The Olympic Museum Commemorates the VII Olympic Winter Games

[Fiona]

The Olympic Museum’s philately zone is commemorating an Olympic anniversary (1956-2006), with a special exhibition on the Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic Winter Games. This was the first time the postal administrations participated in a wide-scale commemoration of the Games, issuing a broad range of stamps.

The V Winter Games in Cortina cancelled
Cortina d’Ampezzo should have hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1944. In 1941, the World Skiing Championships were held in the Dolomites. These were considered as a dress rehearsal for the future Olympic Winter Games. However, as with Sapporo in 1940, the Games were cancelled because of the Second World War.

On track for the VII Games!
After the War, it was Switzerland and St Moritz which, in 1948, welcomed the V Olympic Winter Games. Four years later, Oslo organised the VI Olympic Winter Games. It was not until in 1956, exactly 50 years ago, that Cortina finally saw Olympic athletes hurtling down its slopes.

olympic.org