The Winter Olympics, 1924–2026

Abstract

This chapter documents and reviews the role of the Winter Olympics in changing and modernizing the built environment of its hosts, together with its long-term legacies. It identifies five sequential phases in the development of the event to offer a framework for organizing and understanding the experiences of the past twenty-four hosts of the Winter Olympic Games from 1924. With its focus on urban centres and regions as hosts, the Winter Olympics now emulates the Summer Olympics in its ability to stimulate regeneration. The concept of the Winter Olympics continues to evolve in its more challenging economic, social, and environmental context.