Every four years, a designated city hosts about two thousand athletes who have reached the pinnacle of their athletic careers. From Vancouver to Sochi, the locations of the winter games are always exciting destinations for viewers and athletes alike. 

This year, the Winter Olympics are being hosted in Beijing, China where the top athletes of winter sports such as alpine skiing, and figure skating are competing on the world’s most viewed stage.

The winter games offer fifteen sports with the possibility for one to nine medals to be earned by athletes depending on the event. 

While some sports, such as speed skating, are easy for first-time viewers to determine who will take gold, others are scored by judges on a scale based on skill difficulty and execution.

  “My favorite sport is snowboarding because I love to watch the tricks they do, ” Abby Edwards  ‘23 said. 

“My favorite sport to watch would be curling, because it’s so cool and the intensity of the sport is kind of funny,” Hannah Hillary ‘23 said. 

Just last week, the United States’ men’s curling team lost to Great Britain in the bronze medal match. 

However, the Olympics is not always about watching the sport, it could be about watching specific athletes who are widely known for their talent. 

“I like to watch Chloe Kim because she is one of the most talented,” Abby Edwards said. 

Viewing the incredible grace of skaters or agility of mogul skiers is also entertaining for many, regardless of the athlete’s name or home nation.

“ I enjoy watching the US snowboarders, no one in particular because they all have such skill,” Hannah Hillary ‘23 said. 

The notion of the world’s nations coming together in one great event of sportsmanship and unity is a special aspect of the Olympic games which many love to see.

“I think that the Olympics are interesting from the number of countries and cultures that participate in it… I think that is what makes the Olympics so open-minded for the world to become more connected,” Audrey Gummere ‘23 said. 

The unity brought by these games is something the world needs, especially as the pandemic begins to fade away.

This article appeared in the February edition of The East Vision.