DESCRIPTION

One of the largest and heaviest issues in the OPM series. The obverse has a well-struck profile of a Greek athlete wearing a headband against a background of falling snowflakes. The reverse displays a cityscape and view of Mount Belladonne surrounded by the legend Xes JEUX OLYMPIQUES D’HIVER. The word GRENOBLE along with the Olympic emblem rest near the center. The medal was presented in a round, maroon colored case with no inscription.

THE GAMES

At the 1968 Grenoble Games, sex tests for women were introduced. French hero Jean-Claude Killy swept the men’s Alpine events but only after the greatest controversy in the history of the Winter Olympics. Killy’s rival, Karl Schranz, claimed that a mysterious man in black crossed his path during the slalom race, causing him to skid to a halt. Given a restart, Schranz beat Killy’s time. However, a Jury of Appeal disqualified Schranz and gave the victory to Killy. There was also controversy in the women’s luge when the three East German entrants, who had finished first, second and fourth, were disqualified for heating their runners. Toini Gustafsson starred in women’s cross-country skiing, winning both individual races and earning a silver medal in the relay. Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov, an elegant married couple, successfully defended their pairs figure skating title. Eugenio Monti piloted his two-man and four-man bobsleighs to gold medals.