Jonno & Anna at Innsbruck: 1964 Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. When Jonno and Anna travelled to the Winter Olympics of 1964, they watched Adolf Scharf officially open the Games. Scharf was the President of which country, home to Innsbruck?

Answer: Austria

Adolf Scharf was the 6th President of Austria and fought a long battle to get the Olympics at Innsbruck in 1964. Herr Scharf died less than a year later. A quirky coincidence is that Adolf Hitler, born April 20 1889, opened the 1936 Berlin Games, and Adolf Scharf born April 20 1890, opened the 1964 Innsbruck Games.

2. Whilst attending the Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck (1964), Jonno and Anna went to the Igls Track so that they could watch which new Olympic sport?

Answer: Luge

Luge was accepted as an Olympic Sport for the first time at the 1964 Olympics and Germany took a clean sweep of the medals. Sadly, Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski, a member of the British Luge team was killed during training. This highlights the dangerous nature of many of the Winter Olympic sports.

In more recent times a Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili died during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

3. Jonno and Anna decided to go to the downhill track and watch Jeremy Bujakowski compete as the sole representative of which first-time Olympic country?

Answer: India

The first year that India competed in the Winter Olympic Games was 1964. They sent Jeremy Bujakowski as their only athlete. He competed in the men's downhill event in Alpine Skiing but he did not medal. He would also be the sole representative of India in the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics.

4. Jonno and Anna watched the Austrian figure skating team of Marika Kilius and Hans-Jurgen Baumler successfully skate themselves to silver medals. Why were these medals stripped from them just two years later?

Answer: They had signed professional contracts before the Olympics

They were stripped of their medal when it was found that they had signed professional contracts before the Olympics. In contrast to recent Olympiads, the Olympics at that time were for amateur athletes only. The rules were changed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and they were re-awarded their silver medals in 1987.

5. Even though the Olympics are supposed to be all about the sport, there have been many occasions when politics has wormed its way into consideration. The turbulent history of early 20th century Germany led to the country being split into West Germany and East Germany. However, was Germany (split a few years after WWII ended in 1945) allowed to submit separate teams, East and West, to the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck?

Answer: No

East Germany and West Germany (both established in 1949) were not allowed to enter into the Innsbruck Olympiad of 1964 separately. In fact, the Games are remarkable in that Germany could put aside their internal political and ideological differences to submit one united German team to the competition.

It wouldn't be long before East Germany and West Germany were allowed separate admission to the Winter Olympics. In the Grenoble Games of 1968, both German teams were to be seen competing.

6. In modern times there is a two-year gap between Summer Olympiads and Winter Olympiads, but this hasn't always been the case. In 1964, the Winter Olympics were held in Innsbruck, but where were the Summer Olympics held?

Answer: Tokyo, Japan

It was time for the Olympics to make its way to the Far East and the city of Tokyo. Men's judo was one of the events that was added to the list of Olympic sports with women's judo only being introduced in the Barcelona Summer Games of 1992.

7. Nine-time World Champion bobsledder, Italian Eugenio Monti, was an extraordinary talent, and Jonno and Anna got to see him at the 1964 Games. Despite his extraordinary success in the sport, it is perhaps for his sportsmanship at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck that he is most well known. For his sportsmanship, Monti was awarded a medal named for the founder of the IOC. What is the name of this medal?

Answer: Pierre de Coubertin Medal

Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, and is still is well known for advertising the importance of good sportsmanship. The medal named for him is awarded to athletes who demonstrate genuine acts of selfless sportsmanship, and one recipient of this award was Eugenio Monti. The British two-man bobsleigh team had a problem with their vehicle, and Monti from Italy, gave them a bolt which sorted the problem. The British team would go on to win the gold medal, leaving Monti and his partner in the bronze position. Monti, the first recipient of the Pierre de Coubertin medal said, "Nash [a member of the British team] didn't win because I gave him the bolt. He won because he had the fastest run".

It was to the jubilation of all when Monti would go on to win two gold medals at the next Olympiad, Grenoble 1968.

8. During the Winter Olympic Games of Innsbruck 1964, Jonno and Anna saw ice stock sport being demonstrated. The event failed to make it into the list of sports included in the Winter Olympics. What other event, made the Olympics in 1998, is ice stock sport similar to?

Answer: Curling

The rather awkward sounding ice stock sport (German: Eisstockschiessen) is also known as Bavarian curling, after the area of Germany where it is a popular game. It has a few variations, one which involves sliding the ice stock as far as you can and the other, which is much similar to curling, involves aiming for a target.

9. When the 1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck were all but over, Jonno and Anna attended the closing ceremony and watched which competing country walk away with the most gold medals?

Answer: Soviet Union

The Soviet Union proudly walked away 25 medals, 11 of which were gold. Norway came in second with 15 medals (3 golds). Austria who was the host nation snatched a total of 12 medals whilst Finland left with a proud total of 10. It was not a good year for Australia, Great Britain, or the USA who took home only 9 medals between them.

10. Jonno and Anna enjoyed their time at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck and considered attending the 1968 Olympic Games. Which country had the honour of holding the Winter Olympiad of 1968?

Answer: France

The 1968 Winter Olympics were held in Grenoble, with the French Alps providing the wonderful scenery. Grenoble, France narrowly beat Calgary, Canada in the final round of voting (27 votes to 24) but the latter would win the right to host the 1988 Winter Olympics, becoming the first Canadian city to hold the event. Calgary weren't the first Canadian city to hold an Olympiad however, as Montreal hosted the 1976 Summer Olympic Games.

Source: Author jonnowales

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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Jonnowales and dcpddc478 were at the Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, 1964. Here is what they saw at the Olympiad. Good luck!

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