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Bowling Green | Culture > Entertainment

The 2026 Olympic Games Are Here: What Does That Mean For Us?

Melanie Potthast Student Contributor, Bowling Green State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bowling Green chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

116 events. 16 sports. Over 3,500 athletes.

I don’t think there’s an athlete alive who doesn’t dream of one day being good enough to go to the most famous sports competition in the world. The one that excites even my own cold, dead, emotionless heart.

The Olympic Games.

This year, it is time for the Winter Olympics. While featuring sports that are considerably more expensive and often less popular in the US (though in fairness, it depends on the sport and where you are in the country) than its summer counterpart, the Winter Olympics are nonetheless a great time to watch. 

The 2026 Winter Games (otherwise known as the XXV Winter Olympic Games) are being co-hosted in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (or Cortina), Italy, the first Olympic Games to do so. Italy has hosted three times before: the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. 

Milano Duomo cathedral in Italy in daytime
dimitrisvetsikas1969

If you didn’t catch it this past weekend, the Opening Ceremony took place last Friday, February 6, and the games will continue until Sunday, February 22, with the Closing Ceremony. The Paralympic Games will take place from March 6-15. A full event schedule can be found here, on the Olympic website. 

Team USA is filled with athletes to watch from the captain of the women’s hockey team, Hilary Knight, two-time Olympic Champion Mikaela Shriffrin, to two-time Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim and many more. Watching amazing athletes realize their dreams is always incredible to watch. 

We shall see how many medals Team USA will amass this time. The United States doesn’t win as many medals as they do in the summer games, as Norway is the Winter Games powerhouse. But I am confident these athletes are here to compete and show the world what they are made of.

I always look forward to watching the delightful artistry of the figure skaters, the amazing stunts from the snowboarders and skiers, the incredible speed of the, well, speed skaters, the incredible teamwork and skill of the hockey players (especially given my newfound understanding of the sport thanks to Heated Rivalry) and the many, many other events found at these games. 

In conclusion, I hope you enjoy the Olympics as much as I do. You can go here to find out where to watch your favorite events. Happy watching!

figure skating
Photo by Logan Weaver from Unsplash
Melanie Potthast

Bowling Green '28

Hello! My name is Melanie Potthast. I am a sophomore at Bowling Green State University studying English Literature. Originally, I am from Lebanon, Ohio, which is a suburban town located about halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton.
Outside of writing, my major hobbies include running, reading, and fencing. I've been running since I was about 9 or 10 years old. I've run mostly 5ks and 10ks, but my eventual goal is to run a marathon. My favorite genre to read are mysteries, mostly because I have difficultly writing them. Finally, my fun fact hobby is that I'm about to start my second year apart of the BG fencing club. Outside my schoolwork and my hobbies, I love spending time with my family and friends.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a great day!