TWELVE YEARS LATER
Located in northern Italy, Cortina dilling to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for broadcast rights by the end of the 20th century, the Cortina organizing committee actually pays an Italian TV network 10 million lira to help offset the costs of production.
PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT
Warm weather and a lack of snow and ice hamper the 1956 Winter Olympics, with athletes unable to train before the Games. Cortina officials counter the conditions by trucking in snow from higher elevations. However, northern Italy is clobbered by heavy snow the day of the opening ceremonies, and much of the imported snow has to be trucked back out of the venues.
THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING
The Soviet Union makes its Winter Games debut, improving on its Olympic-opening showing at the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, where the USSR fell just short of the first-place United States in overall medals, 74-71. In their inaugural Winter effort, the Soviets outmedal the 32 other nations with 16 total medals. The seven gold medals include the team honors in ice hockey and four individual golds in speedskating, with two being captured by Yevgeny Grishin in the 500- and 1,500- meter races.
HELLO, SAILER
Austrian skier Toni Sailer wins the menates sweeps the singles gold, with reigning world champions Tenley Albright and Hayes Jenkins claiming the womenluding the gold in the men
