Speed skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics four women's events, two gold and two bronze. The most successful male skaters were Norway's Sten Stensen and the Netherlands' Piet Kleine, who both won one gold and one silver medal, splitting the long distance events. Eight out of the nine events, including the debuting men's 1000 metres, had new Olympic records set, with only the men's 5000 metres record remaining unbroken. Nineteen nations competed in the speed skating events at Innsbruck. Sports-Reference 1976 Olympics - Speed Skating Speed skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics Speed skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics, was held from 5 February to 14 February.
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