DESCRIPTION

The Calgary Olympic snowflake emblem and the Olympic rings are centered on the obverse surrounded by the English and French legend XV OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES XVes JEUX OLYMPIQUES D’HIVER CALGARY 1988. The reverse depicts the Saddledome Stadium, City of Calgary and the Rocky Mountains with the Olympic Torch along the left edge and the Olympic motto CITIUS ALTIUS FORTIUS along the lower periphery. The medals were presented in a brown velvet case with a white cardboard sleeve.

THE GAMES

For the first time, the Winter Olympics were extended to 16 days, including three weekends. The Alpine events were expanded from three to five with the inclusion of the super giant slalom and the Alpine combined. Team events were added in Nordic combined and ski jumping. Jumper Matti Nykänen took advantage of this new program to win three gold medals. The speed skating races were held indoors and Yvonne van Gennip surprised the favorites with three victories. Christa Rothenburger won the 1000m. Seven months later she earned a silver medal in cycling to become the only athlete ever to win medals in the Winter and Summer Olympics in the same year. Figure skater Katarina Witt defended her Olympic title, while on the men’s side, Brian Boitano edged Canada’s Brian Orser in an extremely close decision. Charismatic skier Alberto Tomba made his first Olympic appearance, winning both the giant slalom and the slalom.