Left, Vancouver mascots.
The Olympic Winter Games will be held from 12th to 28th of February in Vancouver, Canada. In addition to this town, Whistler will be the venue for alpine skiing, luge, skeleton and bobsleigh.
This is the second time Canada hosts the Winter Olympics. The previous one was in Calgary, in 1988. Many countries have played home to the Winter Olympics. These are the case of France (three times),the United States (four times) and Italy, Japan, Austria and Norway which have hosted the Games twice.
Although fewer countries participate in the Winter Olympics, it has become an unavoidable event that winter sports lovers cannot miss.
The Winter Olympics background
The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, 1924.
Figure skating and ice hockey had been events at the Summer Olympics prior to this date. The Games were held every four years from 1924 until 1940 when they were interrupted by World War II.
The Winter and Summer Games started again in 1948 and were celebrated on the same year until 1992. At that time, the Winter Games split from the Summer Games, and were begun to be celebrated on alternating even years.
The first Olympic Winter Games to be held on this new schedule was in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway.
The Paralympics' Winter Dream
In 1976, in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, the first international winter games for handicapped people were celebrated. There were about 250 athletes coming from 14 countries. 24 years later, the first Paralympic Winter Games took place in Albertville, France, in 1992.
Which winter sport do you prefer most? Just have a look to its official site and learn more about them. Moreover, you can follow the Olympic Torch relay and know about its bearers.
