Olympic Winter Games 1948

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V. Winter Olympic Games
Logo of the 1948 Winter Olympics
Venue: St. Moritz ( Switzerland )
Stadion: Badrutts Park
Opening ceremony: January 30, 1948
Closing ceremony: February 8, 1948
Opened by: Enrico Celio (Federal President)
Olympic oath : Richard "Bibi" Torriani (athlete)
Disciplines: 9 (4 sports)
Competitions: 22nd
Countries: 28
Athletes: 669, 77 of them women
← Cortina d'Ampezzo 1944
Oslo 1952 →
Medal table
space country G S. B. Ges.
1 NorwayNorway Norway 4th 3 3 10
SwedenSweden Sweden 4th 3 3 10
3 SwitzerlandSwitzerland Switzerland 3 4th 3 10
4th United States 48United States United States 3 4th 2 9
5 FranceFrance France 2 1 2 5
6th Canada 1921Canada Canada 2 - 1 3
7th AustriaAustria Austria 1 3 4th 8th
8th FinlandFinland Finland 1 3 2 6th
9 BelgiumBelgium Belgium 1 1 - 2
10 ItalyItaly Italy 1 - - 1
Complete medal table

The 1948 Winter Olympics (also known as the 5th Winter Olympics ) were held from January 30th to February 8th, 1948 in St. Moritz , Switzerland . Because of the Second World War, the Games were preceded by a twelve-year phase without the Winter Olympics. After the 1928 Games, St. Moritz hosted the Winter Olympics for the second time.

The expansion to six Olympic alpine competitions brought alpine skiing into focus. The French Henri Oreiller was the most successful participant with two golds in the downhill and in the combination and bronze in the slalom. The Swede Martin Lundström was also a two-time Olympic champion . His team won six out of seven possible medals in cross-country skiing.

There was a scandal in the Olympic ice hockey tournament . Two divided US associations each sent a team. The international ice hockey federation as host allowed a team to participate against the will of the IOC , but it was disqualified in the end and deleted from the ranking.

In the first post-war games, Germany and Japan were excluded from participation. The Soviet Union decided not to participate. Concerning. the Austrian athletes there was a special situation, and a number of difficulties to be in St. Moritz this to - s. u., Participants section .

prehistory

The 5th Winter Olympic Games were to take place in Sapporo in 1940 . However, due to the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japan had to return the games to the IOC on July 16, 1938. On September 3, 1938, the IOC passed the games on to St. Moritz. At that time there was a dispute between the IOC and the International Ski Federation (FIS) over the approval of ski instructors who, in the eyes of the IOC, were professional athletes. Finally, the IOC decided to remove the ski competitions from the Olympic program and only hold demonstration competitions. In protest against this decision, the FIS decided in Helsinki at the end of 1938 to prevent the demonstration competitions in the ski disciplines. In the spring of 1939, IOC President Henri de Baillet-Latour discovered that no preparations had been made for the ski demonstrations and gave the Swiss Olympic Committee (SOC) an ultimatum. When the set deadline passed without a reaction, the games were withdrawn from St. Moritz on June 9, 1939 and given again to Garmisch-Partenkirchen , where all the venues for the 1936 Winter Olympics were still available. After the Second World War began three months later, the 1940 Winter Olympics were definitely canceled.

Also on June 9, 1939, the 1944 Winter Olympics were originally planned as VI. Winter Olympics awarded to Cortina d'Ampezzo , which prevailed against Montreal and Oslo . Although the international sports federations were barely able to act during the war, a ski world championship was held in Cortina d'Ampezzo from February 2 to 8, 1941 . The FIS was represented by the Swedish Vice President Carl Gustaf Hamilton , since its Norwegian President Nikolai Ramm Østgaard had fled to England with the King of Norway. In addition to Germany and Italy, international participation was limited to the German vassal states Finland and Slovakia as well as the neutral states Sweden and Switzerland. Since a basic requirement for the implementation of the Olympic Games is based on the organizing country being at peace, the Olympic Winter Games of 1944 also fell victim to the Second World War. It was not until 1948 that the Winter Games could take place again.

Choice of venue

Only St. Moritz and Lake Placid showed interest in the 1948 Winter Games . The vote on the award was made by letter. Sigfrid Edström , who, as IOC Vice President after the death of President Henri de Baillet-Latour on January 6, 1942, had temporarily taken over the management of the IOC, announced on February 14, 1946 that St. Moritz had been elected "with an overwhelming majority" was.

The ski instructor conflict that led to the withdrawal of the Winter Games for St. Moritz in 1939 was still smoldering. The main actors in this dispute were Arnold Lunn , chairman of the FIS committee for downhill and slalom, and the influential IOC member Avery Brundage . While Brundage represented a very narrow amateur term, the FIS did not want its regulations to be dictated. Countless correspondence followed over the years, which were characterized by a very open tone and sometimes personal attacks:

"I think the real trouble is that only about two members of your committee know one end of a ski from the other, and consequently the Committee as a whole is inadequately informed about skiing."

"I think the real problem is that only about two members of your committee can tell one end of a ski from the other, and as a result, the committee as a whole is poorly informed about skiing."

- Lunn to Brundage : letter of December 27, 1945

While Edström sought a compromise and sought discussion with the Swiss Ski Association , Brundage rejected any deviation from the existing IOC amateur rules. Lunn informed him that the amateur question was on the agenda at the congress of the International Ski Association in Pau, France on August 27, 1946, and asked that the Swiss Ski Association not be included in the discussions.

First, at the FIS Congress, the 1941 World Championships , in which only a few nations could participate due to political circumstances, were subsequently declared invalid. After that, the ski instructor conflict was dealt with, where a compromise with the IOC was sought. As a core element of the agreement, ski instructors who only earned an additional income from their teaching activities should be allowed to take part in the Winter Games in St. Moritz. If the IOC does not agree, world championships would be held in another location in Switzerland that same year.

At the 39th IOC session, which took place in Lausanne from September 4 to 7, 1946 , Edström, who had now been officially elected IOC President, had the IOC members confirm the award to St. Moritz. In contrast to the Summer Olympics , the Olympics were not counted, only the Winter Games that actually took place. That is why the 1948 Games were called the Fifth Winter Olympic Games. In the ski instructor question, the compromise proposed by the FIS was accepted, which settled the disputes for the time being. The amateur controversy was to occupy the two associations for a while after St. Moritz.

organization

The General Secretariat of the Swiss Olympic Committee (SOC) was responsible for organizing the 5th Winter Games . In 1947 this formed an executive committee consisting of personalities from the Swiss sports world and delegates from politics. Marcel Henninger, SOC President and Vice President of the Organizing Committee for the Winter Games of 1928, took over the chairmanship. A total of eleven commissions were set up, from a finance commission to a press and a reception commission, which took care of the details in the individual areas. The presidents of the commissions also belonged to the executive committee. There was also a nine-member "honorary committee", which included Federal Councilor Karl Kobelt , Head of the Military Department, the former IOC member General Henri Guisan (then president of the Swiss Ski Association ) and the former SOC President William Hirschy.

