1988 Winter Olympics facts for kids
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially called the XV Olympic Winter Games, were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Right Honourable Jeanne Sauvé, who was the Governor General of Canada at the time, officially opened the games.
These Olympics were a huge financial success, making millions of dollars. They also changed Calgary forever. The city, once known mainly for its cattle, became a major business center in Canada.
The 1988 games were also special because it was the last time the Paralympic Games and the Winter Olympics were held in different cities. After this, all future games would be hosted by the same city or a nearby one.
Even though Canada hosted the games, the Canadian team did not win any gold medals. This was similar to the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Only Yugoslavia also had the experience of not winning a winter gold medal on their home ground.
Calgary's Olympic Dream
Early Attempts
Calgary first tried to host the Olympics way back in 1964. They tried again in 1968. It took many years for their dream to come true!
 Olympic Games |
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| Summer Games: 1896, 1900, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1912, (1916), 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, (1940), (1944), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028 |
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| Winter Games: 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, (1940), (1944), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 | ||
| Athens 2004 — Turin 2006 — Beijing 2008 — Vancouver 2010 — London 2012 — Sochi 2014 — Rio 2016 — Pyeongchang 2018 — Tokyo 2020 Games in italics will be held in the future, and those in (brackets) were cancelled because of war. See also: Ancient Olympic Games |
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| Youth Olympic Games |
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| Summer Games: 2010, 2014, 2018 | ||
| Winter Games: 2012, 2016, 2020 |
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| Singapore 2010 — Innsbruck 2012 — Nanjing 2014 |
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Images for kids
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Participating countries
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The official poster of the 1988 Winter Olympics
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Hidy and Howdy were the mascots of the Calgary Games.
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The torch for the 1988 Winter Olympics
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Katarina Witt won a gold medal in women's figure skating.
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Yvonne van Gennip from the Netherlands (on the left) won three gold medals in Calgary.
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A set of medals from the Games, displayed in Calgary.
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Canada Olympic Park in 2006, where many events were held.
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Canada won more medals in each Winter Games after Calgary, up until 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos de Calgary 1988 para niños
