1976 Winter Olympics

Olympics infobox|1976|Winter
Name=XII Olympic Winter Games
Logo=1976 wolympics logo.pngSize=150
Optional caption=The emblem represents the coat of arms of Innsbruck,
which shows the bridge on the Inn River
that connects the old town and the Hötting district.
The bridge and the Olympic rings symbolize the link that ties
the many peoples of the world with friendship through the
Olympic Games. The top of the coat of arms has two indents
which match two of the Olympic rings and represent the 1964
and 1976 Winter Games which Innsbruck celebrates.
Host city=Innsbruck, Austria
Nations participating=37
Athletes participating=1123
(892 men, 231 women)
Events=37 in 6 sports
Opening ceremony=February 4 1976
Closing ceremony=February 15 1976
Officially opened by=President Rudolf Kirchschläger
Athlete's Oath=Werner Delle-Karth
Judge's Oath=Willy Köstinger
Olympic Torch=Christl Haas and Josef Feistmantl
Stadium=BergiselThe 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4-15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria. It was the second time the Tyrolean city hosted the Games.

Following the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics, security was tight for the 1976 games.

Host selection

The cities of Denver, Colorado, United States; Sion, Switzerland; Tampere, Finland; and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, made bids for the Games.

The games were originally awarded to Denver in May 1970, but a 300 percent rise in costs and worries about environmental impact led to Colorado voters' rejection in November 7, 1972, by a 3 to 2 margin, of a $5 million bond issue to finance the games with public funds. [http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/millennium/1012stone.shtml] [http://deseretnews.com/oly/view/0,3949,40000046,00.html]

Denver officially withdrew on November 15th, and the IOC then offered the games to Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, but they too declined owing to a change of government following elections. (Whistler would go on to be associated with neighboring Vancouver's successful bid for the 2010 games.)

Salt Lake City, Utah, which would eventually host in 2002 offered itself as a potential host after the withdrawal of Denver. The IOC, still reeling from the Denver rejection, declined and selected Innsbruck on February 5, 1973; it had hosted the 1964 games nine years earlier.

The chart below displays the original vote count for the 69th IOC Session at Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1970, before the Denver rejection and the installation of Innsbruck, Austria, as alternate host. [Compliments from [http://www.aldaver.com/votes.html the International Olympic Committee Vote History] web page.]

ee also

*Olympic Games
*Summer Olympic Games
*International Olympic Committee
*IOC country codes
*1976 Winter Paralympics
*1964 Winter Olympics

References

* [http://www.aafla.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1976/orw1976.pdf The Official Report of the XIIth Winter Olympic Games 1976 at Innsbruck] - from amateur athletic foundation

External links

* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=2&OLGY=1976# Olympic.org] - official site
* [http://www3.grips.ac.jp/~wpfau/winter/innsbruck.html Present photos of Innsbruck Olympic sites]
* [http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/millennium/1012stone.shtml Rocky Mountain News] - Colorado only state ever to turn down Olympics - 12-Oct-1999
* [http://www.marcolympics.org/jeux/1976/winter/index.php The program of the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics]
* [http://www.alpineskimaps.com/htm/austria/innsbruck/wintermap.htm Alpine Ski Maps.com] - winter map of Innsbruck area