The organizers had difficulties with the financing, as the sale of tickets did not cover the costs by far. Due to the Swiss financial situation, federal subsidies were hardly an option either. In their place, the PTT issued a series of four special postage stamps that brought in several hundred thousand francs. In addition, a golden Olympic gold medal was sold for 200 francs. It was cost-saving that the sports facilities that had already proven themselves at the II Winter Games could be used again.

The proceeds from the tickets amounted to CHF 592,700, which is half of the budget of CHF 1.1 million. covered. The canton of Graubünden and the cantonal bank granted a grant of 100,000 SFr. and the municipality of St. Moritz an additional CHF 75,200. The organization of the games ended with a deficit of 174 SFr. from.

For the organization of the ski competitions, experience was gained in the international race for “the White Ribbon of St. Moritz” in February 1947. It turned out, for example, that the descent through the Val Saluver did not meet international standards.

Olympic locations

Competition venues

The main center of the Winter Games was in St. Moritz-Dorf with the Badrutts Park Olympic ice stadium . The ice skating competitions, the majority of the ice hockey games as well as the opening and closing ceremonies took place there. The stadium had a natural ice surface of 60 × 30 meters and offered space for 4,700 spectators (including 4,000 grandstand seats). There were also three artificial ice rinks at the Kulm Hotel, the Palace Hotel and the Suvretta House for figure skating and ice hockey games.

The Cresta Run natural track along the road to Celerina was the competition venue for the skeleton race. It consisted of natural ice and the 15 curves were adapted to the natural shape of the terrain. The length of the route was 1231 meters and the difference in altitude was 157 meters. The venue for the bobsleigh competitions was the Olympia Bobrun , which led from Badrutts Park to Celerina-Cresta. With a total of 16 bends, it was 1576 meters long and overcame a height difference of 130 meters.

The Corviglia ski area was the scene of the alpine skiing disciplines. For the slalom, the slopes above the Suvretta house were chosen, which had already proven themselves in the “White Ribbon”. The difference in altitude was 220 meters for men and 180 meters for women. The downhill route began on Piz Nair at an altitude of 2700 meters and led to Ruinatsch. Over a length of 3500 meters, the men had to overcome a height difference of 830 meters. For women, the route was shortened to 2000 meters in length and 524 meters in altitude. A ski stadium was built in the Salet.

The Olympic hill in St. Moritz

The ski jumping took place on the Olympic hill built in 1927 . It had a K-point of 68 meters and 8,000 spectator seats. However, the system had to be adapted and modernized in advance. The judges' tower was moved downwards and sideways, a press stand was erected opposite it and leveling work was necessary to restore the profile to its original shape.

The cross-country trails each had their start and finish in the ski stadium and led through the Stazerwald . The military patrol race also started in the Corviglia and had its destination in the Salet. On a distance of 27 km, two almost 3000 meter high passes had to be overcome. On the way, accuracy was tested on the shooting range in Silvaplana . The Winter Pentathlon shooting competition was held on the shooting range behind the French Church. The fencing competitions took place in the Palace Hotel and the riding around the Kurhaus in St. Moritz-Bad. Many sports facilities had already been used for the 1928 Winter Games .

Accommodations

The municipality of St. Moritz had committed itself to ensuring that the competitors and officials were accommodated on favorable terms. Since the number of quarters had fallen to around 4,500, the municipality rented five hotels in St. Moritz-Bad. Every hotelier in the town was also obliged to give 20 percent of his beds for participants at greatly reduced prices. Around 50 percent of the beds remained for the guests of the Winter Games. The rush of visitors from abroad was, however, limited as a result of the war that had only happened three years ago. In particular, the travel ban imposed in Great Britain due to a shortage of foreign currency was a severe blow for hoteliers in the Engadine , as many regular guests stayed away.

Attendees

  • Countries with participating teams
  • Countries took part in winter games for the first time

    • 28 nations took part in the second St. Moritz Games. The states of Chile , Denmark , Iceland , Lebanon and South Korea celebrated their premieres at the Olympic Winter Games. The participants from Austria each required an individual entry permit. The Austrian Olympic Comité , ÖOC, had given the Swiss legation in Vienna and the National Bank a list of the 101 people who were to be sent to St. Moritz, broken down by journalists, photo reporters and radio speakers. However, there were many more Austrians there, and the ÖOC did not know how they got their travel documents and foreign currency. After the intervention of the IOC with the Swiss authorities, the ski jumper Sepp Bradl did not receive an entry permit because he was an SA-Sturmbannführer in the war, despite the deployment of the head of the Austrian Olympic Secretariat .

    Europe (553 athletes from 22 nations)
    America (111 athletes from 4 nations)
    Asia (5 athletes from 2 nations)
    (Number of athletes)
    * first participation in winter games

    Medals and Diplomas

    The Olympic medals with a diameter of 60 mm were made by Huguenin Frères in Le Locle . The front contains the inscription "V MES JEUX OLYMPIQUES D'HIVER ST MORITZ 1948" with a snow crystal above and below the lettering. On the back is a hand holding an Olympic torch. The picture is backed with the Olympic rings and surrounded by six snow crystals. The Olympic motto " CITIUS ALTIUS FORTIUS " (faster, higher, stronger) is written along the upper edge . “Huguenin” is embossed on both sides and “PD” for Paul-André Droz, who designed the medals, on the back to the right of the hand.

    The Olympic medals were presented daily in the Olympic Stadium. Each participant and official also received a commemorative medal and a diploma designed by Remi Nüesch. Like the Olympic medals, the commemorative medals with a diameter of 40 mm were also made in Le Locle. On them was a barefoot woman, her hair blowing in the wind, and the Alps in the background. The reverse contained the Olympic rings and the same lettering as the Olympic medals.

    Competition program

    22 competitions (17 for men, 4 for women and 1 mixed competition) in 4 sports / 9 disciplines were held. That was 5 competitions and 1 discipline more than in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936 - the number of sports remained the same.

