The 1972 Winter Olympics was the first Winter Olympics to be held outside Europe and North America. The games were held between February 3 to February 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. February 3rd 2022 marks 50 years since this event.
Japan first won the rights to host the 1940 Winter Olympics at Sapporo, but lost it after its 1937 invasion of China. The 1940 Games were subsequently cancelled. Other cities such as London and Helsinki, which were also chosen to host games that were cancelled due to war, had since hosted the Games.
Sapporo competed with Banff, Lahti and Salt Lake City for the right to host the 1972 games. The Games were awarded at the 64th International Olympic Committee Session in Rome, Italy, on April 26, 1966.
To prepare for the games, the Japanese constructed state-of-the-art facilities at Sapporo and conducted a trial run one year before the actual Games. Although the development of new infrastructure had cost the administration US$500 million, this cost was recovered in part due to record broadcast rights of about US$ 8.47 million.
The Games were a grand success with 1,006 athletes participating from 35 nations.
Picture Credit : Google
