2026 Winter Olympics Breakdown
The 2026 Winter Olympics concluded on Sunday, February 22, in Italy, with Team USA taking home an impressive 33 medals. Though Team USA succeeded on multiple fronts this Winter Olympics, Norway was the real shining star in the games, taking home 41 medals, with 18 of them being gold. Trailing behind the USA and Norway were the Netherlands and Italy. Norway was particularly impressive in the sport of cross-country skiing, where they were awarded 14 of their 41 medals, with 7 of them being gold. This success is what sets them apart from every other country competing in the sport, with the next closest winnings being 10 medals taken home by Sweden. Though there was much to celebrate this Olympic year, there was a multitude of controversy and injury surrounding the games, particularly with the French ice dancing judge, Jézabel Dabois, who is under a lot of scrutiny for her surprisingly low scores towards the USA ice dancing duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates. This scandal, along with the injury of a legendary female American skier, Lindsey Vonn, made for a newsworthy Games nonetheless.
The drama, however, did not stop there. After the USA men’s hockey defeat over Canada, the men were on a phone call with President Trump, who invited them to the White House and State of the Union Address. After the team accepted, President Trump went on to mention the USA women’s hockey team's success as well and commented on feeling obligated to invite them as well. This conversation went viral on the internet, with many being offended by President Trump’s comment on the women’s hockey team. The all-female team declined his offer to the White House due to prior commitments; however, many speculate that it was because of the comments made to the men’s team. However, this controversy did not stop both the men's and women’s hockey teams from celebrating their well-deserved victory. It also did not seem to hinder the performance of other athletes competing for Team USA due to the gold medals acquired over an array of sports, including alpine skiing (2), bobsleigh (1), figure skating (2), freestyle skiing (3), ice hockey (2), and speed skating (2). The victories did not just come in gold for the USA with 12 silver medals in alpine skiing (1), cross-country skiing (2), curling (1), figure skating (1), freestyle skiing (4), snowboarding (1), and speed skating (2). Finally, Team USA also secured 9 bronze medals in alpine skiing (1), bobsleigh (2), cross-country skiing (1), freestyle skiing (1), luge (1), short track speed skating (1), snowboarding (1), and speed skating (1).
The success of Team USA and the other countries that competed in this year's Winter Olympics was nothing short of extraordinary. The next Winter Olympics will debut in the French Alps in February 2030. It will surely be a series of games that you will not want to miss. Norway will be back, attempting to defend its title with the rest of the competitors trying to take home that victory for their respective country.