Editing 1948 Winter Olympics (section)

==Events==
Medals were awarded in 22 events contested in 4 sports (9 disciplines).<ref name=stmoritz>{{cite web|title=St. Moritz 1948 |publisher=International Olympic Committee |url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=2&OLGY=1948 |access-date=15 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423010846/http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=2&OLGY=1948 |archive-date=23 April 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Bobsleigh]]
**{{GamesSport|Bobsleigh|Events=2}}
**{{GamesSport|Skeleton|Events=1}}
*{{GamesSport|Ice hockey|Events=1}}
*[[Ice Skating|Skating]]
**{{GamesSport|Figure skating|Events=3}}
**{{GamesSport|Speed skating|Events=4}}
*[[Skiing]]
**{{GamesSport|Alpine skiing|Events=6}}
**{{GamesSport|Nordic skiing}}
***{{GamesSport|Cross-country skiing|Events=3}}
***{{GamesSport|Nordic combined|Events=1}}
***{{GamesSport|Ski jumping|Events=1}}
There were also two demonstration sports, [[Military patrol at the 1948 Winter Olympics|military patrol]] and the [[Winter pentathlon at the 1948 Winter Olympics|winter pentathlon]].

===Bobsled===
{{Main|Bobsleigh at the 1948 Winter Olympics}}
Two sliding sports were contested at the 1948 Winter Games; the first was bobsled. A controversy erupted when it was alleged that the sleds of the United States team had been sabotaged. It was discovered that the steering wheels had been damaged.<ref name=time>{{cite news|title=Storms over St. Moritz|work=Time Magazine|publisher=Time Inc.|date=9 February 1948|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,856028,00.html?iid=chix-sphere|access-date=26 May 2009|archive-date=2 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302185224/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,856028,00.html?iid=chix-sphere|url-status=dead}}</ref>  After news broke of the apparent improprieties a truck driver stepped forward and admitted to having accidentally backed into the shed housing the bobsleds.<ref name=findling318>Findling & Pelle (2004), p. 318</ref>  The accident, however, did not hinder the United States teams, who won a bronze in the two-man event and a gold and a bronze in the four-man event.<ref name=results/>  The [[Switzerland at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Swiss]] two-man teams placed first and second, which is the best possible result for the event since only two teams were allowed to enter.<ref name=results/>  The driver of the first place team, [[Felix Endrich]], beat his coach, the driver of the second place team, [[Fritz Feierabend]].<ref name=time/>

===Ice hockey===
{{Main|Ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics}}
The [[ice hockey]] tournament was won by [[Canada men's national ice hockey team|Canada]], with [[Czechoslovakia at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Czechoslovakia]] second and [[Switzerland at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Switzerland]] third.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ice Hockey at the 1948 Sankt Moritz Winter Games: Men's Ice Hockey |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1948/ICH/mens-ice-hockey.html |access-date=28 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903111140/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1948/ICH/mens-ice-hockey.html |archive-date=3 September 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This was the fifth Olympic gold medal for Canada in hockey. The only team to beat Canada since hockey was introduced at the [[1920 Summer Olympics]] was [[Great Britain at the 1936 Winter Olympics]].<ref>Buchanon and Mallon (2006), pp.45–46</ref>  The tournament was almost canceled when rival teams representing the [[United States]] arrived. An [[Amateur Athletic Union]] (AAU) team was supported by the [[United States Olympic Committee]] (USOC), and an [[Amateur Hockey Association of the United States|Amateur Hockey Association]] (AHA) team was supported by the [[Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace]] (LIHG).<ref name="findling316"/>  The [[International Olympic Committee]] ruled that neither team could compete. Still, the Swiss organizing committee allowed the AAU team to march in the [[Olympic Games ceremony|opening ceremony]] and the AHA team to play unofficially without being eligible for medals.<ref name=findling317>Findling & Pelle (2004), p. 317</ref>

