The Summer Olympics of 2024 took place from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France. In total, 10,714 athletes participated in all 32 sports held, including three new sports that were added this year. These sports include sport climbing, surfing, and breaking. Although breaking gained a lot of traction, it has been confirmed it will not be returning for the 2028 Summer Games. However, sport climbing and surfing have officially been announced as permanent additions in 2028.
Some of the more memorable moments from this year’s Olympics include Simone Biles’ wins in gymnastics– taking home gold for in team, uneven bars, and vault, as well as a silver for her floor routine. Steph Curry and LeBron James led the U.S. basketball team to gold against France, a particularly meaningful moment considering this could be their last Olympics. Noah Lyles won the men’s 100-meter race by five-thousandths of a second, the first time the USA has won this event in a decade.
But now that the Summer 2024 Olympics have concluded, many are wondering what will now accommodate their breakfast in the morning. The Winter Olympics are still to come, but unfortunately, they will not debut until Friday, February 6, 2026, in Milan and Cortina. The Winter Games will last until Sunday, February 22, 2026, and within this time there are a lot of exciting things happening.
The Olympics will open in Italian cities, Milan and Cortina. According to NBC New York, “This is the first time in Olympics history that two cities have jointly pitched and been awarded the right to co-host the Olympic Games.” In contrast to the Summer Olympics, only 2,900 athletes will compete. To welcome the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Italian singer Arisa will be singing “Fino all’alba” translated in English to “Until Dawn.”
To lead this Olympic event there will be two mascots Milo and Tina, who are brother and sister stoats, a small fuzzy animal native to Eurasia. The mascots, proposed in the Sanremo Festival in 2023 were elected as the finalists, but it was the public who made the final decision, picking our furry friends.
The events will remain mostly the same as in previous years, however, according to ESPN, there are a few changes: Ski Mountaineering is making an entrance with three events–men’s and women’s sprints and a mixed relay. This event is about climbing mountains while either wearing or holding their skis. After reaching the top, they will descend in the final leg of this race.
Skeleton, one of the oldest winter sports, is still going strong, but is changing, now featuring mixed teams of both men and women.
Finally, Dual Moguls, an event where the skier has a partner in their race, will have freestyles and women will receive an additional individual large hill ski jumping event. Other than these changes, regular winter sports will commence, such as ice hockey, skiing, curling, and snowboarding.
If you were obsessed with athletes like Leon Marchand or Katie Ledecky, you’ll be excited to hear about Jordan Stolz who’s participating in speed skating. He’s already the youngest single-distance world champion in history, and he’s fully prepared for the Winter Olympics.
Juraj Slafkovsky is another athlete coming to our screens in February. Slafkovsky played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League and was selected first overall in the 2022 NHL entry draft, making him the highest-drafted Slovak player in the history of hockey. Keep an eye out for these two and thousands more on the slopes.
It’s been a busy summer full of incredible moments from the Summer Olympics, and there are still more fun things to come in the next few years.
