1984 Sarajevo-In 1984, the Winter Games took place in a Socialist country for the first and only time. The people of Sarajevo gained high marks for their hospitality, and there was no indication of the tragic war that would engulf the city only a few years later. Skier Jure Franko brought joy to the host nation by earning Yugoslavia’s first Winter Olympics medal : a silver in the giant slalom. Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen won all three individual cross-country races for women. In speed skating, Gaétan Boucher and Karin Enke each won two gold medals. Biathlete Eirik Kvalfoss earned a complete set of medals. Twin brothers Phil and Steve Mahre took first and second place in the slalom. The highlight of the figure skating competitions was the free dance performance of Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean. Their interpretation of Ravel’s Bolero earned across-the-board perfect scores for artistic impression.

NOC Pins-What is an NOC? A National Olympic Committee is the governing and coordinating Olympic organization within a specific nation. It works with the various national sports associations and federations, promotes the Olympic movement, fields national teams for regional and international competitions, and coordinates bids for candidate cities for future Games. Each committee is further associated with one of five continental Olympic Associations organized according to geographic location. The 200+ current NOCs are members of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).