The first modern Olympic Games were held in the summer of 1894. The organizers added skating to the Summer Games in 1908 (ice rinks could be kept cold even in the hottest weather) – but eventually decided that winter sports were perhaps best left to the winter.

The first Olympic Winter Games was held in Chamonix, France in 1924 however, it would be 28 years later before a New Zealand team competed.

In 1952 at the VI Olympic Winter Games in Oslo, Norway a team of five, 2 women and 3 men competed in skiing events.   At these first Olympic Winter Games for New Zealand, Kiwi athletes were given silver fern patches to sew onto their jerseys. New Zealand again competed in 1960 at the VIII Olympic Winter Games in Squaw Valley, USA and again in 1968 at Grenoble, France and thereafter at every Olympic Winter Games.

New Zealand only competed in skiing events until the XV Olympic Winter Games in Calgary in 1988 when we also sent a Bobsleigh team.  In 1992 at Albertville, France Annelise Coberger became the first competitor from the Southern Hemisphere to win an Olympic Winter Games medal and remains the only New Zealand Olympic Winter Games medallist to date.

Our most experienced Winter Olympian is Simon Wi Rutene.  Born in Rotorua in the late 1960s, Simon went on to become the only New Zealander, to date, who has competed at four Olympic Winter Games, from Sarajevo in 1984 through to Lillehammer ten years later, fulfilling a childhood Olympic dream.  You can find more information on Simon and some of our other Winter Olympians at olympic.org.nz