The ice hockey tournament at the Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics had been Canada's playground. The country had won six out of seven Olympic ice hockey tournaments and were ready to capture another gold medal, but they had two things playing against them in these Games: A team that lost several members due to professionalism, and the formidable Soviet Union.

This tournament consisted of a round robin group stage, followed by a round robin final tournament with the top six teams. The round robin format and the way the games played out meant a myriad of possibilities for the podium. The potential to have to go to Plan C to break a tie.

It all came down to the final day of play, and what we would think would be the gold medal game turned out to be anything but.

Listen on to hear how it all played out, and who were the surprise medalists at these Games.

For a transcript and complete list of sources used in this episode, visit: https://flamealivepod.com. You can watch the Cortina Canadians documentary trailer here.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo: Wikimedia Commons via Picryl

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Games History Moment with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown is released monthly. In 2026, these episodes explore the 7th Winter Olympic Games at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy in 1956. Look for our regular episodes every week, with daily editions during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

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Merch: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

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We're nearing the start of the winter sports season, but as we've learned from past years, just because we're getting into winter, that doesn't mean we'll have enough snow for winter sports.

To discuss climate change and future Winter Olympics, we talked with Lisa Riley Roche, reporter at the Deseret News in Salt Lake City. The Olympics is one of Lisa's regular news beats. She covered the SLC 2002 Games and has been covering everything going on with the Utah 2034 Games.

We talked with Lisa about climate, what IOC president Kirsty Coventry may change about the Winter Olympics, and some venue changes for Utah 2034.

Plus, Germany has officially selected a city to put forth as a Summer Games host for 2036, 2040 or 2044. Find out which city could host a future Games.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

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Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

With every Olympics and Paralympics comes thousands of athlete stories. How do you preserve them all? Lindsay Huban, Chief Content and Integration Officer at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum gives us some insight on how the museum tells the stories of Team USA athletes and the Games.

Part of that strategy is through special exhibits, and the museum has two new exhibits on tap. The first, A Legacy of Victory: U.S. Olympic Decathletes, shares the stories of America's incredible performances throughout history in the decathlon. The second is The Genuis of Sport, on International Olympic Committee founder Pierre de Coubertin. Team Keep the Flame Alive member George Hirthler curated this exhibit , which he updated after it was at the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad.

We talked with Lindsay about some of the amazing ways athletes send in artifacts and what you can experience when you see the USOPM's new exhibits. Learn more at usopm.org.

Plus, LA 2028 has unveiled the triathlon and para triathlon courses, and we have follow-ups on LA28 news from recent episodes. Also, Alpes 2030 has finalized its venue plan, and it looks more manageable than Milano Cortina 2026.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Lindsay Huban.

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

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Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

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When a host city signs the contract to put on the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they don't just have to deal with local government to make them happen. LA 2028 has to work with municipal, county and state governments, as well as commissions and the federal government for funding, as well as regulatory needs.

Jason Sisney, Budget Advisor for the Speaker's Office at the California State Assembly, joins us to talk about the state's involvement in the LA28 Games. From temporary venues to environmental issues - and even gun control laws, the state has been working with the LA Organizing Committee for over a decade to help the Games happen. Jason sheds light on the importance of the Games not building any new venues and what they're doing differently than in 1984.

Jason shows us the amazing effort it takes from all levels of government to make an Olympics and Paralympics happen in California. As an Olympic historian, he also talks about the financial debacle that was the 1960 Winter Olympics and why the state doesn't want a repeat of that in 2028.

Jason is a great follow on Instagram and LinkedIn, so add him there! Also, if you're into infrastructure talk around LA-area mega-events like the Olympics and Paralympics, check out Alissa Walker's Torched LA. She gets into the nitty gritty of all of the good stuff regarding civic funding and policy around mega-events in the Los Angeles area.

Also on this episode, the Institute for Applied Economics of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation published an economic analysis of the potential impact of the Games on the local economy. We take a look at the numbers.

