There are few sporting events in the world that occur only once every four years. The Olympic Games are one of those rare global spectacles. Following the Summer Games in 2024, the Winter Olympics return this February, with events hosted in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The opening ceremony will take place on Friday, February 6, with competitions running through the closing ceremony on February 22, 2026. With the games being held in Europe and featuring several niche speed sports, a question remains: will college students be tuning in?
The 2026 Games mark the 25th edition of the Winter Olympics and will feature 16 sports contested over a two-week span. According to the official Olympics website, more than 3,500 athletes from 93 countries will compete for 195 medals across 16 Olympic disciplines and six Paralympic sports. The Paralympic Games will follow shortly after, running from March 6 through March 15. With a wide range of events and global storylines, there is no shortage of intrigue heading into February.
One sport that consistently draws attention during the Winter Olympics is ice hockey. The National Hockey League (NHL) will return to Olympic play, and fans will once again get to see the world’s top players compete on the international stage. Viewers received a preview of this level of competition during last season’s inaugural Four Nations Face-Off, which reignited interest in international hockey. However, controversy has already emerged surrounding the dimensions and construction of the Olympic ice rink, raising questions about how teams will adapt.
Eastern University sophomore Austin Quark is especially excited to watch the Olympic hockey tournament. While many viewers in the United States will be cheering for Team USA, Quark says he is pulling for “Team Canada. That’s where I’m from.” He also acknowledged concerns surrounding the rink but believes the playing field will remain fair. “I think the rink is going to be an issue. I think the games might start a little bit later, but every team plays on the same ice surface. They’re going to play on both ends. It’s going to be even no matter how the rink looks,” Quark said.
Beyond hockey, the speed sports are expected to be a major highlight of the games. Alpine skiing on both the men’s and women’s sides figures to be one of the most compelling events. On the women’s side, 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn has come out of retirement after five years and is preparing to compete at the Olympic level once again following the end of the 2025 season. On the men’s side, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt looks to continue his dominant World Cup campaign and add Olympic success to an already impressive résumé.
Ski jumping will also be closely monitored this year, though not without controversy. Team Norway has been dominant in the ski-jumping world, but the program has faced scrutiny after athletes were penalized for equipment violations. Officials determined that the team altered their suits by adding extra material to increase surface area, allowing jumpers to gain additional lift and distance. As a result, Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang were suspended for three months. Entering the games, Norway does not currently have a jumper ranked inside the top 10 of the World Cup standings, raising questions about whether the nation can maintain its historical dominance.
There is one brand-new event in this year’s games: ski mountaineering. This demanding discipline combines endurance, technique and strategy. Competitors start with a technique called “skinning,” where they wear grips on their skis and climb uphill. Once the terrain becomes too steep, athletes remove their skis and hike on foot. At the summit, competitors must quickly remove their skins and ski downhill, making the event as much about efficiency and transitions as it is about physical speed.
Student interest in the games varies across campus. Eastern University student Jeff Day said that he will be tuning in occasionally rather than consistently. He said that a few of the sports he watches include figure skating, curling and snowboarding. “I grew up watching a lot of figure skating, which wasn’t my favorite at first, but my mom is super passionate about it. The more I watched, the more I realized there’s an art to it. I also like curling and snowboarding because as a kid, I thought Shaun White was cool.”
Eastern sophomore Jared Groff says he will be tuning in, he just needs to make time in his schedule to do it. “I am one of those people who likes to have my day mapped out, but once I have that schedule, I will probably tune in here and there.”
When competition begins in early February, there is something for nearly every type of sports fan. From racing events like skiing, luge, and skeleton to more technical and artistic competitions such as figure skating, the games provide a wide-ranging viewing experience. The opening ceremonies will air live at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on February 6. Once again, the world will come together for two weeks of competition, tradition, and global spectacle.
