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sports1992

1992 Winter Olympics — 16th edition of Winter Olympics, in Albertville, France

February 1, 1992

The 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics were the last Winter Games held in the same year as the Summer Olympics, marking a shift to a staggered two-year Olympic cycle.

Quick Facts

Year
1992
Category
sports

Key Facts

Dates
8–23 February 1992
Athletes
1,801
National Olympic Committees
64
Events
57 events across 6 sports
New events added
11
Edition
XVI (16th) Winter Olympic Games

By the Numbers

8
Dates
1,801
Athletes
64
National Olympic Committees
57
Events

Location

Map of Albertville, FranceMap of Albertville, FranceAlbertville, France

Cause → Event → Consequence

Cause

Albertville won the right to host the Winter Olympics in 1986, defeating six other candidate cities including Sofia, Lillehammer, and Falun. France sought to build on its prior Winter Olympic hosting legacy from Chamonix 1924 and Grenoble 1968, staging events across the Savoie region's mountain resorts.

Event

The XVI Olympic Winter Games were held from 8 to 23 February 1992 in and around Albertville, France, with 1,801 athletes from 64 nations competing in 57 events across 6 sports. The Games featured the Unified Team of former Soviet republics, a reunified Germany, and the debut of eight nations, alongside 11 newly introduced events including freestyle skiing and short track speed skating.

Consequence

The 1992 Games were the last Winter Olympics held in the same year as the Summer Games. A schedule change moved the next Winter Olympics to 1994 in Lillehammer, establishing an alternating two-year cycle between Summer and Winter editions. These were also the last Winter Olympics to include demonstration sports and the last with all speed skating held in an open-air venue.

Result

Multiple nations

at Albertville and surrounding Savoie resorts, France

Last Winter Olympics held in the same year as the Summer Olympics; last to include demonstration sports

Timeline Context

Timeline around 199219921989199019911993199419951992 African Cup of Nations — football tournament1992 Summer Olympics medal tableMani pulite — Italian political corruption scandal in the 1990s1992 AFC Asian Cup — football tournamentBasketball at the 1992 Summer Olympics — Basketball olympic competition in Bacelona, 1992Unified Team — special team of athletes from countries of the former Soviet Union (excepting the 3 Baltic countries) competing in the 1992 Winter and Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games1992 Formula One World Championship — sports seasonEurovision Song Contest 1992 — 37th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest1992-winter-olympics-16th-edition-of-winter-olympics-in-a-1992