1982 Romania Winter Olympics Sapporo Japan 5 Stamp Set Ice Hockey Figure Skating Skiing Biathlon, Bobsleigh.


Romania 2294-2299. Olympics Sapporo 1972.


The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the XI Olympic Winter Games (Japanese: 第11回オリンピック冬季競技大会, Hepburn: Dai Jūichi-kai Orinpikku Tōkikyōgi Taikai) and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 (Japanese: 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe and North America.


XI Olympic Winter Games


Sapporo first won the rights to host the 1940 Winter Olympics, but Japan resigned as the Games' host after its 1937 invasion of China. The 1940 Games were later cancelled. All the cities awarded Games that were cancelled due to war have since hosted the Games (London, Tokyo, Helsinki, Sapporo and Cortina d'Ampezzo).


Sapporo competed with Banff, Lahti, and Salt Lake City. The Games were awarded at the 64th IOC Session in Rome, Italy, on April 26, 1966.


In preparation, the Japanese constructed new largescale facilities at Sapporo and conducted a trial run a full year in advance of the Games. An international sport week was held in February, 1971, to assess the city's preparations as well as "to test its civic mettle and hospitality", and this effort was acclaimed by Olympic observers as "a complete success". The development of new infrastructure proved to be a huge boon for the Sapporo economy: by the time of the Games, the national government had invested some US$500 million in upgrades, including a new subway. The Games' organizers themselves turned a healthy profit in part because they arranged a record $8.47 million for broadcast rights.