Winter Olympics bring athleticism and controversy on a global scale

The 2018 Winter Olympics will kick off on Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. This year’s games bring promise of victory for the United States along with worldwide controversy regarding Russia’s state-sponsored doping and the threat of potential conflict with North Korea.

Included in the 102 events are four new events: big air snowboarding, freestyle skiing, mass start speed skating and mixed doubles curling. The U.S. will be sending athletes from all over the country including previous gold medal winners such as  skier Lindsey Vonn and figure skater Nathan Chen as well as fresh faces like hockey player Jordan Greenway.

Earlier this year Russia was completely banned from the Olympic games by the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, for promoting their athletes’ use of enhancement drugs in the 2014 Sochi Games. Participating Russian athletes will wear neutral uniforms and the Russian flag and anthem will not be incorporated, according to The New York Times.

“It’s kind of crazy that Russia isn’t competing this year,” sophomore Alexa Devlin said. “They’re such a big country it’s weird to think of them not being allowed.”

This year’s Olympics have also sparked debates about safety and location, since the North Korean border is only about 200 miles away from Pyeongchang. Two North Korean figure skaters, Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik, have qualified to compete and will skate for their country which will be represented for the first time since 2010. Some people hope that this will promote peace between North Korea and the rest of the world, and others believe that because North Korean athletes are competing their leader Kim Jong-un will be less likely to interfere with the games.

“I get why people are worried about Korea, I mean they don’t have the best record and it’s not very comforting for the athletes to know they are not far away,” junior Michael Ruane said.

Despite all the distractions students are still excitedly awaiting the Olympics.

“The Olympics are always so much fun to watch,” junior Alexandra Shamosh said. “I love to go skiing in the winter so the ski and snowboard events are my favorite.”

“I can’t wait to watch and see how many gold medals team USA brings home,” freshman Joe Lombardo said.  

Whether watching because the games have brought out their patriotism, or because their curiosity has drawn them to the behind the scene politics, the 2018 games promise to have all spectators on every continent at the edge of their seats. A tradition started over 100 years ago, the Olympics have proven stronger than the different controversies surrounding them throughout the years and will continue to bring people together from all over the globe in excited anticipation despite the pressing issues of the time.