1948 Winter Olympics - Definition and Overview

V Olympic Winter Games
Nations participating	28
Athletes participating	669 (592 men, 77 women)
Events	22 in 4 sports
Opening ceremony	January 30, 1948
Closing ceremony	February 8, 1948
Officially opened by	Enrico Celio
Athlete's Oath	Riccardo Torriani
Olympic Torch	n/a

The V Olympic Winter Games were held in St. Moritz, Switzerland and opened on January 30, 1948. St. Moritz was also the site of the 1928 Winter Olympics.

These Games were the first in twelve years, as none were held during World War II.

Highlights

A North American sweep in figure skating:

• Barbara Ann Scott became the first Canadian to win the figure skating gold medal.

• Dick Button became the first American to win a figure skating title for the United States, and also became the first figure skater to perform a double axel during an Olympic figure skating event.

Medals awarded

Medal winners

• Alpine skiing
• Bobsleigh
• Figure skating
• Ice hockey
• Nordic skiing
• Speed skating
• Tobogganing (skeleton)

Medal count

Top medal-collecting nations:

1948 Winter Olympics medal count
Pos.	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Norway	4	3	3	10
1	Sweden	4	3	3	10
3	Switzerland	3	4	3	10
4	United States	3	4	2	9
5	France	2	1	2	5
6	Canada	2	0	1	3
7	Austria	1	3	4	8
8	Finland	1	3	2	6
9	Belgium	1	1	0	2
10	Italy	0	1	0	1