What to expect from the 2018 Winter Olympics

Posted by the Bells on Feb 9, 2018

The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in PyeongChang, South Korea from Feb. 9- 25. Ninety-four countries from around the world will be competing in this year’s games.

The Russian athletes’ National Olympic Committee was suspended in 2017 along with The Kuwait Olympic Committee and The Brazil Olympic Committee. This means that athletes will not be able to compete under these countries. However, recent reports show that chosen athletes from Russia will still be competing under the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) emblem.

The official Olympics website states that this will be the first ever Olympic Winter Games with over 100 gold medals to be awarded and that it will also feature the greatest number of women’s and mixed events in the history of Olympic Winter Games.

Some examples of the sports that athletes can compete in are ice skating, curling, bobsledding, luge, and skiing’s high jump.

There are 102 events under fifteen sports disciplines, with six new events that viewers can watch for the first time. Four of the new events are: the Snowboard Big Air, Speed Skating Mass Start, Curling Mixed Doubles, and Alpine Skiing Team.

This is a big step from the first official Winter Olympic Games in 1924 in Chamonix France. Only sixteen nations attended the first games and only held sixteen events under nine disciplines. Now, so many things have been added and the whole world will be watching these games unfold.

Senior interdisciplinary education major Allison Mckeown said that the Olympics is one of her favorite events.

“The Olympics are important to me because they represent unity and the strength of the human spirit. No matter what’s going on in our country and our world, the Olympics provide a two-week reprieve, when I can be proud of my countrymen and marvel at the amazing things that humans can do,” Mckeown said.

Mckeown said that she will be glued to her screen when the Olympics air on TV and watching the coverages on news apps.

She is not the only person who is excited for the Winter Olympics. Sophomore nursing major, Skaiye Finney, said she feels that the Olympic sports are one of the greatest events worldwide, due to its underlying message of perseverance, excellence and commitment.

“I am intrigued by the idea that Russia will not be competing under their flag, while also kind of disappointed since they are one of America’s greatest rivals. I am also incredibly intrigued by the new Nigerian bobsledding team that is turning heads worldwide. Their presence goes to show that dreams are attainable and very possible,” Finney said.

“On a global scale, the Olympic Games are a beautiful display of excellence in sports. I feel the games transcend class, ethnicity and popularity, which is why I think there is a sense of unity when your country is placing. Also, learning about the humble beginnings of some of the athletes makes me feel that there is nothing stronger than human will and determination.”

Finney says she plans on watching the Olympics as much as she can and “yelling at the TV as much as my RA will allow cheering for the US team, and the Nigerian bobsledding team!”

Students and viewers worldwide will have much to look forward to during the 2018 Winter Olympics.