Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 Winter Olympics - Athletes, Medals & Results
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- ️Thu Sep 21 2023
Olympic Winter Games Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956
Date26 January - 5 February
CountryItaly
Athletes821
Teams32
Events24
About the Games
Golden Soviet Debut
These Games marked the debut of the USSR team, which immediately won more medals than any other nation. Their speed skaters won three of the four events, while their ice hockey team ended Canada’s domination.
Memorable Champions
Pavel Kolchin of the USSR became the first non-Scandinavian to earn a medal in cross country skiing. Madeleine Berthod of Switzerland celebrated her birthday by winning the downhill by an amazing 4.7 seconds. The U.S. dominated figure skating: Tenley Albright won the women’s title and Hayes Alan Jenkins led an all-American medal sweep on the men’s side.
Downhill King
Austrian Toni Sailer became the first Alpine skier to win three Olympic gold medals. He began by winning the giant slalom by 6.2 seconds, the largest margin of victory in Olympic history. He then won the slalom, recording the fastest time in both runs, and the downhill by 3.5 seconds.
Historic Oath
The Olympic Oath was sworn by a female athlete for the first time. The honour was given to the Italian Alpine skier Giuliana Chenal-Minuzzo, bronze medallist in the downhill at the 1952 Oslo Games.
NOCs: 32
Athletes: 821 (134 women, 687 men)
Events: 24
Volunteers: N/A
Media: N/A
A Symbolic Roman Flame
A symbolic flame is lit in Rome's ancient capitol.
The End of Open Air Skating
The Cortina Games were the last Games at which the figure skating competitions took place outdoors.
The Body Position
In the ski jumping competition, the Finnish team inaugurated a new aerodynamic style, which consisted of holding the arms flat against the body rather than over the head in a diving position.
Ceremonies
26 January 1956, Cortina. Opening Ceremony: Giuliana Chenal Minuzzo pronounces the Olympic Oath.
Official Opening of the Games by:
President Giovanni Gronchi
Lighting the Olympic Flame by:
Guido Caroli (speed skating)
Olympic Oath by:
Giuliana Chenal Minuzzo (alpine skiing)
Officials' Oath by:
The officials' oath at an Olympic Winter Games was first sworn in 1972 at Sapporo.
Medal Table
See the list of teams and medals won by each.
Cortina d'Ampezzo
1956
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The Brand
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The Medals
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The Torch
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