Innsbruck 1976 - Olympic Games Winners

Start:

04 Feb 1976

End:

15 Feb 1976

Countries:

Athletes:

1123

Sports:

Events:

City:

Innsbruck, Austria

In May 1970, at the 69th IOC session in Amsterdam, Denver, USA was selected to host the Winter Olympics in 1976. Still, Colorado's residents vetoed the Olympics in a referendum due to financial and ecological concerns.
In February 1973, in Lausanne, the IOC awarded the 12th Winter Olympics to Innsbruck, Austria.
The other towns applying were Garmisch-Partenkirchen, FRG; Salt Lake City, USA; Tampere, Finland; Chamonix, France and Lake Placid, USA.

President of Austria Rudolf Kirschschlager officially opened the 12th Winter Olympic Games in 1976, and two Olympic cauldrons were lit in the stadium as a symbol of the Winter Games being held twice in Innsbruck.
As in 1964, the Austrian army trucked snow to cover bare slopes for Alpine Skiing events.
There were a few technological approvals at the 1976 Winter Olympics. Austrians Karl SCHNABL and Toni INNAUER, in new streamlined helmets, won gold and silver medals in the 90-meter ski jump, and skater Franz Krienbuehl of Switzerland was dressed in a sleek, skin-tight suit, which became a new standard for speed skating uniform.
In Figure skating, Terry Kubicka of the USA performed a dangerous backflip. Still, the referees scored it only as a jump with one full rotation.