    Alpine skiing was part of the Olympic program for the second time. The alpine ski races proved to be extremely popular with a total of 16,784 spectators. 20 years after the first Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, skeleton was once again accepted as an Olympic discipline. In the demonstration competitions, ice stock sport was replaced by the winter pentathlon . The official total number of viewers was given as 59,037. The number of spectators was particularly low for the Nordic competitions. Only 30 people (including journalists, timekeepers and supervisors) watched the 50 km run.

    The changes to the last Winter Games are detailed below:

    • In alpine skiing , the program has been expanded to include downhill and slalom for men and women.
    • Skeleton was Olympic again with the single-seater for men.

    Olympic sports / disciplines

    Number of competitions in brackets

    Time schedule

    Time schedule
    discipline Fr.
    30.    		 Sat.
    31.    		 Sun.
    1.    		 Mon.
    2.    		 Tuesday
    3rd    		 Wed.
    4.    		 Thursday
    5.    		 Fr.
    6.    		 Sat
    7.    		 Sun.
    8.    		 Decision-
    disk-
    applications    		 spectator
    January February
    Olympic rings without rims.svg Opening ceremony 4,818
    bobsleigh
    sport    		 Bobsleigh pictogram.svg bob 1 1 2 4,610
    Skeleton pictogram.svg skeleton 1 1 2,980
    Ice hockey pictogram.svg ice Hockey 1 1 7,939
    Ice skating Figure skating pictogram.svg figure skating 1 1 1 3 5.106
    Speed ​​skating pictogram.svg Speed ​​skating 1 1 1 1 4th 1.005
    Skiing Alpine skiing pictogram.svg Alpine skiing 2 2 2 6th 16,784

    Nordic skiing    		 Nordic combined pictogram.svg Nordic combination 1 1 1,315
    Cross country skiing pictogram.svg Cross-country skiing 1 1 1 3
    Ski jumping pictogram.svg Special jumping 1 1
    Olympic rings without rims.svg Closing ceremony 5,620
    Demonstration competitions
    Military patrol 1
    Winter pentathlon 1
    decisions 3 2 3 2 2 4th 2 3 1 22nd
    Fr.
    30.    		 Sat.
    31.    		 Sun.
    1.    		 Mon.
    2.    		 Tuesday
    3rd    		 Wed.
    4.    		 Thursday
    5.    		 Fr.
    6.    		 Sat
    7.    		 Sun.
    8.
    January February

    Color legend

  • Opening ceremony
  • Competition day (no decisions)
  • Competition day (x decisions)
  • Closing ceremony

    • Ceremonies

    Opening ceremony

    The opening ceremony took place on the morning of January 30th in the Olympic ice stadium in Badrutts Park . At 10:00 a.m. the St. Moritz Music Society played the Swiss Psalm , giving the signal for the nations to march. Traditionally, this was headed by the Greek delegation. The other teams followed in alphabetical order (according to French spelling), starting with Argentina (Argentine) and Austria (Autriche) . The delegation of the United States was enthusiastically received by numerous compatriots. At their head was Avery Brundage , whose name was closely linked to the ice hockey scandal. The Swiss team ended up as hosts.

    After Marcel Henninger, President of the SOC, briefly addressed the importance of the event, Federal President Enrico Celio opened the games:

    “I declare the 5th Olympic Winter Games as part of the XIV. Modern Olympics as opened. You may be a symbol of the peace that the world expects! "

    While the flag march was being played, the Olympic flag, flanked by the emblems of the Olympic countries of 1948, Great Britain and Switzerland, rose from the mast. Three cannon shots heralded the start of the games. The Olympic flame was then lit in a gold-bronze sacrificial bowl on the stadium tower. Then the flag bearers stepped in a semicircle in front of the official gallery. The ice hockey player Richard "Bibi" Torriani climbed the podium in their midst and took the Olympic oath . At the end of the hour-long ceremony, the delegations left the stadium in the same order in which they marched in.

    Following the celebration, the ice hockey tournament was opened with the game Switzerland - USA, which the Swiss won 5-4. On the same day three more ice hockey games and the first two runs of the two-man bobsleigh were held.

    Closing ceremony

    On the morning of February 8th, the military patrol run took place. The ice hockey tournament was also brought to an end on the final day with four more games. The final game between Canada and Switzerland had to be held under irregular ice conditions. The continued warming had completely dissolved the ice surface in puddles of water and ice sulz. The Canadians, who unsuccessfully asked for the game to be abandoned, adapted better to the situation and beat the Swiss 3-0. A few minutes after the game, the Olympic medals were presented by the President of the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation .

    After the ice hockey award ceremony was over, the closing ceremony followed. The flag bearers of the 28 participating nations moved into the stadium, above all slalom winner Edy Reinalter with the Olympic flag . As the flag march sounded, the Olympic flags and the flags of Switzerland and Great Britain were slowly drawn in. The Olympic flame on the stadium tower went out and a cannon shot announced the end of the games. IOC President Sigfrid Edström thanked the Swiss Organizing Committee for the good execution and declared the 5th Olympic Winter Games over.

    Competitions

    bob

    Two bobsleigh competitions were held on the natural Olympia Run . There were four runs each. The competition with the four-man bobsleigh had to be interrupted in the second round after eight of the fifteen teams because the track was damaged by a water pipe break. All previous times of the second run were finally canceled and the competition continued the next day.

    In the two-man bobsleigh, the Swiss Fritz Feierabend , reigning world champion in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh, won the silver medal as he did in 1936 , this time with Fritz Waller . The well-known bobsleigh designer came up with another innovation in St. Moritz. His bobsleigh had individually suspended runners on the rear axle and an aerodynamic fairing. Gold went to his student Felix Endrich with brakeman Paul Hans Eberhard . Third place with five resp. The Americans were six seconds behind with driver Frederick Fortune . The two Swiss teams achieved the two best running times in all four races.

    In good conditions, the four-man Switzerland I with Endrich and Feierabend achieved the best time in the first run. Runs 2 to 4 with the four-man bobsleigh took place on the following day in heavy snow. The Americans coped best with the difficult railway conditions. USA II with pilot Francis Tyler won the gold medal and USA I with pilot James Bickford won the bronze medal. Belgium with driver Max Houben was able to move up to second place with the surprising best time in the last round. Switzerland I finished the four runs in fourth place.

    ice Hockey

    The Olympic ice hockey tournament was also the 15th ice hockey world championship and 26th ice hockey European championship . The game was played in the league system , which resulted in a total of 36 games for nine teams. Therefore, in addition to the Olympic ice rink in Badrutts Park , the Palace Rink and Suvretta Rink artificial ice rinks were also played. The process was partially impaired by intense sunshine or heavy snowfall, so that the games were now scheduled for the early morning hours at 8 and 9 a.m. This and the remote artificial ice rinks meant that sometimes very few spectators followed the games. For example, Great Britain played twice at the Palace Rink in front of just ten paying spectators. Since ice hockey was largely professionalized in Canada, the Canadians had a selection of the Royal Canadian Air Force compete, which was trained by Frank Boucher .

