1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics

Also called: XIV Olympic Winter Games, 1984 Winter Olympics

Sarajevo in Yugoslavia hosted the first Winter Olympics in a socialist country; eight years later its venues were wrecked in the Bosnian War.

From 8 to 19 February 1,272 athletes from 49 nations took part, in the first Winter Games held in a socialist country. Jure Franko’s silver in the giant slalom gave Yugoslavia its first Winter Olympic medal. Britain’s Torvill and Dean received perfect 6.0s from every judge for artistic impression with their “Boléro” ice dance, and East Germany’s Katarina Witt won the women’s singles.

As Yugoslavia broke apart, the Bosnian War broke out in 1992 and Sarajevo was besieged by Bosnian Serb forces until 1996. The bobsleigh track became an artillery position, the indoor arena burned, and open ground around the Olympic stadium became a cemetery for the war dead.