The Olympics Are What Could Be

It’s been about a month since the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina closed and they still occupy my mind. Not just because I believe I’ve been converted into a casual figure skating fan or that I’ve had a fascination with the Olympics since childhood, but I think there was special about these that's hard to find in sporting events these days. Now I should preface this entire post with the disclaimer that I am not a sports fan. Anything I say in here should be taken with an unhealthy dose of salt. That said, the Olympics cast a spell on me that turned me into a sports fan for roughly two and a half weeks every two years. I’d like to gush a little bit about why and in the process explain what I think makes these games so appealing.

Olympics Closing Ceremony at the Verona Colosseum

The first and foremost exciting aspect of the Olympics is the internationalism. Athletes from all around the world get to compete in games and even if they win nothing, getting to go is itself a win. Traveling to a new country and competing on an international stage is an opportunity I imagine few would pass up. This results in a diverse array of athletes from all kinds of sports coming together to compete. It creates a rare feeling of solidarity between countries, even ones that may normally be rivals. It represents in microcosm a world I’d like to see more of. They aren’t absent of contention, the 1980 and 1984 games saw reciprocal boycotts between the US and USSR respectively, and Russia has been excluded in recent games due to their invasion of Ukraine, but when the games begin, all the issues seem to fade into the background, even if they persist. The IOC works diligently in creating a genuinely apolitical environment, and despite those efforts being undermined by a selective application of the rules, I’d argue they’re largely successful.

There is also the sheer number of events going on, creating a viewership free-for-all. No one viewer can possibly see it all lest they dedicate time to viewing all events, a feat impressive on its own. But most viewers stick to a handful of sports and catch highlights of the rest. For these games, I primarily viewed figure skating, bobsledding, and biathlon, a sport whose existence I was unaware of prior to the games. The variety of concurrent events create an environment of separate stories that even the casual viewer can get invested in. Continued Dutch domination of speed skating thanks to Femke Kok and Jutta Leerdam. Americans ending their figure skating medal drought in women’s singles because of Alysa Liu’s mesmerizing free skate. Czech biathlete Tereza Voborníkováwon winning third in a sport dominated by Norway and France. Chinese Skier Eileen Gu adding yet another medal to her already large collection. Those are the stories I saw, but the Olympics are a tapestry of tales about underdogs, heartbreak, triumph, and drama. I find it difficult to not be enamored by such stories. Even sour stories like Canadians cheating at curling was captivating because it defies the stereotype of the polite Canadian. My inner storyteller revels at these real life, unscripted narratives that can only happen once.

Women's figure skating medal event. Alysa Liu in 1st, Kaori Sakamoto in 2nd, and Ami Nakai in 3rd

These are the things I wish to see with the 2028 Los Angeles games. The summer games are bigger. They have more athletes, events, and countries. Everything I loved about this year’s Winter Olympics is going to be dialed to 11 come 2028. I have some reservations as to whether the spirit can be maintained given the state of the US. There were already malicious actors trying to manufacture controversy over the most inane things, and I imagine their attitudes will only worsen because the games are being hosted by the US. I also foresee the plague of sports betting infecting the 2028 games. Ever since its legalization in the US, it has spread its way into every major sporting event, with the Olympics being noticeably quarantined from such an epidemic. While I hope the games stay safe from such a disease, I’m not optimistic. There is big money pushing for it to be in everything and as the Olympics face the perpetual financing problem, I can easily see gambling proposed as a solution. I look forward to being wrong though. Additionally, the IOC's recent ruling on transgender athletes does not bode well for the future of this institution. I hope all of these concerns get addressed going forward as they can only manufacture friction, contradicting what I see to be the spirit of the games.

In any event, I hope the Los Angeles games are able to provide the same magic I felt for Paris and Milan. The feeling that the entire world stops for these games for a two week period to watch athletes in peak physical condition competing on the largest stage possible to see who’s the best. Some will win, most will lose, and a few will break records,