    With seven wins and one draw each, Canada and Czechoslovakia were tied at the top. The Olympic victory went to Canada because of the better goal difference of +64 compared to +62 for Czechoslovakia. The two teams scored 0-0 in the direct encounter. While the Canadians didn't want to risk anything against Czechoslovakia because of their quick counterattacks, the Czechs also stiffened on the defensive. The Switzerland lost only their games against the top two teams and won with six wins the bronze medal. An unusually large number of goals were scored in St. Moritz. The USA achieved the highest game result against Italy with 31: 1. The most successful shooter of the tournament was the Czech Vladimír Zábrodský , who scored a total of 22 goals.

    However, the tournament was overshadowed by a conflict between the IOC and the International Ice Hockey League (LIHG). After US ice hockey was divided into the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and the Amateur Hockey Association (AHA) in 1946 , the LIHG decided at its 29th Congress in Prague in 1947 to only recognize the AHA in future. Avery Brundage , who had long led the AAU, was now President of the American Olympic Committee (AOC) and in turn did not recognize the AHA. So finally two US teams traveled to Switzerland. Although Brundage threatened to withdraw the entire United States Olympic team, the SOC, on the recommendation of the LIHG, accredited the selection to the AHA. In January 1948 at the 42nd IOC session, the conflict occupied the vast majority of the session time. With 16:10 votes it was finally decided that no US team should participate. Regardless of the IOC decision, however, the SOC allowed the AHA to participate in the tournament with a decision taken on January 28th. The threat from Avery Brundage remained for the time being and it was also questionable whether the US mission would attend the opening ceremony. The IOC then drew the consequences and declared the tournament "non-Olympic". The LIHG was no longer considered to be responsible for amateur ice hockey. On January 31, the SOC suggested that the results of the AHA team be removed from the rating after the tournament was over. The uncertainty about whether the tournament will continue to take place or whether it will be rated (the IOC still insisted on the cancellation on February 2nd) meant that some teams were preparing for departure. On February 5th, shortly before the end of the Games, the IOC finally decided to accept this compromise and to allow the suspension of the LIHG to come into effect only after the Games had ended. The ice hockey tournament was recognized as an Olympic competition after all. The AHA team was no longer listed in the final protocol, but their games counted for the final result. However, the USA's disqualification did not apply to the World Cup. This is why Sweden , for example, finished in the Olympics (without the USA) and fifth in the World Cup (with the USA). It was not until 1951 that the IOC lifted the ban on ice hockey.

    figure skating

    In figure skating , three competitions were held in the Badrutts Park ice rink and on the Kulm ice rink . At times unfavorable weather and ice conditions contributed to the fact that not all competitors achieved their normal shape. Inconsistent ratings in both compulsory and free skating caused some discrepancies. Sam Wild, President of the Ice Skating Commission, attributed these differences to the insufficient training of the judges in some countries.

    The men's individual competition was characterized by the duel between Swiss figure skater Hans Gerschwiler , who won the World Cup last year , and his strongest competitor, the younger American Richard Button . The compulsory run brought the first surprise, with Button leading in almost all figures. His superior jumping technique finally showed in freestyle skating. The American was the first runner to jump a double axel . In his demonstration, he also showed elements that were otherwise only known from floor exercises. A straddle jump with a height of one and a half meters was rewarded with enthusiastic applause from the audience. The best Europeans struggled to keep up with their traditional freedoms despite their brilliant performances. Gerschwiler was second behind Button, bronze went to the Austrian Edi Rada .

    In contrast, the Canadian Barbara Ann Scott, with her successes at the last World and European Championships, was the clear favorite in the women's individual competition. However, a yellow car that was given to her by the City of Ottawa in 1947 almost became her undoing . When IOC Vice President Avery Brundage heard about it, he called for her to be disqualified as a vehement advocate of the amateur idea. Scott then returned the limo. She received the highest number of points both in the compulsory and in the freestyle and became a convincing Olympic champion. Eva Pawlik from Austria won the silver medal and Jeannette Altwegg , daughter of a Swiss, won bronze for Great Britain.

    In pair skating , the Belgian Micheline Lannoy won the gold medal with her partner Pierre Baugniet . Silver went to Andrea Kékesy and Ede Király from Hungary, the Canadians Suzanne Morrow and Wallace Diestelmeyer took bronze.

    Speed ​​skating

    In the ice stadium Badrutts Park also four competitions were in speed skating conducted. Once again, the Scandinavians dominated, with the exception of two silver medals from the Americans who made up the medal ranks among themselves. Norway was particularly successful with three golds and a total of six Olympic medals.

    Although the weather conditions were often not ideal, some record times were set. Over the sprint distance of 500 meters, the old Olympic record of Norwegian Ivar Ballangrud (43.4 in 1936) was broken five times. After a bitter duel between Norway and the USA, the Norwegian Finn Helgesen was finally able to push the record time to 43.1 seconds and became Olympic champion. The three medalists also stayed below the old Olympic record time over 1500 meters (2: 19.2 from Norwegian Charles Mathiesen ). Sverre Farstad from Norway won in 2: 17.6 minutes.

    For the long distances, the ice conditions over 5000 meters due to snowfall and over 10,000 meters due to a foehn ingress were significantly worse than for the short distances. The times over 5000 meters were therefore about ten seconds higher than those of the last Olympic Games twelve years ago (Ivar Ballangrud in 8: 19.6). The Norwegian Reidar Liaklev finally won the competition before his compatriot Odd Lundberg.

    However, some athletes also struggled with the altitude of St. Moritz. For example, the Norwegian Charles Mathiesen, 1936 Olympic champion over 1500 meters and world record holder over 10,000 meters, fell in the 5000 meter race after six laps and had to give up because of breathing difficulties. He then decided not to start on his special route. The same fate befell the Norwegian Reidar Liaklev and the Swede Göthe Hedlund in the 10,000 meter run. The two medal winners over 5000 meters suffered from a lack of air and had to give up. The ice on February 3rd, a little too soft, caused some northerners not to start over 10,000 meters at all. The Swede Åke Seyffarth won in front of two runners from Finland.

    skeleton

    At his birthplace, the Cresta Run , an Olympic skeleton competition was held for the second time in 1948 . Only nine out of fifteen athletes were able to finish the total of six runs. The first three runs took place on the shortened route from the starting point Junction.

