Japan hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Games held in Asia.
The Games took place in Sapporo from 3 to 13 February 1972. Sapporo had originally been selected to host the 1940 Winter Olympics, but those Games were canceled because of World War II. Its eventual 1972 edition marked a major geographical expansion for the Winter Olympic movement.
Athletes competed in 35 events across six sports. Japan won its first Winter Olympic gold medal when ski jumper Yukio Kasaya triumphed on the normal hill, leading a Japanese sweep of the event’s podium.
The 1972 Games are sometimes confused with the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, which were South Korea’s first Winter Games. Sapporo remains one of the most important winter-sports centers in Asia and later hosted the 1990 Asian Winter Games.