1960 Winter Olympics
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. CBS paid $50,000 for the right to broadcast the games in the USA.
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, eight speed skiing events, and three 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
Medal count
Top medal-collecting nations:
- 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)
