A famous Swiss resort consolidates its status

St. Moritz was already a popular resort due to its excellent winter sports facilities and was therefore an attractive choice as a host venue. The centrepiece was the world-famous Cresta Run, a natural ice rink that is still in use today. In fact, all that needed to be built for the Games was the Olympic Stadium and the Ski Jump, which – along with the three existing venues – were used again when the Swiss resort hosted its second Winter Olympics twenty years later. Thanks to its long tradition of organising events, St. Moritz also had the knowledge and experience needed to host the Games. This was a key factor in the successful delivery and in the resort being chosen as a host again in 1948.

The 1928 Winter Olympics were the first to be officially designated as such. Chamonix 1924 was recognised as the first Winter Olympics just two years after the event. They were the first Olympics since the dissolution of the Nordic Games in 1926, which had been a focal point of Scandinavian resistance to the concept of the Winter Olympics. Opposition was vocal in the lead-up to Chamonix 1924, but evaporated once the competitions began.

By the time St. Moritz 1928 arrived, more and more countries were ready to take part, led by the Scandinavian nations, the winter sports hotbeds of the day. In total, 464 athletes from 25 countries gathered in the Swiss resort, significantly more than the 16 nations and 258 athletes who gathered in Chamonix in 1924. Although far below the numbers of participants at any modern Winter Olympics, they nevertheless reflected the growing appeal of this global sporting event, enhanced by the prestigious backdrop provided by St. Moritz and the Swiss Alps. Although most of the competitions took place in unseasonably high temperatures, St. Moritz 1928 cemented the growing appeal of the Winter Olympics and marked the beginning of the resort’s long, illustrious and mutually beneficial association with the Olympic Movement. This connection continued in 2020 when St. Moritz hosted the speed skating, bobsleigh, skeleton and luge competitions of the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

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