Plus, LA28 is implementing a food truck program, which has Alison very excited!

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Jason Sisney.

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

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Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

At Atlanta 1996 swimmer Amy Van Dyken became one of the heroes of the U.S. team, bringing home a whopping four gold medals in five events. She followed that up at Sydney 2000 with another two gold medals.

After retiring and getting into broadcasting, Amy's life took a turn in 2014, when an ATV accident left her paralyzed. While she's continued to broadcast (you may have heard her as an analyst on NBC's coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics), she's also become an advocate for people with disabilities, helping able-bodied people understand the world from the eyes of someone in a wheelchair.

Alison talked with Amy about some of the specifics of her swimming training (including shave parties) and the approach to her second Olympics at Sydney. Amy shares the specifics of her injuries, the many complications she's had, and her secret for approaching recovery. They also get frank about the lack of understanding around accessibility and just how unaccessible America can be, even though there are disability laws in place.

Follow Amy online:

https://www.amyvandyken.com/

https://www.instagram.com/amyvandyken/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-van-dyken-rouen-oly-ab017323/

Also on this episode, it's torch relay time for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and Jill and Alison get into the newly announced sports program for the Karlsruhe 2029 World Games. We're excited to see what sports stayed on the program, what came back, and what's new for this edition. Who's ready for some minigolf?

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Amy Van Dyken.

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

Seemingly every time we open our Inbox, we have an email from the folks at USA Fencing with another amazing announcement: They're doing a panel at Comic-Con, have a champagne sponsor, creating a theme song, getting colleges to create NCAA competitive programs in an era where college sports are declining, signing on celebs like actor Mandy Patinkin to be fencing ambassadors, and the list goes on!

Team Keep the Flame Alive member and USA Fencing CEO is leading that charge, and we talked with him about what a national governing body for a small Olympic sport does in non-Olympic years to boost interest and growth in the sport. Phil shows how it's possible to think differently, try new ideas, and get great results. No idea is too out there, and Phil tells us why.

Also, the second ticket lottery for the LA 2028 Olympics is over, but that doesn't mean all the tickets are sold! Listen to hear why you may not have been able to score any tickets in this lottery and what the Organizing Committee's plans are for future ticket sales.

Plus, it's two years until the LA28 Paralympics! LA celebrated by unveiling Wheelchair Basketball Square. In attendance at that event? TKFLASTANI David Davis, who wrote the history of wheelchair basketball in America.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Phil Andrews.

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

We're going back to the Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics and the last Olympic speed skating competition on natural ice. Lake Misurina proved to be a fantastic venue as records fell by the dozens over the four races of the speed skating competition. We've got all the details, including the debut of the Soviet Union's fast skaters, a Norwegian comeback, and some Scandinavians who managed to make it onto the podium.

As mentioned on the show, you can find the documentary My Name Is McNamara here: https://vimeo.com/31206599

For a transcript and complete list of sources used in this episode, visit: https://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons via Picryl

Keep the Flame Alive: Games History Moment with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown is released monthly. In 2026, these episodes explore the 7th Winter Olympic Games at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy in 1956. Look for our regular episodes every week, with daily editions during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Merch: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

X: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://mailchi.mp/ee507102fbf7/flamealivepod

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

Book Club Claire returns for our first book club episode of 2026, featuring Heroes, Villains & Velodrome's: Chris Hoy and Britain's Track Cycling Revolution by Richard Moore. This book covers Hoy's early cycling career and the development of Great Britain as a cycling powerhouse until around Beijing 2008.

Claire joins us for a rousing discussion of Chris Hoy's early success, the 1000m race, keirin racing in Japan, and the Wild West days of track cycling. Plus, we make a surprising discovery about this title.

Also on this episode, we discuss the second ticket drop for the LA28 Olympics. Plus, the tennis schedule seems to be brutal. And we learn about more hospitality houses that plan to be at the Games.