    The surprise winner was the Italian Nino Bibbia , who lives in St. Moritz and started his sports career as a ski jumper and hockey player. Originally it was only intended for the bobsleigh competitions. After a successful attempt in December 1947, when he immediately set the track record, he was also registered for the skeleton competition. Bibbia, who was also involved in the bobsleigh race, was missing from the award ceremony. Participation in ski jumping, on the other hand, was not possible at the time. As in 1928 in St. Moritz, the silver medal went to the American John Heaton ahead of the favored Briton John Crammond . The Swiss Gottfried Kägi came in fifth.

    At that time, skeleton was still a highly exclusive men's sport and a large luxury banquet was ordered in the Kulm Hotel for the victory celebration in the evening. In this respect, the simple greengrocer Bibbia, a rather atypical athlete, was the focus of the feudal dinner.

    Alpine skiing

    The six alpine ski races in the Corviglia ski area also counted as the 10th Alpine World Ski Championships . In addition to their Olympic medals, the top three winners also received World Championship medals. In these disciplines, the Alpine countries France, Austria and Switzerland clearly had the upper hand. Together they won 17 out of 19 medals awarded. Marc Hodler , who was elected FIS President three years later and remained so for 47 years, was responsible for the alpine competitions .

    Downhill skiing was seen as the highlight of the Winter Games in Switzerland. It also counted for the alpine combination. The 3.5 km long route of the men's downhill run placed high demands on the participants. Individual teams trained on the track for over a month. The Swiss Karl Molitor , six times and thus still the record winner of the Lauberhorn downhill run , was one of the big favorites. Before the most difficult section, the bumps in the big steep slope, he made three intermediate turns and drove a technically safe race. On the other hand, the Frenchman Henri Oreiller was able to master the difficulties of the steep slope without significant braking and was already leading with five seconds, which he did not allow to the finish. The Austrian Franz Gabl managed to advance to second place and Ralph Olinger won a second bronze medal for Switzerland at the same time as Molitor.

    The women's downhill followed immediately after the men's race on the same route. However, the numerous difficulties had been alleviated by 15 mandatory goals, so that it was actually a giant slalom. Hedy Schlunegger , who appeared as an outsider, achieved the best time despite a fall at the entrance to the cannon barrel and thus secured Switzerland's first major alpine success. The two Austrians Trude Beiser and Resi Hammerer followed just behind her .

    In the men's combined slalom, the big question arose as to whether Karl Molitor would be able to make up his five seconds deficit on the downhill winner Oreiller. However, he did not achieve an exceptional performance and so Oreiller, whose special skis had been stolen overnight, was able to win his second gold medal with two safe runs despite this handicap. The Frenchman James Couttet , fastest in the combination slalom, came third in the alpine combination. The situation was different with women. The lead achieved by Hedy Schlunegger in the descent and her ability in slalom were too low for a combination victory to appear possible. After the big favorite in the slalom, the Italian Celina Seghi , remained below her usual performance and finished fourth, the Austrians Trude Beiser and Erika Mahringer won the gold and bronze medals. Second place unexpectedly went to the American Gretchen Fraser .

    For the special slalom, as on the day before, two adjacent courses were prepared for the women and men, which enabled the audience to alternately follow the performances of the respective favorites. The French Couttet and Oreiller were again very strong, followed by Silvio Alverà , who posted the best time in the first run. For once, Karl Molitor stayed well above the personal best and was eighth. However, Edy Reinalter , who was born in St. Moritz, provided a positive surprise. With the best time in the second run, he relegated the two French to second and third place and won another gold medal for Switzerland. After the first run of the women, to everyone's surprise, Gretchen Fraser led, just ahead of Erika Mahringer from Austria. The decision was made at the beginning of the second run, when Fraser achieved a running time of 57.5 seconds with a technically clean run. This time was only beaten by Antoinette Meyer with 57.0 seconds, which brought the Swiss second place ahead of Erika Mahringer, but did not endanger the American's overall victory. "I never thought I could beat the European women," she said modestly afterwards.

    Nordic skiing

    In Nordic skiing five competitions were held. Apart from the combination , world championship medals were also awarded in the Nordic disciplines . Once again the Nordic countries won all the medals. The most successful nation was Sweden with three golds and a total of seven Olympic medals.

    All cross-country races were won by the Swedes. In the men's 18 km cross-country skiing, they have already achieved a triple victory. Martin Lundström , who had already won the “White Ribbon” at the pre-Olympic races in St. Moritz in 1947, won ahead of his compatriots Nils Östensson and Gunnar Eriksson . As the best Central European, the French Benoît Carrara fought for eleventh place, otherwise the Nordic supremacy reached up to 19th place. After their superior triumph in the 18 km run, the Swedes also showed an outstanding performance in the relay race. They took the lead right from the start and never gave it up until the finish. With all four runners they achieved the best part-time and reached the finish line nine minutes ahead of the Finnish relay, which secured the silver medal. The Norwegians followed in third place, followed by Austria and Switzerland. Nils Karlsson , who couldn't cope with the mountain air over 18 km and only finished fifth, was able to show his class in the 50 km endurance run and won the gold medal. The best Central European was the Swiss Edi Schild , who finished sixth with a strong performance among Swedes and Finns.

    The Nordic combined consisted of an 18 km cross-country run, which was held together with the specialty, and a jump run with three attempts, of which the two best jumps were rated. As a big surprise, the Norwegians, who had always been the winner so far, could not win a medal for the first time. The Finn Heikki Hasu , who had already finished fourth over the 18 km, won ahead of compatriot Martti Huhtala and the Swede Sven Israelsson . Nikolaus Stump from Switzerland followed in fourth place .

    In the special jumping event, all three medals went to Norway. His jumpers remained unmatched in style and safety, which their fierce competitors from Finland and the USA tried in vain to compensate for by distance. Birger Ruud , Olympic champion in 1932 and 1936, came with us this time as assistant trainer for the Norwegian jumpers. However, when the weather turned insidious the night before the competition, he replaced a younger athlete. He eventually won the silver medal, while Petter Hugsted , a student of Ruud, won the gold medal in jumping. Thorleif Schjelderup followed in third place . Birger Ruud's younger brother Asbjørn Ruud finished in seventh place after he missed the jump in the first round and was eleven meters behind the record.

