London Ski jumping competition 1950

London Ski jumping competitions 1950 was the first ski jumping competitions to be held in London.[citation needed] Snow was imported from Norway and a ski jump built on Hampstead Heath for the events.[1] The 1950 competition took place on 24–25 March 1950.[1] On the first day a competition was held between members of the Norwegian ski jumping team[1] who had come over to help publicise Norway as a tourist destination. On the second day there was a competition between representatives from Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The Oxford Oxford team won this University Challenge Cup.[1] The "London Challenge Cup"—which anyone could enter—was won by Arne Hoel of Oslo.[1]

The event attracted a huge crowd—the BBC report says "tens of thousands of people"—and was so successful that plans were discussed for it to be repeated the following year.[1] However, the BBC report says "The ski-jump competition was never held again, despite several attempts to revive it."[1]

The Cinema Museum in London holds excellent film of the event.[1] Ref HM0578.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "25 March: 1950: Ski jumpers soar over Hampstead Heath". On This Day (feature). BBC. 25 March 1950. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
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