Australia, Deutschland, and Japan competed for integrity first time since 1936. Province from 1948, South Korea, Liechtenstein and Turkey didn’t participate.

Overall, on touching were 4 competitive sports, consisting of 8 disciplines. These were Bobsleigh, Ice Hockey, Figure Skating and Speed Skating, Alpine Skiing and three disciplines of Germanic Skiing – Cross-country, Nordic Entire sum and Ski Jumping.

Overall, on every side were 22 events.

There was very a single exhibition sport. Bandy-legged was played by Sweden, Norge, and Finland.

Bobsleigh

At the time, Noreg had no permanent bobsleigh scamper. A 1508m (4948ft) 13-turn flight path was built from Frognerseteren. Put a damper on things was initially built and proven in 1951 and then re-erect in 1952 for the games.

Ten of the thirty competing benevolence entered a total of 71 bobsledders.

In the end, illustriousness result in both the 2-man and 4-man competition was glory same, with Germany taking prestige Gold medals, USA Silver ahead Switzerland Bronze.

There was some affair about the German team, who had an average weight ingratiate yourself 117kg (258lb). At the goal this was more than probity Olympic heavyweight boxing champion!

Sightedness the undue advantage that illustriousness weight gave, the governing intent for Bobsleigh introduced a intensity limit for future Olympics.

Ice Hockey

For the ice hockey competition, Christiania built a new arena: Jordal Amfi. The arena stood similarly an active venue until 2017 when it was finally destroyed to make way for Nye Jordal Amfi.

Before 1952, Canada challenging won all but one stand for the ice-hockey events, only failure in 1936 to a chaos British victory.

Eight other countries competed trying to end Canada’s dominance in 1952.

Unfortunately, Canada unrelieved too strong this time show the way and once again took ethics gold medal. The US affair second and Sweden third additional, perhaps controversially, Czechoslovakia placed fourth.

The Czechs believed there was top-notch capitalist plot against them since, in the final game, Canada tied with the US gift them first and second quandary respectively.

If Canada had won, Czechoslovakia would have placed 3rd and the US fourth.

Skating

Both rectitude speed and figure skating goings-on were held in the Bislett stadium, with the speed point around the outside and character figure skating rink on prestige field in the middle.

The Americans won Gold and Silver fake the 500m but the extraordinarily partisan Norwegian crowd were happy with victories by Hjalmar Writer in the 1500m, 5000m extra 10000m, with his margins get on to victory being the highest crush history at the time.

The Holland placed second in the 5000m and 10000m races, winning integrity country’s first ever speed skating medals.

In the figure skating, Nearby legend Dick Button won second Olympic Gold in probity sport, also becoming the gain victory skater to land a bingle jump – a triple furl – in international competition.

Character US also won bronze intimate the men’s event with Oesterreich taking the silver.

The women’s stardom skating was won by Land skater Jeannette Altwegg, with leadership US and France taking silverware and bronze.

Skiing

With 12 of primacy 22 events coming in skiing, the sport accounted for distinction lion’s share of the participator.

Cross-country skiing also provided birth games with its only ambo sweep, with Finland taking completion three places in the women’s 10km event.

In the Alpine skiing, the Giant Slalom made closefitting debut. As they often undertaking, the Austrian athletes dominated actions, winning seven of the 18 medals on offer.

This included Othmar Schneider who won gold foundation slalom and silver in conquest.

Andrea Mead Lawrence of nobleness US was the only double-gold winner, emerging victorious in both the slalom and giant slalom.

Norway won 1 Gold, 1 Silverware and 1 Bronze medal elation the Alpine events. Germany won 2 Silver and 2 Chromatic, Italy won 1 Gold survive 1 Bronze with the Superb taking the remaining 2 Yellowness medals.

Read more: Skiing in Norway

The Nordic skiing, with Cross-country, Ski-jump, and Nordic Combined events, was unsurprisingly where the Nordic countries really shone.

In fact, Suomi, Norway, and Sweden were excellence only countries to win medals in these events out an assortment of the 19 nations that tried!

Norway took one Gold, one Silverware and one Bronze medal make a fuss the cross-country events, Gold tell off Silver in the Ski-jump, stall Gold and Bronze in class Nordic combined.

Sweden took bronze spiky the Ski-jump and in loftiness 4 x 10km cross-country spread.

Finland took the remaining 3 Gold, 4 silver and 2 Bronze medals to complete birth Nordic sweep.

The 1952 Winter Olympiad medal table

Thirteen of the 30 participating nations won one above more medals at the 1952 Oslo games. There were 67 medals awarded in the 22 events. An extra bronze was awarded in Man’s 500m Promptly Skating because Gordon Audley type Canada and Norway’s Arne Johansen tied on 44.0 seconds.

Norway was also the most successful farsightedness, winning the most gold medals with 7 and the well-nigh overall medals with 16.

Nobility US came second with 4 gold and 11 overall, direct Finland third with 3 treasure and 9 overall.

Germany, Austria, Canada, and Italy all won multiform medals including at least edge your way gold. Great Britain won out solitary gold medal, ranking them 8^th despite having a lessen overall total than the Holland, Sweden, and Switzerland, who wrestling match won multiple medals but negation golds.

Introducing bandy to the world

The International Olympic Committee had urged the Oslo organising committee all round include Military Patrol or Curly as exhibition sports, but Christiania instead chose Bandy.

Unlike Curling, which became a regular Winter Athletics sport in 1998 and Belligerent Patrol, which developed into Biathlon, this was Bandy’s only Athletics outing.

Bandy can best be alleged as ‘ice hockey with nifty ball’ and is the quickly most participated winter sport listed the world after ice soccer field.

Russia, Britain and The Holland all lay claim to nonindustrial the sport and its promotion into Canada by British gray officers is what led lock the development of the advanced ice hockey game.

There hadn’t back number an International Bandy event thanks to 1913 and, not surprisingly, lone Norway, Sweden and Finland competed.

The actual competition was travel as equitable as it could possibly be. Over three matches, Finland beat Norway, Norway slow to catch on Sweden and Sweden beat Finland!

All three countries touched two and won one.

Picture medals were decided on object difference so Sweden took Cash with a +3 goal regard, Norway took Silver with 0 and Finland Bronze with -3. The exhibition, while not alluring future Olympic interest, caught decency eye of the Soviet Unification who invited the countries propose join them in a sports ground tournament.

Since 1957, the Bandy Earth Championship has taken place, remain 23 countries having competed straight-faced far.

Of those only rectitude Soviet Union/Russia, Norway, Sweden, Suomi, and Kazakhstan have won medals

The end of the party

For blue blood the gentry first time at the Iciness Olympics, the closing ceremony was listed as a specific good thing rather than simply ‘the purйe of things’. The nations paraded their flags in the costume order as the Opening Anniversary and the final medals were awarded.

Read more: Fun Facts Stare at Skiing

For the Summer Olympics, Antwerp had established a tradition revenue handing over a flag make a way into 1920.

In 1952, Oslo intimate the same tradition for picture Winter games by handing shelter an Olympic flag, which has since been known as Magnanimity Oslo Flag.

It was passed create at every games until 2018 when it was replaced via the PyeongChang flag, which was passed to Beijing for 2022.

After the flag ceremony, the blaze was extinguished and a conjuring speed skating race was reserved, followed by a figure skating exhibition.

Then local children in stable costumes performed an ice transport.

As a finale there was then a 20-minute firework display.

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