    Military patrol

    Because of its military character, the IOC refused to hold a military patrol run (forerunner of today's biathlon ) at its 40th session in autumn 1946 . Since military sport exams, in particular gun barrels and rifle marches, had a long tradition in Switzerland, it was subsequently added to the program at the Swiss request. Only military personnel were admitted.

    At a previous meeting of the team chiefs chaired by Colonel Fritz Erb, agreement was reached on all points of the regulations that could have given rise to different interpretations. It was decided that the patrollers could walk in windbreak suits and that the rifle could be loaded before the start or, if desired, only during the competition. The starting order was drawn as follows: France, ČSR, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, USA, Sweden and Romania.

    Starting with number 4, the Swiss patrol with Lieutenant Robert Zurbriggen as patrol leader at the beginning of the 27 km long run, especially on the descents, was able to run a clear lead and arrived first at the firing range. However, there they missed a balloon and only received five minutes of credit. When the Finns hit all three balloons with the first shot shortly afterwards and were given the maximum credit of nine minutes, the Swiss lead was reduced to a few seconds. The memory of the patrol run in 1936 was painfully awakened when three missed shots by the soldier Lindauer triggered a lively discussion among the Swiss public. At that time, terms like “shooting fame” were very popular and shooting training was a priority during preparation. While the Swiss were greeted with loud cheers on the firing range, there was a concerned silence as they tackled the last ten kilometers. The terrain in the final section was very flat, which was more suited to the Scandinavians. Driven by the disappointing shooting result, the Swiss were able to take more than two minutes from their rivals in the “Nordic” final section and became Olympic champions. The Finnish team around Captain Eero Naapuri came in second ahead of the Swedish patrol around Lieutenant Edor Hjukström thanks to the good shooting result . As enforced by the SOC, the winners in the two military sport demonstration competitions also received official Olympic medals.

    Winter pentathlon

    In 1948, a winter pentathlon was held as a demonstration competition for the only time . It consisted of the disciplines of cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, shooting, riding and fencing and was regarded as the winter equivalent of the modern pentathlon . There were a number of serious accidents during the competition. For example, the Swede Gustaf Lindh hit a Swiss police officer who was doing security in the thigh because of an unfortunate movement while shooting a pistol. The Swedish captain Claes Egnell fell badly at the finish of the downhill race and was carried off the field with a complicated broken leg. In addition, the Finn Viktor Platan and the Swiss Vollmeier were eliminated due to serious injuries.

    After all, only Swedish athletes were on the podium. Gustaf Lindh, who won the shooting and riding competitions, was Olympic champion ahead of William Grut , who six months later won the gold medal in the summer version at the London Games . Bertil Haase , first in cross-country skiing and downhill, finished the competition in third place. The fencing competition was won by the two Swiss Vincenzo Somazzi and Hans Rumpf , who followed in fourth and fifth place in the final classification.

    Outstanding athletes and achievements

    The most successful participants
    rank athlete country sport gold silver bronze total
    1 Henri Oreiller France 1946Fourth French Republic France Alpine skiing 2 0 1 3
    2 Martin Lundström SwedenSweden Sweden Nordic skiing 2 0 0 2
    3 Nils Östensson SwedenSweden Sweden Nordic skiing 1 1 0 2
    Trude Beiser AustriaAustria Austria Alpine skiing 1 1 0 2
    Gretchen Fraser United States 48United States United States Alpine skiing 1 1 0 2
    Åke Seyffarth SwedenSweden Sweden Speed ​​skating 1 1 0 2

    Henri Oreiller won two competitions, the downhill and the combined, as well as bronze in the special slalom and was the most successful participant. He was the first French to win a gold medal at the Winter Games. The Italians also won their first winter sports gold with Nino Bibbia in the skeleton.

    In figure skating, the American Richard Button ushered in a new era with his athletic jumping style. The Canadians won the Olympic ice hockey tournament again , but this time very closely ahead of Czechoslovakia and only thanks to the better goal difference.

    Sweden won all cross-country skiing competitions. Martin Lundström won gold twice and his team won six of seven possible medals. The Norwegian Birger Ruud tried to win his third gold medal (after 1932 and 1936) in the special jumping event. After a 12-year hiatus from the Olympics, he finally won the silver medal at the age of 37.

    At 15 years and 200 days, the Turkish skier Muzaffer Demirhan was the youngest participant in these Winter Games. He finished 64th in the slalom and was disqualified in the downhill. The oldest participant and also the oldest medal winner was the 49-year-old Belgian bobsleigh pilot Max Houben . In his fourth participation in the Olympic Games, he was fourth in the two-man bobsleigh and won the silver medal in the four-man bobsleigh.

    reporting

    The press center was set up in the Hotel du Lac in St. Moritz-Bad. The state post and telecommunications company PTT took care of the installation of the technical equipment. The chief press officer was Fritz Erb , editor-in-chief of the Swiss magazine Sport . The press commission awarded a total of 498 accreditations to press journalists from 38 countries. The host country was most strongly represented with 86 media representatives. 69 journalists reported on site for the United States, 58 from Sweden and France followed in fourth place with 57 journalists. The United Kingdom followed with 42 and Austria with 31 journalists. From the participating countries, only the press from Iceland, Lebanon and South Korea was not represented. Non-participants such as Palestine with four, Iran with three, Egypt with two and Ireland, Mexico and Brazil with one journalist each. Eight journalists reported for the excluded Germany, and two were there for Japan. In addition to the registered journalists, there were around 100 who stayed in other hotels in St. Moritz.

    In addition, 72 radio reporters from 16 countries and 47 technicians were present, sending a total of 375 radio reports. For the first time, television was also present at the Winter Olympics. It was represented by four broadcasters: the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the three US companies National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and DuMont Graphic House .

    Regarding the information service at the games, it is reported that it has been thoroughly prepared and a large loudspeaker service has been set up. The audience should be informed about every phase of the fighting in gripping reports. The speakers were connected by telephone to all control stations and other important points and were able to give precise reports on the situation at short intervals. The 20 companies that produced newsreel film reports included the best-known from the USA, Great Britain and France. The Swiss film production company Condor Film shot its documentary Olympia St.Moritz in 1948 , directed by Georges Alexath and cameraman Robert D. Garbade . Some of them started filming a good week before the opening.

    aftermath

    Today St. Moritz is one of the most famous health resorts and winter sports locations in the Alps. The hosting of numerous high-class winter sports events made a significant contribution to the popularity of the place. After the Winter Games of 1948 there was a tourist boom, which triggered a construction boom in St. Moritz in the 1950s. In the last few years the municipality with 5500 inhabitants had up to 1.2 million overnight guests annually. Over half of the 5600 hotel beds belong to the 4 and 5 star category. As early as 1930, the sun, which shines an average of 322 days a year in St. Moritz, was used as a figurative mark and the distinctive lettering “St. Moritz ”. It was legally protected in 1986 as the first place name in the world and supplemented by the slogan "Top of the World".

