Venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics the event entirely before a compromise was reached three months before the Olympics. M-Wave has hosted three World Speed Skating Championships since the Olympics while the Spiral has hosted a couple of World championships in bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton. Nagano first attempted to host the Winter Olympics in 1940, but lost out to Sapporo. Those Olympics were abandoned in 1937 when Japan invaded China for the second time, forcing Sapporo's withdrawal. The city tried again for the Winter Olympics in 1968 in 1961, but lost out in domestic voting to Sapporo who in turn lost out to Grenoble, France in
Italy at the 2006 Winter Olympics Italy at the 2006 Winter Olympics Italy was the host nation for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. It was the second time that Italy had hosted the Winter Games (after the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo) and the third time overall (after the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome). Italy's flag bearer for the opening ceremony was figure skater Carolina Kostner. Kostner's cousin, Isolde Kostner, was Italy's flag bearer at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Italy were hosting the Winter Olympics for the second time. The 1956 Winter Olympics were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Cortina d'Ampezzo had also been awarded