HistoryData
sports1924

Ski jumping at the 1924 Winter Olympics — 1924 edition of the ski jumping competitions during the Olympic Winter Games

January 1, 1924

The 1924 Olympic ski jumping result was corrected 50 years later when a scoring error gave the bronze medal to an American instead of a Norwegian.

Quick Facts

Year
1924
Category
sports

Key Facts

Event date
4 February 1924
Error discovered
1974, by Jacob Vaage
Score difference
0.095 points in favour of Haugen
Haugen's age at medal ceremony
85 years old
Original bronze medalist
Thorleif Haug, Norway
Corrected bronze medalist
Anders Haugen, United States

By the Numbers

4
Event date
1,974
Error discovered
0.095
Score difference
85
Haugen's age at medal ceremony

Location

Map of Chamonix, FranceMap of Chamonix, FranceChamonix, France

Cause → Event → Consequence

Cause

A clerical error was made when calculating Thorleif Haug's score at the conclusion of the 1924 Winter Olympics ski jumping event. The mistake went undetected for five decades and resulted in Haug being incorrectly awarded the bronze medal while Anders Haugen of the United States was placed fourth.

Event

The single individual ski jumping event at the 1924 Winter Olympics was held on 4 February 1924. Norwegian ski historian Jacob Vaage discovered the scoring error in 1974, and the International Olympic Committee verified that Haugen had actually outscored Haug by 0.095 points, making Haugen the rightful bronze medalist.

Consequence

In September 1974 in Oslo, Thorleif Haug's daughter formally presented the bronze medal to Anders Haugen, then 85 years old, correcting the official record half a century after the competition. The case became one of the most notable retroactive corrections in Olympic history.

Result

Anders Haugen (USA) — bronze (corrected)
Haugen scored 0.095 points more than Haug
Thorleif Haug (Norway) — originally awarded bronze

at Chamonix, France

Bronze medal corrected and awarded 50 years after competition

Timeline Context

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