    Some of the Olympic venues such as the two natural ice rinks are still in use today. The Cresta Run , reserved exclusively for male riders, was built in 1884 and has been rebuilt every year since then. It is operated by the British private club St. Moritz Tobogganing Club . Today the Olympia Bobrun is the only natural ice bobsled run in the world and is still used for international competitions. The route has not changed much since it was first put into operation in 1904, only the lowest part was adapted to cope with the higher speeds. The FIBT has with the combined Skeleton- and Bob World Cup 2013 held for the 22nd time World Championships in St. Moritz. The Olympic hill has been expanded and expanded several times over the years and today has a K-point of 95 meters. However, the condition of the facility has deteriorated significantly, so it is currently closed. Any renovation would cost around 8 million francs.

    Worth mentioning

    • The Soviet Union had not sent any athletes, but sent a delegation of ten people to study the sporting processes and find out what results the Soviet athletes could have achieved here. The delegation, which included a woman, was headed by the deputy chairman of the Committee for the Promotion of Physical Culture, Ukrainsev, consisted largely of celebrities from the Soviet winter sports associations, and came from Prague on January 29th with a ČSR course machine Dübendorf landed.
    • Soviet observers reported that they even gave an interview on February 3 to a lady hired by United Press who could speak Russian. For the time being, other journalists had their feet sore. But the trick with the mother tongue of the respondents, an active and a former speed skater (the former, named Konstantin Kudravcev, Soviet champion over 500 meters; the latter, named Lecford, in 1939 over 5000 and 10,000 meters, now a trainer), pulled. They were dissatisfied with the number of spectators, with them the grandstands would always have been completely full. Ice skating is one of the most popular sports at home, and Kudravcev was of the opinion that most of the Soviet champions had beaten the Olympic times.
    • With the medal win for Gretchen Fraser (slalom gold, combination silver) there were medals for the first time in the field of skiing for the USA at world championships or the Olympic Games, because jumping bronze from the Olympics 1924 in favor of Anders Haugen was only determined and submitted later in 1974.
    • It was only during the Games that the IOC reported that Colombia, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Syria and Lebanon had been newly admitted.

    Others

    • Ralph Bietilä (USA) took part in jumping despite a broken right arm in training three weeks earlier (he fell with 61 and 64 meters and came 42.9 points with 142.9 points. He was named "Walter Bietilä" in the official rankings) appeared). The US doctor had made an extra thin plaster cast. For the time being, the European jumpers were amazed when he participated in training and were shocked when he fell on his first jump to 65 meters; but he got up immediately and it turned out that he had caused the fall on purpose to test the bandage.
    • A situation report on page 1 of issue no. 18 of “Sport Zürich” from February 6th stated that there had been a break on Wednesday afternoon (February 4th), which was good for the entire Olympic gathering, including the press. Something positive was even gained from the onset of the thaw, because the ice hockey games started at 8 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. The figure skaters also have to settle the backlog of their compulsory figures from 7:30 a.m., while the skeleton drivers are early risers anyway. The slaloms had also been brought forward by an hour. And surprisingly, the crowd did not suffer as a result, which refuted the myth that in St. Moritz no one was out of bed before 10 a.m. Only the condition of the roads is worrying, apparently caused by frost onset; individual stretches of road are no longer passable. Without snow chains (and these could no longer be found far and wide) the cars could not get anywhere. Auto repair shops, garages, and accessory sellers did great business. Numerous Americans had come to the Engadin in their big cars, where, to their surprise, they discovered that they could get across here without snow chains. Horse-drawn sleighs are still a safe means of transport, and the St. Moritz road police have learned a lot over the past few days and could soon compete with those in Zurich or any other major city.
    • Long lines of cars, sledges and pedestrians were rolling against the various competition areas shortly after daybreak. The Italians made up a large contingent of spectators, two thousand of whom had come to St. Moritz. In addition to visitors from all countries, the Anglo-American element prevailed. The question arose, how would it have happened if no currency restrictions had restricted the influx of Englishmen and members of other nations with a weak currency and the Germans and Austrians had been able to enter freely? The political squabbles and the fact that the current management of the IOC, which certainly also has their merits, wanted to continue to stick to ossified principles were felt to be a shame. They should be replaced by younger, more agile and above all more conciliatory men.
    • A list of injuries from training showed that the only Australian participant, Tony Aslangul, was sidelined with a broken leg. For the Canadians, it was the sisters Wurtele, Rhona with a broken ankle, Rhoda with a concussion - also skier Pierrot Jalberg (hope from trainer Emile Allais) and the ski jumper La Ferté (both broken leg). From the United Kingdom there were skier Norris Moore (broken leg) and the speed skater Johnny Cronshey (broken ankle), who was mentioned elsewhere, but started anyway (11th place over 5000 m). France's ski ace Jean Blanc with a broken leg. Also two US alpine skiers with Doodle Post and Macomber (broken leg). From the Austrians, it was A. Schuh-Proxauf (slight concussion) and her sister Rosemarie (broken ankle). With the Swiss also skier Paul Valär, with Alfred Stäger the start was questioned; The Swiss ice hockey player Otto Schubiger , who only played against Poland on February 6th, was also lost.
    • In the Hotel Du Lac, special requests from philatelists had to be met in a special post office, who asked for the first-day cancellation of January 30th on the commemorative series of four values ​​of the Olympic postage stamps (there were over ten thousand letters, some of them registered).
    • The disputes received little attention from the US media, partly because the situation had changed from hour to hour and partly because the US was tired of the whole argument. The prevailing view was that the United States had made a lot of ridicule about the whole thing. It should have been settled at home instead of confusing the world. By and large, at the beginning of the games, the US press behaved rather cautiously, only the “New York Herald Tribune” (author Red Smith) wrote that the whole thing was more funny than sad and literally: “After the MPs did the obligatory If you have uttered idioms of the sports community and fairness, they get into each other's hair all the more afterwards to compensate ”. Obviously there had also been various rule changes, and so there were various different interpretations by the referees.
    • Avery Brundage, who was concerned with the money business himself, was always finding new words about the amateur status and the disputes over the US ice hockey team, blaming the Swiss Olympic Committee (it had a kind of agreement with the LIHG, the international ice hockey federation , met).
    • The award ceremony was curious or perhaps embarrassing, initially for the Norwegian speed skaters on the afternoon of February 3rd, which took place before the ice hockey match between Switzerland and England (which was later canceled): Due to the delayed appearance of IOC President Edström, the ice hockey match was initially from 15 to 15: 40 p.m., then moved to 4 p.m. Edström was obviously also disinformed at this ceremony, because at first he did not know who would be honored as the medal winner. The Norwegian national anthem was interrupted in two cases, which were then brought to an end by the Norwegian colony singing. When an IOC spokesman announced that the award ceremony for the alpine athletes would take place during the break in the ice hockey match, this match had already been canceled. As a result, the majority of the 6,000 visitors left, even though they were asked to attend the award ceremony for the Alps, and barely a third of the previously so considerable crowd was present. The winner's podium, which was a bare, unadorned staircase that could have been nicely draped with little effort, was also criticized as embarrassing. Although this frame, known as the “Macaronist Winner's Podium”, was then nicely designed in red and white, there was another breakdown on February 6th at the award ceremony during the ice hockey match when one had to be canceled because apparently not all competitors were informed about it in time were.

