Squaw Valley
1960

Where?	Squaw Valley United States of America
Which Olympics?	The eighth (winter)
How long was it?	From 18 February till 28 February
Joining countries:	30
Athletes:	665
Whereof women:	144

The International Olympic Committee had decided, with a voting of 32-30, to give Squaw Valley the Olympics, and not Innsbruck. At that moment, there was nothing in Squaw Valley for the Olympics. The owner of the ground interfered in, so for the first time was built a whole winter sports-center especially for the Olympics.

There was unrest about bobsledding. Much protests and problems, because the American organization didn't want to make a bob-run. The cost for the construction would be much higher than the participation.
The ski-jump were provided with artificial obstacles, to make them more difficult. The organization of the northern ski-numbers said that the height were the numbers were, was too high (over 1.9 km (about 1.2 miles)).

Small facts:

• The problem of 1 participation from the GDR and FRG was partly solved. The 2 national songs were replaced through the melody of the end from Beethoven his Ninth Symphony (Alle Menschen werden Brüder) that in the original version would be sung through a choir.
• South Africa joined the Winter Olympics for the first time. It was his last ones too. Later Olympics South Africa was excluded from participation.
• There were new sports: the winter single combat (instead of the Military Patrol, a demonstration-sport at the four earlier Winter Olympics) and four distances speed skating for women.
• The first woman who won gold at a speed skating distance was Helga Haase (Germany).

The medals of these Olympics
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