===Figure skating===

{{Main|Figure skating at the 1948 Winter Olympics}}
[[Barbara Ann Scott]] became the first and only [[Canada at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Canadian]] woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating when she won the competition at St. Moritz. Despite the distraction caused by a low-flying airplane during her compulsory routine, she could muster the focus to place first entering the free skate. The ice had been shredded the night before the free skate by two ice hockey games (the [[ice resurfacer]] had not yet been invented); nonetheless, she was able to adjust her routine to avoid the potholes and emerge victorious.<ref>{{cite news |title=Where are they now:Barbara Ann Scott |last=Smith |first=Beverley |work=The Globe and Mail |publisher=CTVOlympics.ca |date=3 May 2009 |url=http://www.ctvolympics.ca/figure-skating/news/newsid=10248.html |access-date=27 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090526073710/http://www.ctvolympics.ca/figure-skating/news/newsid=10248.html |archive-date=26 May 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Eighteen-year-old American [[Dick Button]] completed the unprecedented North American sweep of the figure skating gold medals. He led the field after the compulsory skate and won the gold medal by becoming the first person to complete a [[double Axel]] in competition. Later in the 1952 Olympics, Dick Button would win gold a second time.<ref name=judd27>Judd (2009), p. 27</ref>  [[Switzerland at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Swiss]] world champion [[Hans Gerschwiler]] fell during the free skate,<ref>{{cite news|title=Mrs. Fraser, Dick Button pace Yanks|last=Smits|first=Ted|newspaper=The Washington Post|agency=Associated Press|date=6 February 1948|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/olympics1998/history/memories/48-button.htm|access-date=19 March 2010|archive-date=15 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115201601/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/olympics1998/history/memories/48-button.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> but rebounded to win the silver medal.<ref>{{cite web|title=Han Gerschwiler|publisher=ABC.net|url=http://www.abc.net.au/olympics/2008/results/historical/athletes/6521.htm|access-date=19 March 2010|archive-date=2 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302185225/http://www.abc.net.au/olympics/2008/results/historical/athletes/6521.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Speed skating===
{{main|Speed skating at the 1948 Winter Olympics}}
The speed skating competition was held on the same rink that had hosted the events in 1928. At {{convert|1856|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level, the speed skating competition was held at the second-highest altitude in Olympic history; only Squaw Valley in 1960 was higher.<ref name=srss>{{cite web|title=Speed skating at the 1948 Winter Olympics|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1948/SSK/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417054017/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1948/SSK/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|access-date=22 March 2010}}</ref>  The competition was dominated by the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden who won nine out of the twelve possible medals. Scandinavians had done poorly in speed skating events up until the 1948 Games. Their success was because speed skating in Europe had reached a standstill during World War II. Only countries that were ancillary to the conflict had the resources to keep their speed skating programs intact.<ref name=srss/>  The 500&nbsp;meter race was won by [[Finn Helgesen]] of Norway.  There was a three-way tie for second place between Norwegian [[Thomas Byberg]] and Americans [[Robert Fitzgerald (speed skater)|Robert Fitzgerald]] and [[Kenneth Bartholomew]]. All three had finished in exactly 43.2&nbsp;seconds.<ref name=results/> [[Sweden at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Swede]] [[Åke Seyffarth]] won a gold medal in the 10,000&nbsp;meter race and a silver medal in the 1,500&nbsp;meter race.<ref name=results/>  The 5,000&nbsp;meter event was affected by weather.  The twenty racers encountered wind, sun, and snow during the day's competition. Finally, long-distance specialist [[Reidar Liaklev]] from Norway prevailed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Speed Skating at the 1948 Sankt Moritz Winter Games-Men's 5,000 metres|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1948/SSK/mens-5000-metres.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418034142/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1948/SSK/mens-5000-metres.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 April 2020|access-date=22 March 2010}}</ref>

===Alpine skiing===
{{Main|Alpine skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics}}
Alpine skiing made its Olympic debut at these Games.<ref name=dyk/>  A few events had been held at the [[1936 Winter Olympics|1936 Games]], but the St. Moritz Games featured a full slate of three men's and three women's alpine events.<ref name=dyk/> [[France at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Frenchman]] [[Henri Oreiller]] won a medal in all three Alpine events: gold in the downhill and combined, and bronze in the slalom.<ref name=results>{{cite web |title=The 1948 Winter Olympics:St. Moritz Switzerland |publisher=Hickoksports.com |url=http://www.hickoksports.com/history/wol1948.shtml |access-date=26 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100227051400/http://hickoksports.com/history/wol1948.shtml |archive-date=27 February 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  He was one of only two athletes to win two gold medals at the 1948 Games,<ref>{{cite web|title=St. Moritz 1948—V Olympic Winter Games|publisher=The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad|url=http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/pastgames/winterolympics/stmoritz1948/n214049246.shtml|access-date=26 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429051750/http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/pastgames/winterolympics/stmoritz1948/n214049246.shtml|archive-date=29 April 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> and he was also the only athlete to win three or more medals.<ref name=results/>

[[Austria at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Austria]] dominated the women's alpine events, winning five out of nine possible medals. [[Trude Beiser]] was a double-medal winner, earning gold in the combined event and silver in the downhill. She was not the only female skier to win two medals, though [[United States at the 1948 Winter Olympics|United States]] skier [[Gretchen Fraser]] won gold in the slalom and took silver behind Beiser in the combined.<ref name=results/>  Austrian [[Erika Mahringer]] earned two medals by winning bronze medals in both the slalom and the combined.<ref name=results/>