Get your own copy of Richard Moore's book--and any other books--through our bookshop.org storefront. Commissions we earn from purchases through this link support the show's operating budget.

Want in on our Summer of Nostalgia? Find out more at our Patreon site.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

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Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

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In our ongoing series about the Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics, we look at the sports of Nordic combined and ski jumping, both of which underwent their own evolutions at these Games.

For Nordic combined, a format change and uncoupling from other competitions allowed this event to finally stand on its own. That didn't mean it was easy for anyone outside of the sport to understand how it worked or how some athletes made it to the podium. Plus, there was drama in certain countries about who got to be on the team, and one coach's pushback led to medal success.

Ski jumping, which was actually called "special jumping" at these Olympics, had its own technique revolution led by Swiss jumper Andreas Däscher. The results were a perfect example of "innovate or die."

To see some fun footage from the ski jumping competition, check out this clip that shows athletes jumping in very unexpected clothing.

For a transcript and complete list of sources used in this episode, visit: https://flamealivepod.com.

Speaking of Olympic history, we're having a Summer of Nostalgia at our Patreon site. where we're sharing never-before-seen photos and videos from our escapades at Beijing 2022, Paris 2024, and Milano Cortina 2026. Relive those memories with us by becoming a patron or purchasing the Summer of Nostalgia collection!

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons via Picryl.

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

Remember when Atlanta won the right to host the 1996 Olympics? The Centennial Olympics, the ones that Athens desperately wanted to host and everyone thought Athens would win because the Olympics were born in Greece? And then Atlanta won, and everyone was surprised?

Well, we've got the story of how Atlanta shocked the world.

Writer and producer George Hirthler joins us to discuss his documentary "The Games in Black & White." This Emmy award-winning film delves into the unlikely friendship of then-Atlanta mayor Andy Young and conservative lawyer Billy Payne, who joined forces to bring the Olympics to Atlanta and put the city on the world map.

The documentary covers the full spectrum of the Olympics, from bid to the Games themselves. However, along with incredible athletic spectacle and some operational issues, the Atlanta 1996 Olympics are also known for the bombing that took place in Centennial Olympic Park. George talks with us about that incident and the toll that it took on members of the organizing committee.

We also discuss the unlikely legacies from these Olympics and how they permanently changed the geography of the city.

You can watch "The Games in Black & White" on PBS: https://www.pbs.org/show/the-games-in-black-and-white

It's also streaming for free on Olympic Channel: https://www.olympics.com/en/films/watch/the-games-in-black-white-documentary

Also, Jill went to LA for the LA28 World Press Briefing. She's got some impressions of the city, its accessibility and what to look for when getting tickets and booking hotels.

If you're interested in volunteering with the Finnish consulate to help Team Finland during LA 28, check out this link (must be able to speak Finnish): https://www.lyyti.fi/reg/Vapaaehtoishaku_Los_Angelesiin_2028_3711

Plus, we have some feedback on potential cauldron lighters!

It's the SUMMER OF NOSTALGIA! All summer long, we're sharing never-before-seen photos and videos from all three Olympics and Paralympics we've covered in person. Become a patron, or buy the collection outright! Join the fun at our Patreon page.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

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Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348

Thanks to a US-led boycott, the first Olympics hosted by a communist country has long been a big black hole in our knowledge of the Olympics -- until now.

On this episode, we're joined by author Tommy Phillips, who wrote The 1980 Moscow Olympics: A Day-by-Day History. His book captures all of the major happenings at these Olympics, which were dominated by the USSR and East Germany. These countries' athletes dominated with skill and athleticism....and also maybe thanks to doping and some clever help along the way.

We talk with Tommy about some of the wilder hijinks at play during the Games, as well as which nations benefitted from the US and its boycott allies not being at these Olympics.

Get your own copy of Tommy's book at our bookshop.org storefront (affiliate link).

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don't find anywhere else. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

***

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348