Cold facts and cool stories

"There are not only a lot of interesting stories and factual information in the book, but also many valuable photos that are not so easy to access, even in the internet age. That is what makes the book precious," said Zhao Yang, one of the contributing editors, at the event.

As an example, Zhao cited the entry for the 1948 Games.

"What impresses me the most about the St. Moritz Winter Olympics is that it was a rough time financially because it was the first Olympics after World War II. Europe was in a mess, so people saw a handmade wooden box used as podium for the award ceremonies," he says.