Oslo 1952 Olympic Winter Games

Oslo 1952 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Oslo that took place February 14–25, 1952. The Oslo Games were the sixth occurrence of the Winter Olympic Games.

With the awarding of the 1952 Winter Olympics to Oslo, the Games were held for the first time in a Scandinavian country. Some questioned the country’s ability to stage the competition, but the worries proved unfounded. New facilities were built and existing ones refurbished to meet the high Olympic standard. Oslo saw the Winter Games debut of the Olympic torch, a tradition started in the Summer Games. The torch relay began in Morgedal, Norway, the birthplace of Sondre Norheim, one of the originators of modern skiing. Germany and Japan, banned from Olympic competition following World War II, were allowed to compete at Oslo (only athletes from West Germany competed for the German team after the International Olympic Committee rejected the East Germans’ proposal to form their own team). The Games were noted for the enthusiasm of the spectators and the record number of people who watched the events.

The most successful athlete at the Oslo Games was Hjallis Andersen (Norway), who dominated the speed skating competition, capturing three gold medals. He won the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races by the largest margins in the history of the events. Bobsledders Andreas Ostler and Lorenz Nieberl of Germany each claimed two titles. However, their victory in the four-man was marred by controversy. The total weight of the German team in the event was more than 1,000 pounds (454 kg), and other teams complained that size and momentum, not skill, led to the team’s victory. Following the Oslo Games, a weight limit of 880 pounds (400 kg) was enforced. Alpine skier Andrea Mead Lawrence turned in the best performance by a female athlete, becoming the first American Alpine skier to win two gold medals in the Winter Games.

On the ice, American Dick Button repeated as men’s figure skating champion. During his program he became the first skater to perform a triple loop. In the ice hockey competition, Canada again won the title.

In the Nordic skiing competition the Scandinavian countries continued to dominate. In the 18-km cross-country skiing event the top 17 skiers were from Finland, Norway, or Sweden. Veikko Hakulinen (Finland) won the first of his seven career medals, capturing the gold in the 50-km race. In the ski jump Norway claimed the gold and silver medals. Since 1924 the country had taken 14 of the 18 medals awarded in the sport.