Winter Olympics – UPSC Prelims

Winter Olympics is the premier competition for sports that are played on ice or snow.

It is held every four years and features participants from across the world.

Ice skating, ice hockey, skiing and figure skating are some of the popular sports that are played at the Winter Games.

The first Winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France.

Winter sports were initially played at the Summer Olympics, with the 1908 London Olympics hosting four figure skating events and Antwerp 1920 having figure skating as well as ice hockey.

However, in 1924, a separate event was created for winter sports, called the International Winter Sports Week.

It was held in Chamonix, France – the host country for the 1924 Summer Olympics.

Two years later, the International Winter Sports Week in Chamonix was officially recognised as the first Winter Olympic Games.

This years’ edition of the Winter Olympic Games will be held in Beijing, China from 4th February to 20th February 2022.

India has been participating in the Winter Olympics since 1964.