Stories About Coloradans in the Winter Olympics

As many people may know, the Olympics originally began in 776 B.C.E. as a tribute to the Greek gods. Thousands of people would make the journey every four years to Olympia in order to cheer, watch, and participate in the Games. However, Emperor Theodosius abolished all pagan festivities, including the Olympic Games, in 393 C.E. due to the growing Roman influence in Greece. After this ruling, the Games were not held again until the late 19th century.

In 1894, French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin helped found the International Olympic Committee (IOC), whose became responsible for reviving the Olympic Games. Two years later, the first modern Olympic Games were organized in Athens, Greece, and then in 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France. At the time, the Winter Olympics were unofficial and referred to as “International Sports Week”, due to protests from the Scandinavian countries that Winter Games would interfere with the Nordic Games. In spite of this, they achieved Olympic status in 1926.

The following articles highlight the participation of Coloradans in the Olympic Winter Games over the years.

1. 1924 - 1932
2. 1936 - 1952
3. 1956 - 1960
4. 1964 - 1968
5. 1972- 1976
6. 1980 - 1988
7. 1992 - 1998