The Northern games were founded by the Swedish Colonel Viktor Gustav Balk, a friend of Pierre de Coubertin, to enable skaters, cross country skiers and ice hockey players to play each other every four years along the same principles as the Winter Olympics, which did not exist at that time. The games were held in Sweden.However, the ice skating events continued to take place during the Summer Olympics, with the exception of 1912 when the Olympics were held in Sweden. The events did not take place so as to not overshadow the Northern Games. The members of the IOC thought this selfish and were upset. In 1921, at the instigation of the French Chaiman, they decided to create the Winter Olympics which would be of more universal appeal. Sidelined, the Northern Games disappeared in 1926.