1956 Winter Olympics - Definition and Overview

VII Olympic Winter Games
Nations participating	32
Athletes participating	821 (687 men, 134 women)
Events	24 in 4 sports
Opening ceremony	January 26, 1956
Closing ceremony	February 5, 1956
Officially opened by	Giovanni Gronchi
Athlete's Oath	Giuliana Chenal-Minuzzo
Official's Oath	n/a
Olympic Torch	Guido Caroli

The VII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

The Soviet Union debuted in these Winter Olympics. They immediately showed their potential by winning more medals than any other nation.

Medal winners

• Alpine skiing
• Bobsleigh
• Figure skating
• Ice hockey
• Nordic skiing
• Speed skating

Medal count

Top medal-collecting nations:

1956 Winter Olympics medal count
Pos.	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Soviet Union	7	3	6	16
2	Austria	4	3	4	11
3	Finland	3	3	1	7
4	Switzerland	3	2	1	6
5	Sweden	4	0	2	6
6	United States	2	3	2	7
7	Norway	2	1	1	4
8	Italy	1	2	0	3
9	United Team of Germany¹	1	0	1	2
10	Canada	0	1	2	3

(¹ Athletes from East and West Germany competed together as the "United Team of Germany," designated as the EUA. This combined team appeared in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter Olympics).

See also

• Olympic Games
• Summer Olympic Games
• International Olympic Committee