The first edition of the Winter Games is organized by the International Olympic Committee in 1924. Not surprisingly, the sixteen countries that took part in Chamonix that year in France have snow or ice for part of the year. Nowadays, countries that are not known as winter sports countries also participate.
Between 1924 and 2022, countries disappeared or split into new countries. Part of the increase in the number of participating countries is due to the breakup of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. But a large proportion of the newer participants come from Asia, South America and Oceania.
More countries, more medals to share
Not only has the number of participating countries increased, the number of components is also increasing. At the first Winter Games, 16 gold medals were awarded to 16 countries. This year a gold medal will be awarded 109 times. The growth in the number of participating countries and the number of components is fairly even; in theory, each participating country could win at least one gold medal. In practice, the number of countries that distribute the medals per edition does not increase proportionally.
In 1924, 50 percent of the participating countries won gold at least once. In the 1980s and 1990s, around 20 percent of the participating countries had won a gold medal. Of the 130 countries that have ever participated in an edition of the Winter Games, 46 countries have won at least one medal. These 46 countries also include missing countries such as East and West Germany and the Soviet Union.
Until the Winter Games, Australia was the only country in the southern hemisphere with a gold medal. New Zealand has won two gold medals this edition. Norway leads the all-time medal standings with 148 gold medals. This is very high for a country with a population of approximately 5.4 million.
Incidentally, Germany would lead the medal standings if the gold medals from the period of East and West Germany are included. Russia would be second if the Russian Olympic Committee, the Soviet Union and the joint team of former Soviet republics were added together.
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How international are the individual sports?
When it comes to participating, downhill and cross-country skiing are the most international sports. Athletes from most different countries participate in these disciplines. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Guatemala and Zimbabwe and India have competed at least once in some segment of alpine skiing, such as downhill or giant slalom. Dominica and Cameroon once sent a cross-country skier to the Winter Olympics.
When it comes to winning, all disciplines are a lot less international. In the bobsleigh events and the biathlon, a third of the participating countries have ever won a medal. In tobogganing, Germany, Italy, Austria and the Soviet Union all distribute gold medals. Of course, not the same number of medals can be awarded for every discipline. There are two gold medals to be won in ice hockey: one for the men and one for the women. In long track speed skating there are now 14 parts, equally divided between men and women.
For most sports, half of all gold medals are divided among the three countries at the top of the medal standings of the sport in question.
So, how international are the Winter Games? More and more different countries are participating, but more than twice as many countries are participating in the Summer Games. And winning gold at the Winter Games is reserved for a limited number of traditional winter sports countries.