Winter Games of the XV Olympiad
In 1988, Calgary hosted the first Winter Olympics held on Canadian soil. Delegations from around the world were greeted with traditional Western Canadian hospitality and top quality facilities and organization.
Three of the five medals won by Canadian athletes in front of the hometown crowds came from figure skaters. Elizabeth Manley and Brian Orser each won silver while the dance duo of Tracy Wilson and Robert McCall skated to a bronze medal. Alpine skier Karen Percy earned the other two medals with bronze medal runs in the women’s downhill and Super G.
The medals only tell part of the story, though. The Canadian team finished with a record 19 top-eight finishes — almost double the total four years earlier in Sarajevo. Our athletes in the demonstration sports of curling, short track speed skating and freestyle skiing also proved themselves, recording three firsts, six seconds and five thirds. After the successes in Calgary, short track and the moguls event in freestyle skiing were given official medal status on the Olympic program.
