Which French town hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924?

Chamonix, France, hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924. The competitions took place from January 25 to February 5 in the Alpine resort of Chamonix and were originally organized as an International Winter Sports Week.

The event included 16 nations, 304 athletes, and competitions in five sports, including ice hockey, figure skating, speed skating, curling, ski jumping, and cross-country skiing. The French resort’s mountain setting made it a natural choice for showcasing winter sports on an international stage.

The event was not initially called the first Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee retrospectively recognized it as the inaugural Winter Olympic Games in 1926. This explains why older accounts may describe it as a winter sports week rather than use the later official title. St. Moritz hosted the second Winter Olympics in 1928, while Lake Placid and Garmisch-Partenkirchen hosted later editions.