The Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy started on Feb. 4, with the opening ceremony happening days later on Feb. 6. The games kicked off with curling, a sport that has recently gained more popularity. The opening ceremony for The Games commenced on the evening of Feb. 6, at least in EST. Viewers from across the world gathered around their televisions to watch Italy show off their vibrant culture through the costume designs such as the Colosseum and the Moka pot before each country had their Olympians presented in the Parade of Nations.
The Olympic Games will continue through Feb. 22, with athletes competing in sports such as alpine skiing and skeleton sledding. Senior on the Men’s Lacrosse team Jake Cornelius (‘26) is most invested in watching the ice hockey games. Cornelius says that, “It’s hard not to enjoy watching the Olympics, especially the ice hockey portion when you see how passionate the athletes are playing for their home nation. The unity of bringing everyone together from all different backgrounds to compete for the gold medal gives the most entertaining competition to watch.”
Other Drew University students have also been keeping up to date with The Games and related news for the Olympics. Lindsay Orellana (‘26) explains that, “Most of what I see comes from Instagram and TikTok and I couldn’t tell you the schedule, what events are happening on which days or even who’s leading in medals. But somehow I still know random things just from scrolling. I didn’t sit down to watch anything, but my feed keeps serving me side stories. It’s wild how fast that kind of stuff spreads compared to actual competition highlights, at least in my experience.”
Currently, Norway is taking the lead in medal holdings, with the United States third place in The Games. Check the Medal Count page of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Medal Table website to keep up to date on the current standings of each country in The Games. It was devastating for many to see American figure skater Ilia Malinin fail to obtain the gold medal, especially after all the pressure he faced both online and in general competing in the Olympics. Fortunately, fans continue to support him online after his loss after Malinin spoke out about how all the hatred made him feel.
If you are still looking for something to watch after the Olympics conclude, the Paralympic games start the following week on March 6 and go until March 15. Check out the Paralympic website to see more about the upcoming games.
Katie Germinder is a junior majoring in environmental studies and sustainability, minoring in anthropology
