The Winter Olympic events noticeably vary from the summer version of this acme of sporting events. Held in every four years, Winter Olympics include only those events that can be held on snow or ice. Ice skating and skiing constitute two of the mentionable sporting events at the Winter Olympic Games.
The rules of entering the Winter Olympic Games are similar to that of the Summer Olympics. The National Olympic Committee decides who are to be sent to this prestigious event. The medals competed for are the same as those in Summer Olympic Games.
Compared to the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympic editions attract a strikingly lesser number of athletes. The reason is quite obvious. Most countries located near the equator do not have any infrastructure to support winter sport training facilities.
The United States of America tops the list of organizers who have hosted the Winter Olympics for maximum number of occasions. This nation has hosted this version of Modern Olympic games for four times. Next comes France with three editions. Italy, Switzerland, Japan, Austria and Norway have hosted twice each and Canada is going to join the list soon after the 2010 Winter Olympics. Yugoslavia, Vancouver and Germany have organized the Winter Olympic events once each and Russia is yet to host. St. Moritz (Switzerland), Lake Placid (The United States of America) and Innsbruck (Austria) are the three cities that enjoy a unique distinction of having hosted the Winter Olympic Games for three times each.
The first edition of the Winter Olympics was held in France in the year 1924. More than 200 athletes from 16 countries took part in the inaugural year, competing in 16 sporting events.
The Winter Olympics received a major setback during the World War II. The 1940 edition of this event was scheduled to be held in Japan. But due to the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Japan had no other option but to step down.
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