Winter Olympic Games only country to have earned a gold medal at every Winter Olympics is the United States. Norway leads the all-time medal table for the Winter Olympics both on number of gold and overall medals, followed by the United States, Germany, and the former Soviet Union. A predecessor, the Nordic Games, were organised by General Viktor Gustaf Balck in Stockholm, Sweden in 1901 and were held again in 1903 and 1905 and then every fourth year thereafter until 1926. Balck was a charter member of the IOC and a close friend of Olympic Games founder Pierre de Coubertin. He attempted to
Olympic Games ceremony Berlin Summer Olympics, the openers have used the standard formula. Recent editions of the Winter Games have seen a trend of using the first version instead of the second, which happened in both the 2002 and 2010 Winter Games. There have been four further exceptions to the rule: "I declare open the Olympic Games of 1976, celebrating the XXI Olympiad of the modern era." "Celebrating the XXIII Olympiad of the modern era, I declare open the Olympic Games of Los Angeles". "On behalf of a proud, determined and grateful nation...," then the standard opening formula followed. "After this wonderful show,