Anne Henning of the United States takes the gold in speedskating.

Sapporo originally was scheduled to be the site of the 1940 Winter Games, but Japan resigned as the Games' host nation after its 1937 invasion of China. Organizers of the Sapporo Winter Olympics turned a tidy profit for the Games, largely as a result of their take of the record $8.47 million for the broadcast rights.

Canada pulled out of the ice hockey competition over a dispute over the amateur status of many of the hockey players. The Canadians felt that so-called state-sponsored East European teams were in fact professional in nature, and believed that they too should be allowed to send their best to the Olympics.

Highlights

Alpine skier Francisco Fernandez Ochoa's victory in the slalom became Spain's first gold medal in the Olympic Winter Games competition.

Nordic skier Galina Kulakova of the Soviet Union won three gold medals in cross-country skiing, winning the 5km and 10km individual events, and as a member of the team 3 x 5km.

U.S. women speedskaters made their best showing in the Winter Games, with Anne Henning taking the gold in the 500m and the bronze in the 1,000m, and Dianne Holum winning the gold in the 1,000m and the silver in the 3,000m.

Attendance	Male Athletes	Female Athletes	Most-Medaled	U.S. Rank
35 nations	1,015	217	USSR (16)	Sixth

Source: Knight-Ridder/Tribune