Venues of the 1976 Winter Olympics to move the 1976 Winter Games to Salt Lake City, Utah. Denver withdrew their bid in November 1972, resulting in the IOC reopening up the bid for the 1976 Games. Besides Innsbruck, other cities who bid were Salt Lake City, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Chamonix, and Lake Placid, New York. Innsbruck was awarded the 1976 Games by the IOC on 4 February 1973. Before Innsbruck was awarded the 1976 Winter Games, the venues used were in the process of being expanded. Patscherkofel's downhill run was widened in 1971. Axamer Lixum's course proposed originally for the 1964 Winter Games was used for both men's
Germany at the Winter Olympics which were no separate contests yet. German athletes won Gold and Silver in both the men's and women's combined, for a 2nd rank overall. The 1940 Winter Olympics were to be held in Sapporo, but Japan withdrew in 1938 due to the Second Sino-Japanese War. In June 1939, Garmisch-Partenkirchen was selected again, but three months later World War II broke out and the 1940 Winter Games were cancelled in November 1939. The 1944 Winter Olympics did not take place either. For the 1948 Winter Olympics, with the war in recent memory, Germany (and Japan) was not invited as it had