The 1960 Winter Olympics

by David C. Antonucci

Overview

The 1960 Olympic Winter Games were a long-shot effort that succeeded beyond the wildest expectations. Working in a sparsely populated valley in the Sierra Nevada with only rudimentary facilities, organizers created a world-class Olympic site in four short years. For the only time in Olympic history, the venues and athlete residence halls were located in a compact, intimate setting that encouraged sportsmanship and interaction between athletes. There was elaborate pageantry in the ceremonies and decorations. The underdog American ice hockey team won the first-ever USA gold medal in that sport. American figure skaters swept gold in the individual events. Well-trained Soviet and Scandinavian athletes dominated the speed skating and cross-country skiing events. American women proved their mettle in the Alpine skiing events. German skiers made surprise upsets in the Nordic combined and ski jumping contests. And CBS-TV was there to capture the most exciting moments and make groundbreaking live broadcasts to American audiences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467130141
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	11/11/2013
Series:	Images of Sports
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.54(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.46(d)

About the Author

This book features rare images taken by official Olympic photographer Bill Briner that are complemented with images from public and private collections, some never before published. Using extensive research and oral histories from Olympic athletes and officials, award-winning author David C. Antonucci brings the VIII Olympic Winter Games to life.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Early Squaw Valley Ski History 9

2 Winning the Olympic Bid and Disney Imagineering 17

3 Olympic Facilities, Venues, and Staff 27

4 Opening, Awards, and Closing Ceremonies 53

5 Alpine Skiing 67

6 Biathlon 81

7 Cross-Country Skiing 85

8 Figure Skating 95

9 Ice Hockey 101

10 Ski Jumping 107

11 Speed Skating 113

12 Spectator Experience 117