France Albertville
XVI Winter International Olympic Games

The Games were the third Winter Olympics held in the French Alps. Yet, Albertville could be regarded as the host city rather conditionally. Less than one third of all sets of medals (18 of 57) had been played for there while the rest of the events took place in the neighboring resort villages.
The XVI Winter Olympics demonstrated a record profile of participation – totally 1804 athletes (including 492 female ones) of 65 nations competed at the Games. Radical political reshuffle in Europe impacted on the entry list. Germany participated as a unified team. New independent states of the collapsed USSR formed a Unified CIS Team (under the Olympic banner) while Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia had their own teams. Croatia and Slovenia also competed at the Winter Games as independent nations after leaving Yugoslavia. The Olympic Programme was also revised to include short-track speed skating , moguls and women’s biathlon.
57 sets of medals had been played for in 12 sports. For the first time the sets of medals had been played for in 15 disciplines – women’s biathlon (7.5-km sprint and 3 x 7.5 km relay), moguls, short track speed skating (1000 and 5000 m) and K120 ski jumping (instead of K70). Demonstration sports included curling, aerials, ski ballet and speed skiing.

WINNER MEDALS
As distinct from the Summer Olympic winner medals, the design of the Winter Olympic winner medals was permanently altered. In this respect the Albertville Games were not merely an exception but became a pioneer in the Olympic medal design art movement. Before the Albertville Games, the Olympic medals had been never made in glass, set with metal. By enframing the glass, a symbolic piece of ice, with metal, the designer emphasized the winter nature of the events.
OBVERSE: the Olympic rings (glass inset) are seen in the foreground with a mountain valley in the background. The metal casing expands in the upper and lower parts of the medal while its external edge is rounded. A fir branch and official logo of the Albertville Games are engraved on the metal in the upper part of the metal casing. The inscription “Albertville 92” and small Olympic rings are depicted underneath. The lower part of the metal casing bears the same inscription but in large letters, with the text in French and English “XVI Jeux Olympiques D’Hiver; XVI Olympic Winter Games”.
The medal has a suspension lug to pass a silvery ribbon with narrow stripes of the Olympic colors in the middle. The metal casing is made of gold, silver and bronze depending on the prize.
REVERSE: the face of the glass inset is plain with the five rings and mountain range intagliated in the colorless glass. No inscriptions.

COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL
OBVERSE: the official logo of the Games appears over the name of the host city and year of celebration “Albertville 92”, and the Olympic rings. A legend around the rim reads in French and English: “XVI Olympic Winter Games, February 8-23, 1992”.
REVERSE: the Olympic motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, host-city name and year of celebration of the Games are engraved around the rim, with a stylized star superimposed on the mountain range, and the Olympic rings.