===Cross-country skiing===
{{main|Cross-country skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics}}
In cross-country skiing, 106 skiers from 15 nations competed in three events. The events were the 50&nbsp;kilometer race, the 18&nbsp;kilometer race, and the 4&nbsp;x&nbsp;10&nbsp;kilometer relay.<ref>Comité Olympique Suisse (1948), p.11</ref>  There were no women's events at the 1948 Games.<ref>{{cite web|title=1948 Winter Olympics nordic skiing results|publisher=The International Olympic Committee|url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp|access-date=23 March 2010|archive-date=22 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822060027/http://www.olympic.org/athletes|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Martin Lundström]] of [[Sweden at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Sweden]] was the other athlete to win two gold medals when he won the 18&nbsp;kilometer race and participated on the winning cross-country relay team. Sweden won seven out of fifteen possible medals in the Nordic events, including all three gold medals and a sweep of the 18&nbsp;kilometer race. All fifteen medals were won by either Sweden, Norway, or [[Finland at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Finland]].<ref name=results/>

===Skeleton===
{{main|Skeleton at the 1948 Winter Olympics}}
Skeleton made its second appearance at the Olympics during these Games. It debuted in St. Moritz at the [[1928 Winter Olympics]]. Skeleton was a form of luge that had originally appeared in the St. Moritz region at the end of the 19th century.<ref name=dyk/>  American [[John Heaton (athlete)|John Heaton]] won his second Olympic medal in the skeleton; he won his first 20&nbsp;years earlier when he was 19&nbsp;years old.<ref name=judd27/> [[Italy at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Italian]] slider [[Nino Bibbia]] won the gold medal. It was the first of his 231 career wins on the Cresta Boblsed track. One of the curves at [[Cesana Pariol]], where the [[Bobsleigh at the 2006 Winter Olympics|bobsled]], [[Luge at the 2006 Winter Olympics|luge]], and [[Skeleton at the 2006 Winter Olympics|skeleton]] events took place at the [[2006 Winter Olympics]] in [[Turin]], was named after Bibbia.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nino Bibbia|publisher=Sports-reference.com|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bi/nino-bibbia-1.html|access-date=26 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302185232/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bi/nino-bibbia-1.html|archive-date=2 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Nordic combined===
{{main|Nordic combined at the 1948 Winter Olympics}}
The Nordic combined event had been contested at each Winter Olympics since 1924. Nordic combined required athletes to first compete in the open 18&nbsp;kilometer cross-country ski race alongside the other cross-country competitors. Their times would be assigned a point value. The athletes would take two jumps off the ski jump hill two days later. The jumps would be given a point value, and the longest jump would be combined with their cross-country time to create a score.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nordic Combined at the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Games|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1956/NCO/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417053615/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1956/NCO/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|access-date=16 March 2010}}</ref>  Traditional Nordic combined power Norway was stunned at the 1948 Games when Finland's [[Heikki Hasu]] became the first non-Norwegian to win the event. Norway did not even make the podium. Hasu's teammate [[Martti Huhtala]] took the silver, and [[Sven Israelsson]] from Sweden won the bronze.<ref>Comité Olympique Suisse (1948), p.37</ref>

===Ski jumping===
{{main|Ski jumping at the 1948 Winter Olympics}}
The [[Norway at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Norwegians]] swept the ski jumping event. [[Birger Ruud]] had won the gold medal in the ski jumping event at both the [[1932 Winter Olympics|1932]] and [[1936 Winter Olympics|1936]] Winter Games. The twelve-year hiatus due to World War II meant that Ruud was 36 years old in 1948. He had retired from competition and was coaching the Norwegian team. However, when he arrived at the Games, he decided to come out of retirement and compete one last time. Despite not having competed for several years, he earned a silver medal.<ref>Judd (2009), p. 229</ref><ref>Wright (2001), p.903</ref>  Norwegian [[Petter Hugsted]] won the gold and teammate [[Thorleif Schjelderup]] won the bronze.<ref>Comité Olympique Suisse (1948), p.47</ref>

===Demonstration sports===
{{Main|Military patrol at the 1948 Winter Olympics|Winter pentathlon at the 1948 Winter Olympics}}
Two demonstration sports were held at the 1948 Games. Military patrol had been a demonstration sport at the [[1924 Winter Olympic Games|1924]], [[1928 Winter Olympic Games|1928]], and [[1936 Winter Olympic Games]].  It entailed a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting at targets. Eventually the competition would be renamed Biathlon and was made an official Olympic medal sport at the [[1960 Winter Olympic Games|1960 Games]] in [[Squaw Valley Ski Resort|Squaw Valley]], United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Biathlon |publisher=Biathlon.net |url=http://www.biathlon.net/intro.html |access-date=28 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504143851/http://www.biathlon.net/intro.html |archive-date=4 May 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Winter pentathlon involved five competitions: 10&nbsp;kilometer cross-country ski race, shooting, downhill skiing, fencing and horseback riding.<ref>{{cite web |title=Olympic Games Medallists-other winter sports |publisher=GBRAthletics.com |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/olympic/winter.htm |access-date=28 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091103055525/http://gbrathletics.com/olympic/winter.htm |archive-date=3 November 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  This was the first and last time the event was held. Fourteen competitors took part in the event.<ref name=findling318/>