At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, the United States brought home a record-breaking 37 medals, signaling the U.S. team’s arrival as a true powerhouse of the Winter Games. But it hasn’t been all shining moments and medal ceremonies for the United States at the Winter Olympics. Here are seven memorable moments when American Winter Olympic athletes and organizers didn't meet heightened expectations.
1948: Two Men’s Hockey Teams Sent to the Same Olympics
In 1948, the question wasn’t whether the U.S. men’s hockey team would win a medal at the Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland, but which team would be allowed to play. That’s because two feuding hockey federations sent two different American hockey teams to the games. One was composed of professional hockey players and the other relied on amateurs. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) wanted to disqualify both teams, but the Swiss decided to let the professional U.S. squad play, just not for medal contention. They came in fourth anyway.
One of two ice hockey teams sent by the U.S. to the 1948 Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland. This team marched in the opening ceremonies but did not compete.
1960: No Bobsled Track at Squaw Valley
The 1960 Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California, were the only time in Olympic history that bobsledding was excluded as an event. When the small resort town of Squaw Valley was chosen as the site for the 1960 Games, organizers planned on hosting all the traditional events, including bobsledding. But in 1957, the Squaw Valley committee petitioned the IOC to drop bobsledding, arguing that too few countries planned to send sleds. The announcement angered traditional bobsledding powerhouses like Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany and set back the U.S. bobsledding program for decades.
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