Ice hockey at the Olympic Games Ice hockey at the Olympic Games Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games program in 1924, in France. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics. The Olympic Games were originally intended for amateur athletes. However, the advent of the state-sponsored "full-time amateur athlete" of the Eastern Bloc countries further eroded the ideology of the pure amateur, as it put the self-financed amateurs of the Western countries at a disadvantage. The Soviet Union
Cross-country skiing at the 1924 Winter Olympics – Men's 18 kilometre the first, then all others starter within 30 seconds. Cross-country skiing at the 1924 Winter Olympics – Men's 18 kilometre The 18 kilometre cross-country skiing event was part of the cross-country skiing at the 1924 Winter Olympics programme. The competition was held on Saturday, February 2, 1924. Forty-one cross-country skiers from twelve nations competed. The competition began at 9:30 a.m. with the first starter Antonín Gottstein. The last starter was Ragnar Omtvedt at 9:55:30 a.m.. The first finisher was Tapani Niku at 10:51:56 a.m. and the event ended with the last finisher, who was again Ragnar Omtvedt at 12:00:33 p.m..