Charles Jewtraw
Photo Courtesy of Gallica BNF Digital Library
On Jan. 25, 1924, the alpine town of Chamonix, France, became the unlikely stage for history. Under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), France organized a “week of winter sport” to see whether skiing, skating and hockey could capture international attention as the Summer Games.
What unfolded over the next 11 days was transformative. The town, once known mainly for summer mountaineering, gained international fame as a winter sports destination.
Nearly 300 athletes from 16 nations competed across 16 events in five sports, including skating, ice hockey, curling and Nordic skiing. Unlike at the Summer Games, the opening ceremony was modest. Athletes marched into the Stade Olympique de Chamonix carrying skis and hockey sticks, while French official Gaston Vidal declared the Games open.
Then the drama began. Charles Jewtraw of the United States won the first Winter Olympic gold medal, in 500-meter speed skating. Finnish skater Clas Thunberg became a star with five medals, three of them gold. Canada’s hockey team dominated, with 110 goals scored and only three conceded.
The event was called the International Winter Sports Week. It wasn’t until 1925 that the IOC retroactively recognized Chamonix as the inaugural Winter Olympic Games, amending its charter to establish a permanent counterpart to the Summer Olympics.
A century later, the Winter Olympic Games remain a celebration of athleticism performed amid the season’s most demanding elements.