Celebrating a century of Olympic winter sport

Chamonix’s anniversary programme was extensive. Sports featured heavily in commemorating the centenary celebrations with high-performance sports events, such as the FIS Ski-Alpinism European Championship, a French top division ice-hockey match, the Climbing World Cup, and the Kandahar FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup stage. Sport for all events also played a major part in engaging the local population with an ice-skating gala, a cross-country skiing day, and a curling tournament.

On the cultural side, the local population and tourists were able to enjoy numerous exhibitions. Chamonix’s Maison de la Mémoire et du Patrimoine staged a successful exhibition titled "Chamonix 1924: l’invention des Jeux Olympiques d’hiver" (“Chamonix 1924: The invention of the Winter Olympic Games”). As well as showcasing the beginnings of the Winter Olympic Games, the exhibition told the story of Chamonix 1924 with the aid of films, posters, memorabilia and informative displays, and revealed the impact that the staging of the Olympic Winter Games had on the city and its surroundings.

The publication of a commemorative book titled “Chamonix 1924 les premiers Jeux olympiques d'hiver” (“Chamonix 1924: the first Winter Olympics”) explores the backstory to organising and hosting the inaugural Olympic Winter Games, retracing the challenge of the organisation in the face of the weather and the requirements of such an event.

Capping the centenary celebrations on Olympic Day (23 June), the region of Haute-Savoie welcomed the Olympic torch relay to the department. The relay celebrated sport all day long in the heart of the region, ranked as the second most touristic department in all of France thanks to its vast ski areas, impressive spa resorts, and world-famous lakes. The torch’s journey even rose to the top of Mont-Blanc.

At the time of its staging, Chamonix 1924 was known as the “Winter Sports Week of the VIII Olympiad”, inextricably linked to the Paris 1924 Olympic Games. The early editions of the Olympic Games did not have a cohesive ‘look’ like the editions of recent times The centennial celebrations presented an opportunity to design an emblem building upon the original brand assets from the 1924 Games. The aim was to not only unify the anniversary activities under the same emblem but also to continue promoting and celebrating this legacy in the years to come. Three posters and the three Olympic venues they feature were the inspiration behind the symbolism and colours of the emblem that the Chamonix celebrations have been adorned with.

As a part of the centenary celebrations, a group of Chamonix Olympians visited the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Museum in Lausanne in October 2023.

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc has distinguished itself with having had athletes from its territory at every Olympic Winter Games from their creation in 1924. The delegation of 20 Olympians comprised athletes who have taken part in the Winter Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 and Beijing 2022, representing 66 years of Chamonix Olympism.