By: Elle Shi, Grade 7
March Monthly Feature: Because of the ongoing 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the Rising Star Sports Column, Game On, is dedicated to writing about the legends, controversies, amazing wins, and unmentioned miracles.
The idea of the Winter Olympic Games did not appear overnight. Its creation was the result of years of growing interest in winter sports and the lack of Olympic events for athletes who competed on ice and snow on a global stage, who are equal to their summer counterparts.
Before the official Winter Olympics existed, winter sports were occasionally included in the Olympic Games. For example, figure skating had only appeared in the 1908 and 1920 Summer Olympics, despite it clearly not fitting the original warm-weather theme. Ice hockey was also featured in 1920. These early inclusions showed that winter sports had an international audience and highlighted the need for a separate event dedicated to them.
That opportunity came in 1924, when the International Olympic Committee organized an event that created the start of the Winter Olympics we have now, the International Winter Sports Week in Chamonix, France. The event featured competitions like skiing, bobsleigh, speed skating, and ice hockey. It was such a success that the IOC later officially declared it the first Winter Olympic Games.
From there, the Winter Olympics and its events steadily grew in size and importance. More sports were added, technology improved, and participation expanded beyond Europe and North America. Countries with little winter tradition began to invest in training and facilities, transforming these “new Olympics” into a global competition.
Today, the Winter Olympics represent more than medals. They celebrate and globally show the other, colder side of sports. Understanding their origins shows how a small experiment in 1924 evolved into one of the world’s most-watched and respected sporting events.
Work Cited:
Teetzel, Sarah, and Heather L. Dichter, editors. “100 Years of Olympic Winter Games.” International Olympic Committee, www.olympics.com/ioc/olympic-legacy/100-years-winter-legacy. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
Wikipedians. “Winter Olympic Games.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games.
