1960 Winter Olympics: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

VIII Olympic Winter Games
Nations participating	30
Athletes participating	665 (521 men, 144 women)
Events	27 in 4 sports
Opening ceremony	February 18, 1960
Closing ceremony	February 28, 1960
Officially opened by	Richard Nixon
Athlete's Oath	Carol Heiss
Official's Oath	n/a
Olympic Torch	Ken Henry

The VIII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, USA.

Alexander Cushing, the creator of the resort, campaigned vigorously to win the Games. Then, there was a rush to construct roads, hotels, restaurants, and bridges, as well as the Ice Arena, the speed skating track, ski lifts, and the ski jumping hill.

The temporary parking lot was built on the frozen flood plain of the nearby stream, but was destroyed when unseasonable rains washed it out. The U.S. military was called in to repair the damage to the packed-snow and ice lot before the Games began.

Walt Disney was the Head of Pageantry for the Games.

The Olympic Village housed all the athletes.

An early IBM computer was used to calculate the results.

This Winter Olympics introduced Disney artist John Hench's Olympic torch design, which all further torches would be based on. The Olympic flame was lit in the cottage of Sondre Norheim in Morgedal, Norway, and was brought to Los Angeles by plane from Oslo. It is still burning in Squaw Valley.

There were 15 alpine and ski jumping events, 8 speed skiing events, and 3 figure skating events.

1960 was the first year for women's speed skating and the men's biathlon.

Medal winners

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

Top medal-collecting nations:

1960 Winter Olympics medal count
Pos.	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Soviet Union	7	5	9	21
2	United Team of Germany¹	4	3	1	8
3	United States	3	4	3	10
4	Norway	3	3	0	6
5	Sweden	3	2	2	7
6	Finland	2	3	3	8
7	Canada	2	1	1	4
8	Switzerland	2	0	0	2
9	Austria	1	2	3	6
10	France	1	0	2	3

• Jean Vuarnet, FR, men's downhill, gold
• Ann Heggtveit, Canada, slalom gold medal
• Penny Pitou, USA, women's downhill, silver and women's giant slalom, silver
• United States men's ice-hockey team won gold.

(¹ East Germany and West Germany competed as a single team; team appeared in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter Olympics)