<P> The 1994 Winter Olympics, held in Lillehammer, Norway, were the first Winter Games to be held separately from the Summer Games . This change resulted from the decision reached in the 91st IOC Session (1986) to separate the summer and winter Games and place them in alternating even - numbered years . Lillehammer is the northernmost city to ever host the Winter Games and it was the second time the Games were held in Norway, after the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo . After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia made their Olympic debuts . The women's figure skating competition drew media attention when American skater Nancy Kerrigan was injured on 6 January 1994, in an assault planned by the ex-husband of opponent Tonya Harding . Both skaters competed in the Games, but the gold medal was controversially won by Oksana Baiul who became Ukraine's first Olympic champion, while Kerrigan won the silver medal . Johann Olav Koss of Norway won three gold medals, coming first in all of the distance speed skating events . 13 - year - old Kim Yoon - Mi became the youngest - ever Olympic gold medallist when South Korea won the women's 3,000 meter speed skating relay . Russia won the most events, with eleven gold medals, while Norway achieved 26 podium finishes, collecting the most medals overall on home ground . Juan Antonio Samaranch described Lillehammer as "the best Olympic Winter Games ever" in his closing ceremony speech . </P> <P> The 1998 Winter Olympics were held in the Japanese city of Nagano and were the first Games to host more than 2,000 athletes . The men's ice hockey tournament was opened to professionals for the first time . Canada and the United States were favoured to win the tournament as they both fielded numerous NHL players, but surprisingly neither team won any medals and it was the Czech Republic who prevailed . Women's ice hockey made its debut and the United States won the gold medal . Bjørn Dæhlie of Norway won three gold medals in Nordic skiing, becoming the most decorated Winter Olympic athlete, with eight gold medals and twelve medals overall . Austrian Hermann Maier survived a crash during the downhill competition and returned to win gold in the super-G and the giant slalom . Tara Lipinski of the United States, aged just 15, became the youngest ever female gold medallist in an individual event when she won the Ladies' Singles, a record that had stood since Sonja Henie of Norway won the same event, also aged 15, in St. Moritz in 1928 . New world records were set in speed skating largely due to the introduction of the clap skate . </P> <P> The 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, United States, hosting 77 nations and 2,399 athletes in 78 events in 7 sports . These Games were the first to take place since the September 11 attacks of 2001, which meant a higher degree of security to avoid a terrorist attack . The opening ceremony saw signs of the aftermath of the events of that day, including the flag that flew at Ground Zero, NYPD officer Daniel Rodríguez singing "God Bless America", and honour guards of NYPD and FDNY members . </P> <P> German Georg Hackl won a silver in the singles luge, becoming the first athlete in Olympic history to win medals in the same individual event in five consecutive Olympics . Canada achieved an unprecedented double by winning both the men's and women's ice hockey gold medals . Canada became embroiled with Russia in a controversy that involved the judging of the pairs figure skating competition . The Russian pair of Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze competed against the Canadian pair of Jamie Salé and David Pelletier for the gold medal . The Canadians appeared to have skated well enough to win the competition, yet the Russians were awarded the gold . The judging broke along Cold War lines with judges from former Communist countries favouring the Russian pair and judges from Western nations voting for the Canadians . The only exception was the French judge, Marie - Reine Le Gougne, who awarded the gold to the Russians . An investigation revealed that she had been pressured to give the gold to the Russian pair regardless of how they skated; in return the Russian judge would look favourably on the French entrants in the ice dancing competition . The IOC decided to award both pairs the gold medal in a second medal ceremony held later in the Games . Australian Steven Bradbury became the first gold medallist from the southern hemisphere when he won the 1,000 metre short - track speed skating event . </P>

Who came up with the idea for the winter olympics