This is the official Olympics 2026 poster, promoting the highly anticipated sports event. photo by Milano Cortina Italy Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics was one of the most entertaining sports events ever.
The Olympics is a highly anticipated sports event that happens every four years, alternating between showcasing summer and winter sports and takes place in a different city each year. This year, the Winter Olympics took place in Milano Cortina, showcasing different sports such as figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating, alpine skiing, and snowboarding. Over nineteen days from February 6th-22nd, many extraordinary, alarming and chaotic events took place. There were injuries, records, new tricks, and surprising wins and failures.
The Olympics opened up with a memorable ceremony, featuring performances from Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, and Sabrina Impacciatore. Mariah Carey performed the songs “Nothing is Impossible” and “Volare” starting the ceremony off strong and getting audiences hyped for the next performances. Andrea Bocelli performed “Nessun Dorma” while the Olympic flame was being carried, Laura Pausini performed the Italian national anthem, and Sabrina Impaccitaore performed a six minute dance routine celebrating 100 years of the Winter Olympics.
According to NBC news, there were a few injuries that left audiences shocked and worried for what would come for athletes such as Lindsey Vonn, Jakob Manlbauer, Liu Jiayu, and Finley Melville Ives. During the Women’s Downhill Alpine Skiing event on February 8th, Vonn had a severe leg injury. Suffering a tibia fracture, she had to be airlifted by a helicopter, leaving audiences worried for her safety. Bobsleder Manlbauer was hospitalized on February 7th when the sled he was riding with four others flipped over and crashed into the wall. He hit his head but thankfully did not sustain any major injuries. On February 20th, freestyle skier Melville Ives had an accident during the halfpipe competition and broke his collar bone. On February 11, Jiayu lost her balance while snowboarding on the halfpipe and fell unconscious as paramedics made their way to her. Though all athletes are recovering, the amount of injuries and errors this year caused concern from fans and audience members.
Furthermore, in figure skating there were many ups and down within the sport. To start, Ilia Malinin took this year’s Olympics for a ride. Malinin started off strong, immediately becoming a fan favorite and a stand out to the judges due to his amazing performances and backflips during his routines. Though the narrative seemed set in stone, and commentators thought that Ilia would win gold, there were major mistakes during his free skate that took him from first to eighth place. NBC4 Washington, stated that after his free skate performance, he was understandably upset and later did an interview explaining the pressure he felt from the Olympics and fans. Audiences were stunned about his fall and there were even concerns about faulty ice, although that hasn’t been confirmed.
One of the biggest stand out of the Olympics this year was the one and only Alysa Liu, Olympic gold medalist winning figure skater for both women’s singles and the team event. Liu is the first American woman to win individual gold in 24 years. She has become an inspiration to audiences. According to CNN, murals of her were painted in different cities and videos of her performances went viral all over the internet.
Overall, the Olympics this year is definitely one to remember due to its iconic performances, scary incidents, and lessons learned.
