Winter Olympic Games
Events > Olympics > Winter > Hosts > Squaw Valley
Host City: Squaw Valley 1960
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The Winter Olympic Games were held in Squaw Valley, California, USA, in 1960, between Feb 18-28. 30 Nations with 665 participants competed in 27 events.
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At the 1960 games at Squaw Valley, California USA, in an effort to impress spectators, Walt Disney was head of the committee that organized the opening day ceremonies. The Opening Ceremony was filled with high school choirs and bands, releasing of thousands of balloons, fireworks, ice statues, releasing of 2,000 white doves, and national flags dropped by parachute.
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These games were the only to not include bobsledding, as the organizing committee refused to build an expensive bobsled run for the mere nine nations that would use it.
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Sweden's Klas Lestander won the first-ever biathlon, an event that combines cross-country skiing and shooting.
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The U.S. ice hockey team won the gold for the first time, upsetting both the Canadian and Soviet teams.
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The Soviets ended up with more than twice as many medals as their closest rivals, the Americans.
Related Pages
- more Winter Olympics Host Countries
- Winter Olympics main page.