    literature

    • Comité Olympique Suisse (ed.): Report Géneral sur les Ves Jeux Olympiques D'Hiver, St-Moritz 1948 . COS, Lausanne 1948 (PDF; 2 MB).
    • George M. Constable: The XI, XII & XIII Olympiads. Berlin 1936, St. Moritz 1948 . World Sport Research & Publications Inc., Los Angeles 1996, ISBN 1-888383-11-9 .
    • Karl Erb : The golden years of sport . Volume 1: 1946-1952 . Astir, Basel 1971.
    • Volker Kluge : Olympic Winter Games. The Chronicle . 3rd, exp. Edition. Sportverlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-328-00831-4 .
    • Karl Lennartz , Walter Borgers, Andreas Höfer: Olympic victories. Medals, diplomas, honors . Sportverlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-328-00865-9 .
    • Rudolf Pallamar: The 5th Olympic Winter Games 1948, St. Moritz, January 30th – 8th. February . Herold-Verlag, Vienna 1948.
    • World Sports Forum St. Moritz (ed.): Olympic Winter Games St. Moritz: 1928, 1948 . World Sports Forum, St. Moritz 1998, ISBN 3-9520540-3-8 .

    Web links

    Commons : 1948 Winter Olympics  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ Kluge, pp. 151–152
    2. ↑ Kluge, pp. 159-160
    3. ↑ Kluge, p. 165
    4. ^ Brundage Archive, IOC Museum, Lausanne
    5. ^ Halvor Kleppen: Skisporten ut av OL? ( Memento of the original from November 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Norwegian, PDF, 1.8 MB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / teora.hit.no
    6. ^ Kluge, p. 173
    7. ↑ World Sports Forum, p. 48
    8. ^ Kluge, p. 167
    9. ↑ «The ÖOC. justifies itself » . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 13, 1948, p. 04 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
    10. ↑ "Trouble with Bradl" . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 23, 1948, p. 4 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
    11. ↑ Lennartz et al., P. 258
    12. ↑ «The Cinderella of Skiing» . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 14, 1950, p. 7 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
    13. ↑ Pallamar, p. 92
    14. ↑ Pallamar, pp. 91 and 100
    15. ^ "Austria's ice hockey goalie injured" . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 29, 1948, p. 4 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
    16. ^ "On the eve of the Olympics" . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 30, 1948, p. 4 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
    17. ↑ Column 2, below: “The ice hockey players pack” . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna February 3, 1948, p. 4 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
    18. ↑ Kluge, pp. 168-170
    19. ↑ World Sports Forum, p. 98
    20. ↑ Kluge, p. 193, note 53
    21. ^ Kluge, p. 195, note 79
    22. ↑ The last and the next Olympic skeleton champion?  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.gregor-staehli.ch  
    23. ↑ Bobsleigh in St. Moritz 1948  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 130 kB)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.marcus.ch  
    24. ↑ Kluge, p. 191, note 34
    25. ↑ World Sports Forum, p. 68
    26. ↑ Kluge, p. 191, note 39
    27. ↑ Pallamar, p. 73
    28. ↑ Pallamar, p. 87
    29. ^ Birger Ruud in the Britannica Online Encyclopedia
    30. ↑ «Short but interesting»; Column 4, first contribution; «Sport-Zürich» No. 18 of February 6, 1948, page 6
    31. ↑ Erb, p. 60
    32. ↑ Kluge, p. 196, note 90
    33. ↑ Pallamar, p. 61
    34. ↑ Official report, p. 15
    35. ↑ Olympia St. Moritz 1948 - 1948. In: Filmweb. Retrieved October 23, 2018 (nb-NO).
    36. ↑ «How the world will experience it» . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna January 22, 1948, p. 4 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
    37. ↑ Numbers & facts of the community of St. Moritz ( Memento of January 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
    38. ↑ What happens to the Olympic hill?
    39. ↑ «Short but interesting»; “Sport Zürich”, No. 14 of January 31, 1948, page 8; first post
    40. ^ "First interview with the Russian observers in St. Moritz"; “Sport Zürich”, No. 18 of February 6, 1948, pages 6 and 7
    41. ↑ Column 2: “News from the IOC”; “Sport Zürich”, No. 18 of February 6, 1948, page 4
    42. ↑ «Short - but interesting»; “Sport Zürich”, No. 17 of February 5, 1948, pages 7 and 8
    43. ↑ «Favorites on the" loss list "»; “Sport Zürich”, No. 14 of January 31, 1948, page 5
    44. ↑ «Short but interesting»; “Sport Zürich”, No. 14 of January 31, 1948, page 8; fourth post
    45. ↑ «Hear, hear»; “Sport Zürich”, No. 15 of February 2, 1948, page 8
    46. ↑ «Buckna:“ We will win! ”»; “Sport Zürich”, No. 18 of February 6, 1948, page 6
    47. ↑ «Avery Brundage:“ The SOC has made some kind of deal with the LIHG ”»; “Sport Zürich”, No. 18 of February 6, 1948, page 6, column 2
    48. ↑ «Short - but interesting»; second contribution; “Sport Zürich”, No. 17 of February 5, 1948, page 7, and also the second article in No. 18 of February 6, 1948, pages 6 and 7
    This article was added to the list of excellent articles on November 17th, 2008 in this version .