Why did the Summer and Winter Olympics Split?

By Jayson Panganiban July 25, 2024 07:50

Photo by Getty Images

The world of international sports underwent a significant transformation with the decision to separate the Summer and Winter Olympics into different years. This division was not made lightly but was the result of numerous factors that aimed to optimize the Olympic experience for athletes, viewers, and hosting cities.

The Modern Olympic Movement

Until the late 20th century, all Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same year. However, as winter sports such as figure skating, ice hockey, and skiing began to develop in the early 20th century, there were calls for adding these disciplines into the Olympic program.

Inauguration of the Winter Olympics

The first-ever event held at the Winter Olympics was figure skating, which appeared in 1908 as part of the Summer Olympic Games, which took place in London. Four years later, the Nordic Games were held in Sweden as a potential brand that could be franchised along with the Winter Olympics.

It wasn't until 1924, however, that the first Winter Olympic Games took place independently in Chamonix, France. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) respectfully sanctioned this festival as a week of winter games, which incorporate figure skating, ice hockey, and diverse skiing sports.

Summer and Winter Olympic Games

During the first few decades of the modern Olympic movement, both Summer and Winter Games were held in the same calendar year most years until 1992. This caused logistical challenges and scheduling problems on the part of both athletes and organizers.

In 1986, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) revisited this issue and decided that July-August would hold Summer Olympics Games every four years, whereas Winter Olympics Games would be held in February of even-numbered years. The most recent year the Summer and Winter Games were on a similar timetable was 1992, jumping to Barcelona for its mid-year Olympics, taking on France when every one of eyes went north toward Albertville.

Reasons for the Split

The IOC separated the Summer and Winter Olympic Games into separate events for a few reasons:

More Viewership and Focus Given to the Winter Olympics

The Winter Games always lived in the shadow of its bigger July and August counterpart. The division between the two events helped the Winter Olympics escape this image and have its own independent following and separately reported media coverage.

The Logistics of it All

Staging the summer and winter games on the same year puts a huge strain on host cities and infrastructure development. Having the events alternate years between them helped to lessen these struggles.

Financial Considerations

Part of the reason for choosing to host a divided Games was also financial. When the Olympics were conducted in separate years, broadcasters and sponsors reportedly paid a substantially higher mandate to televise or back its range of events throughout different times.

Sports Welfare and Accreditation

Some believed that the frequency of these Winter Olympic games, being scheduled only two years apart compared to the traditional four, was at least partially advantageous in terms of time frames and preparation. This enabled them to sustain training and competitive peaks without the long hiatus.

Implications of the Split

The decision to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating years has improved television ratings, providing extras of sponsorship for the IOC.

Increased Participation in Winter Athletics

The added press and focus on the Winter Olympics have contributed to the engagement of more winter sports activities worldwide and to the rising global love for all those disciplines. For this reason, many countries have invested more resources into winter sports development programs.

Benefits and Experiences for Athletes

Athletes have welcomed the shorter two-year gap between the Winter Olympics, which helps maintain their competitive momentum and makes it more likely they could again follow up on success in a reasonable time frame.

Advantages of Logistics and Organization

This has massively boosted logistical and operational matters for the Games' host cities and those within the IOC, contributing to greater strategic planning, development, and implementation of infrastructure and the events themselves.

The division of the Olympic Games into two separate events, each occurring in alternating years, marked an important point in the history of the current Olympics. The change culminated from several motivations, ranging from the will to increase Winter Olympic exposure across sports classes to stimulating new financial options.