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Winter Olympics History Timeline

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Winter Olympics History Timeline

Read the timeline notes, then use evidence from them to solve the questions. Dates are in chronological order from earliest to latest. Write answers in your own words where asked.

A brief history of the Winter Olympics

The first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. They brought together athletes competing in snow and ice sports. The Games were not held in 1940 or 1944 because of the Second World War. In 1992, New Zealand skier Annelise Coberger won silver in the women’s slalom—the country’s first Winter Olympic medal. Snowboarding became an official Olympic sport at the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan. Women’s ski jumping joined the Olympic programme in 2014, at the Sochi Games in Russia. The 2018 Winter Olympics took place in PyeongChang, South Korea. Over time, the programme and the countries taking part have changed, while the Games have continued to bring athletes together to compete.

Put the milestones in time

Use the years on this timeline to help you compare events. The gap between marks is not equal to the amount of time between events.

1924 — First Winter Olympics, Chamonix

1940 and 1944 — Games cancelled during the Second World War

1992 — Annelise Coberger wins New Zealand’s first Winter Olympic medal

1998 — Snowboarding becomes an official sport

2014 — Women’s ski jumping joins the programme

2018 — Winter Olympics held in PyeongChang

1.Which event happened first: snowboarding becoming an official sport, or New Zealand winning its first Winter Olympic medal? Give the year of each event.

2.Choose the correct year and place for the first Winter Olympics.

1920, Chamonix
1924, Chamonix
1928, Nagano
1932, PyeongChang

3.Why were the Winter Olympics not held in 1940 or 1944? Use the history notes.

4.Put these three milestones in chronological order by writing 1, 2 and 3 beside them: women’s ski jumping joins the programme; the 2018 Games are held in PyeongChang; snowboarding becomes an official sport.

5.How many years are there from 1992 to 2000? Calculate the gap.

6.New Zealand’s first Winter Olympic medal was won in which sport?

Women’s slalom skiing
Snowboarding
Ski jumping
Ice hockey

7.What is one way the Winter Olympics changed between 1924 and 2014? Support your answer with a milestone from the notes.

8.A classmate says, “The Winter Olympics have always had the same sports.” Use one fact from the notes to explain why this claim is not correct.

9.Imagine you are making a museum display about one milestone from this timeline. Choose a milestone and sketch a symbol for it in the box. Then write one caption that names the year and explains why the event matters.

Draw a symbol for your chosen Winter Olympics milestone.