The Winter Olympic Games are major international sports held on ice and snow every four years. They were first held in France in 1924. Originally, there were four Winter Olympic sports: bobsleigh, ice hockey, Nordic skiing, curling, cross-country skiing, military patrol , figure skating, Nordic combined and speed skating. Between 1924 and 1936, the games were held every four years, but were interrupted by World War II in 1940 and 1944. The games resumed in 1948. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Over the years, the winter games have evolved with the addition of certain sports and disciplines. These sports include luge, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, alpine skiing and skeleton. Sports such as military patrol were discontinued while other games were discontinued and later reintroduced, such as curling. The games take place in February, at the height of summer in the southern hemisphere. The cold weather-dependent games have been held in the United States on four occasions. Other countries that have hosted the games include France, Switzerland, Canada, Norway, Germany, Russia, Japan and Italy. The 2018 Olympic Games took place in Pyeongchang, South Korea. According to the Olympic charter, winter sports are limited to sports played on snow and ice (Essex, Stephen J. and J. de Groot 2016). The addition of new sports, especially since 1992, has broadened the appeal of the Winter Olympics beyond North America and Europe, although countries such as Norway continue to dominate the Olympics winter. At the first Winter Olympics in 1924 in France, Norwegian and Finnish athletes won 28 more medals than all other athletes combined. Recently, in Norway, Germany and Canada occupy the first, second and third positions with 30, 23 and 20 medals respectively. The host, South Korea, won 8 medals and is in ninth place overall. In 1928, the speed skating event was canceled due to hot weather conditions. The same year, Norwegian Sonja Henie made history by winning figure skating at the age of 15. The 1960 United States Winter Olympics were the first to hold women's speed skating events and the first to compile results using a computer provided by IBM. The 1964 Winter Olympics in the Austrian city of Innsbruck had some challenges. While the sports resort was traditionally a winter sports resort, the warm weather caused a lack of snow which had to be transported by the Austrian army. Luge was the first competition of these Olympics, although it resulted in the death of a competitor during the pre-Olympic training race. However, Soviet Lidia Skoblikova made history by winning all four-speed skating events. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The most recent 2018 Winter Olympics, also known as Pyeongchang 2018 will be held from February 9 to 25 (Sports 2018). This is the first time that South Korea has hosted the Winter Games and the second time that it has hosted the Olympic Games after the 1988 Summer Olympics. It is the sixth time that the games have been held in East Asia ahead of Tokyo in 2020 and Beijing 2022. The game features 102 events with 2914 athletes, including debuts from countries like Nigeria. There were..