Volta
Culture30 January – 8 February 1948

1948 St. Moritz Winter Olympics

Also called: V Olympic Winter Games, 1948 Winter Olympics

Twelve years after war had interrupted them, the Winter Olympics resumed at St. Moritz in neutral Switzerland; Korea made its first Olympic appearance under the name “KOREA” and the Taegukgi flag.

Canada’s ice-hockey team at the St. Moritz Games, 1948
Canada’s ice-hockey team at the St. Moritz Games, 1948

Unknown author · Public domain · Source

The Games ran from 30 January to 8 February, making St. Moritz the first city to host the Winter Olympics twice. Twenty-eight nations took part; the defeated Germany and Japan were not invited.

Before the Republic of Korea was founded, Korea under the US military government had joined the IOC in 1947 and now competed for the first time under the name “KOREA” and the Taegukgi, ahead of the London Summer Olympics that year. It sent speed skaters Lee Hyo-chang, Lee Jong-guk and Mun Dong-seong; when Mun was injured, coach Choi Yong-jin skated in his place. Lee Jong-guk carried the Taegukgi at the opening ceremony. No medals were won.

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States at the time
Switzerland · host

Before and after

Earlier
1945 Disposal of Vested Property
Later
1948 Jeju April Third Incident

Themes that include this event

  • Winter Olympics1924 – 2026

    From the “International Winter Sports Week” at Chamonix to PyeongChang and Milano Cortina — a century on snow and ice, with Korea’s first appearance and first gold