DESCRIPTION

The obverse depicts the head of “Victory” crowned with the Olympic rings and surrounded by the legend VII GIOCHI OLIMPICI INVERNALI. An Olympic torch rests at five o’clock. The reverse has the Olympic motto CITIUS ALTIUS FORTIUS and CORTINA 1956 along the periphery with the Cortina emblem (snowflake over Mt. Pomagagnon) at the center. The medals were presented in an orange paper box with the mint’s (Lorioli Brothers) address and phone number printed on the inside.

THE GAMES

The 1956 Winter Olympics, held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, were most notable for the first appearance by a team from the USSR. The Soviets immediately won more medals than any other nation. Their speed skaters won three of the four events, while their ice hockey team ended Canada’s domination. Pavel Kolchin became the first non-Scandinavian to earn a medal in cross-country skiing. Anton Sailer won all three men’s races in Alpine skiing - the first clean sweep in Olympic history. Madeleine Berthod celebrated her birthday by winning the downhill by an amazing 4.7 seconds. The United States began to emerge as a definite power in figure skating as Tenley Albright won the women’s title and Hayes Alan Jenkins led an American medal sweep on the men’s side. The Cortina Games were the first to be televised and the last at which the figure skating competitions were held outdoors