Denver become only city in Olympic history to withdraw as hosts

Denver were awarded the 1976 Winter Olympic Games ahead of Sion in Switzerland, Tempere in Finland and Vancouver in Canada at the International Olympic Committee Session in 1970. But in a Colorado referendum in November 1972, voters rejected funding for the event. It is the only time a city has been awarded the Olympics but pulled out. The IOC then offered the Games to Whistler in Canada, but they too declined owing to a change of Government following elections. Salt Lake City offered to host the Games, but the IOC, still reeling from the Denver rejection, declined and selected Innsbruck, the 1964 host city, as a replacement.

Canadian coach Father David Bauer forgives opponent who threw stick at him

During the 1964 Winter Olympic Games ice hockey tournament in Innsbruck, Sweden’s Carl-Göran Öberg broke his stick and tossed it aside during their match against Canada. The broken end of the stick went struck Canada’s coach David Bauer in the face and opened a bleeding wound. Bauer, a Catholic priest, demanded for his players to remain on the bench and not retaliate, since he did not want to take penalties late in the game. Canada went on to win 3-1, and Bauer forgave Öberg for the incident. The next day, Bauer invited Öberg to sit with him while watching the Soviet Union play Czechoslovakia.