<P> Three years later, Italian count Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux proposed that the IOC stage a week of winter sports included as part of the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden . The organisers opposed this idea because they desired to protect the integrity of the Nordic Games and were concerned about a lack of facilities for winter sports . </P> <P> The idea was resurrected for the 1916 Games, which were to be held in Berlin, Germany . A winter sports week with speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey and Nordic skiing was planned, but the 1916 Olympics was cancelled after the outbreak of World War I . </P> <P> The first Olympics after the war, the 1920 Summer Olympics, were held in Antwerp, Belgium, and featured figure skating and an ice hockey tournament . Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey were banned from competing in the Games . At the IOC Congress held the following year it was decided that the host nation of the 1924 Summer Olympics, France, would host a separate "International Winter Sports Week" under the patronage of the IOC . Chamonix was chosen to host this "week" (actually 11 days) of events . The Games proved to be a success when more than 250 athletes from 16 nations competed in 16 events . Athletes from Finland and Norway won 28 medals, more than the rest of the participating nations combined . Germany remained banned until 1925, and instead hosted a series of games called Deutsche Kampfspiele, starting with the winter edition of 1922 (which predated the first Winter Olympics). In 1925 the IOC decided to create a separate winter event and the 1924 Games in Chamonix was retroactively designated as the first Winter Olympics . </P> <P> St. Moritz, Switzerland, was appointed by the IOC to host the second Winter Games in 1928 . Fluctuating weather conditions challenged the hosts . The opening ceremony was held in a blizzard while warm weather conditions plagued sporting events throughout the rest of the Games . Because of the weather the 10,000 metre speed - skating event had to be abandoned and officially cancelled . The weather was not the only noteworthy aspect of the 1928 Games: Sonja Henie of Norway made history when she won the figure skating competition at the age of 15 . She became the youngest Olympic champion in history, a distinction she held for 70 years . </P>

When did the winter and summer olympics split