For the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, a total of five sports venues were used. The main stadium hosted the figure skating, ice hockey, and speed skating events. Skeleton was first held at the Cresta Run. Bobsleigh was held at the bob run. St. Moritz itself served as cross-country skiing venue and the cross-country part of the Nordic combined event. Weather gave two events run at these games problems, creating the largest margin of victory in Olympic history for one and the cancellation of the other.

Venues

Venue Sports Capacity Ref.
Around the hills of St. MoritzCross-country skiing, Nordic combined (cross-country skiing)Not listed. [1]
Cresta RunSkeletonNot listed. [2]
Olympiaschanze St. MoritzNordic combined (ski jumping), Ski jumpingNot listed. [3]
St. Moritz Olympic Ice RinkFigure skating, Ice hockey, Speed skating4,000 [4][5]
St. Moritz-Celerina Olympic BobrunBobsleighNot listed. [6]

During the Olympics

The 50 km cross-country skiing event took place on 14 February around the hills of St. Moritz with time markers at Silvaplan (5 km (3.1 mi)), Sils (9.4 km (5.8 mi)), Plaun da Lei (15 km (9.3 mi)), Maloja (20 km (12 mi)), Isola (24 km (15 mi)), Fex (38 km (24 mi)), and Surlej (40 km (25 mi)) before returning to St. Moritz.[1] There was an 1,100 m (3,600 ft)) change in elevation during the 50 km race.[1] The race was also unusual in the sense of the extreme change in weather when it started at nearly 0 °F (−18 °C) and ended at 77 °F (25 °C).[7] It would produce the largest margin of victory in Olympic history with Sweden's Per-Erik Hedlund beating fellow Swede Gustaf Jonsson by 13 minutes and 27 seconds.[1][7]

On that same day in the 10,000 m speed skating event at the ice rink, the event was stopped 2000 meters into the fifth and final pair due to thawing ice.[5][8] Officials in charge ordered the day's times cancelled and the races rerun.[8] The problem was that by the time the decision was reached to rerun the event, Norway had made it clear that American Irving Jaffee was event champion and had left for their home country.[8] The contest was cancelled as a result.[8] Skaters involved in the event considered it settled when Jaffee came from behind to edge Norway's Bernt Evensen in the opening pair.[8] According to David Wallechinsky, most sports historians consider the 1928 10,000 m to be a non-event.[8]

After the Olympics

All five venues used for these games were reused for the Winter Olympics held in St. Moritz twenty years later.[9]

The bob run, which opened in 1904, is still in use and has hosted the FIBT World Championships a record 22 times, most recently in 2013.[10][11][12][13][14]

The ski jump was built originally in 1905 and renovated in 1927 for the 1928 Games.[15] It was renovated in 1963 to get it to the K-point of 90 m (300 ft).[15] It was closed in 2006.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 1928 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2010-12-17 at the Wayback Machine Part 2. pp. 8-10. (in French) Accessed 10 October 2010.
  2. ↑ 1928 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2010-12-17 at the Wayback Machine Part 2. p. 14. (in French) Accessed 10 October 2010.
  3. ↑ 1928 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2010-12-17 at the Wayback Machine Part 2. pp. 10-1. (in French) Accessed 10 October 2010.
  4. ↑ 1928 Winter Olympics official report. Part 1. p. 46. (in French) Accessed 10 October 2010.
  5. 1 2 1928 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2010-12-17 at the Wayback Machine Part 2. pp. 1-7, 15. (in French) Accessed 10 October 2010.
  6. ↑ 1928 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2010-12-17 at the Wayback Machine Part 2. pp. 12-13. (in French) Accessed 10 October 2010.
  7. 1 2 Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Cross-Country (Nordic) Skiing, Men: 50 Kilometers". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 232.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Speed Skating, Men: 10,000 Meters". In The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2010 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 115.
  9. ↑ 1948 Winter Olympics official report. Archived 2008-04-10 at the Wayback Machine p. 6. (in French) Accessed 10 October 2010.
  10. ↑ History of the track. Archived 2013-12-06 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Accessed 10 October 2010.
  11. ↑ St. Moritz Bobsleigh Club official website. (in German). Accessed 10 October 2010.
  12. ↑ Bobsleigh four-man world championship medalists since 1930. Archived 2007-12-11 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 10 October 2010.
  13. ↑ Bobsleigh two-man world championship medalists since 1931. Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 10 October 2010.
  14. ↑ FIBT men's skeleton world championships results since 1989. Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 10 October 2010.
  15. 1 2 3 History of the St. Moritz jump. (in German) Accessed 10 October 2010.
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