This torch, created by the designer Philippe Starck and produced in stainless steel, was to imitate the flame which the torch would have emitted from the top. This special design made it difficult to carry the torch, even for the short stretches the torchbearer had to travel. Most of the commentators compared the torch to a sex toy. The 1992 Albertville Winter Olympic Games were the first Winter Games to be staged in the same year as the Summer Games. In fact, already two years later the Winter Games were organized in Lillehammer (1994). With 3 gold medals, Bjorn Daehlie was the protagonist of the cross-country skiing competition, even if both the female and the male team won many medals in this discipline. Deborah Compagnoni and Alberto Tomba confirmed the expectations obtaining gold medals. The Games were opened by the President of the French Republic François Mitterrand.