1924 Chamonix Winter Games
294 Athletes, 16 Countries, 13 Events
Dubbed 'International Sports Week,' but later recognized as the
first Winter Olympiad by the IOC, Chamonix played host to 16 events
for over 250 athletes from 16 nations. The Chamonix Games took over
a month to complete. For comparison, the Salt Lake City Games
(Winter, 2002) took 16 days, despite holding 78 events. Three Ivy
Leaguers made the trek to Chamonix: John B.
Carleton (Dartmouth 1922), Nathaniel W.
Niles (Harvard, 1909) and Willard W. Rice
(Harvard).
Carleton captained both Dartmouth's ski team and the Olympic
team in 1924. He also has the distinction of being the first
Americanborn skier to compete in the Winter Olympics, as his
teammates at Chamonix were of Norwegian descent. Despite Carleton's
leadership, the US team did not win a medal. They only entered
jumping events, but were still dominated by the powerful Norwegian
team. This was evident in the final medal tally, with Norway
leading the pack at 17, and the U.S. only winning four. Carleton
would not return for the 1928 St. Moritz Games, but other Dartmouth
skiers would represent the program, a tradition that has continued
to this date.
Figure skater Nathaniel Niles was actually an
Olympic veteran when he came to Chamonix in 1924. He competed in
the 1920 Antwerp Summer Games. With no existing Winter Games,
Antwerp hosted figure skating and ice hockey competitions in
addition to the traditional summer fare. A nine-time US pairs
champion with Theresa Weld Blanchard, Niles never
was able to win an Olympic medal despite returning to the Games in
1928 (St. Moritz).
Willard Rice was part of a United States team
that won the silver medal at the 1920 Summer Games with Dartmouth
alums George Geran and Leon Tuck.
The team came out with the same result in 1924. The gold medal was
awarded to Canada, but it was not a close finish between the two
countries. The Canadian team outscored their five opponents at the
Olympics by a total of 110 goals to three.
| Name |
School |
Sport |
| John B. Carleton |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Nordic Skiing |
| Nathaniel W. Niles |
Harvard University |
Men's Figure Skating |
| Willard W. Rice |
Harvard University |
Men's Ice Hockey |