Highlights

• The first, and so far only, Winter Games held in a Socialist country.
• First Games under the presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch.
• The 20 km race was added to women's Nordic skiing.
• Skier Jure Franko won Yugoslavia's first Winter Olympic medal; a silver in the giant slalom.
• Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen won all three individual cross-country races for women.
• Gaétan Boucher and Karin Enke each won two gold medals in speed skating, while East German women win all but 3 of the 12 medals in the sport.
• Team of Austria, usually a formidable winter sport nation faced a disaster winning only one bronze medal.
• Biathlete Eirik Kvalfoss earned a complete set of medals.
• Twin brothers Phil and Steve Mahre took first and second place in the slalom.
• Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean earned across-the-board perfect scores for artistic impression in the free dance figure skating competition.
• Disabled skiing was a demonstration sport for the first time.
• Bill Johnson became the first American to win an Olympic downhill event.
• The closing ceremony was held indoors in the figure skating venue. This would be the last time the closing ceremony for the Winter Games was held indoors.

Medal count