All of the same winter events are being held in Milano Cortina in Italy this year! Photo courtesy of the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Italy.
The Winter Olympics are an action packed event that few San Luis Obispo High School students actually watch. The event takes place every four years, and will be starting on February 6 this year.
The event’s decreased viewership in comparison to the Summer Olympics may be because there is a smaller variety of sports, however the competitions still feature many talented athletes.
“I think the Winter Olympics are super interesting to watch. I love skiing and it’s so cool to see all the jumps they do!” said freshman Maggie Cross.
The opening ceremony and indoor events will be held in Milan, while the mountain events and outdoor events will take place in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The event will have 116 medal events across 16 different sports, with the new edition of ski mountaineering.
Notably, this year the percentage of women participating compared to men is 47 percent, the highest ever.
“I’m really looking forward to the 2026 Winter Olympics. I have been snowboarding for a long time and I love watching Chloe Kim carve the snow,” said freshman Wolfgang Bishir.
Several athletes competing in the Olympics have strong ties to the Tahoe area here in California. These athletes including Bryce Bennett, Keely Cashman, and Jamie Anderson are already key contenders or selected for national teams.
“I love to watch [the competitions for] snowboarding and skiing,” said freshman Bryer Kliemann.
Three American competitors expected to perform well at the 2026 Winter Olympics are Mikaela Shiffrin for alpine skiing, Ilia Malinin for figure skating, and Chloe Kim for snowboarding. While these athletes have all been very successful in previous skiing and snowboarding competitions, Kim is currently the defending champion.
The Winter Olympics will be an entertaining event for students this year. If students have never seen the competitions, it might be worth the watch this year!
Source: it.usembassy.gov
