Japan at the 1928 Summer Olympics the first time included a woman (Kinue Hitomi). For the 1928 Olympics, Japan fielded 43 athletes. Japan at the 1928 Summer Olympics The Empire of Japan competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Japan Amateur Athletic Federation ("Nihon Rikujo Kyogi Renmei"), founded in 1925, officially took over sponsorship of the Japanese Olympic team from the Japan Amateur Athletic Association in 1928. Japanese government sponsorship of the Olympic effort continued, both financially, and through expansion of the annual Meiji Shrine Games to include a wider variety of sports, including archery, basketball, field hockey, rowing, table tennis, volleyball and
Winter Olympic Games independent appearances for the first time since before World War II. At 16 years old, Finnish ski jumper Toni Nieminen made history by becoming the youngest male Winter Olympic champion. New Zealand skier Annelise Coberger became the first Winter Olympic medallist from the southern hemisphere when she won a silver medal in the women's slalom. The 1994 Winter Olympics, held in Lillehammer, Norway, were the first Winter Games to be held separately from the Summer Games. This change resulted from the decision reached in the 91st IOC Session (1986) to separate the Summer and Winter Games and place them in