Athletic teams representing a sovereign country or territory showed up in Italy on Feb. 6 for a quadrennial event that brought more than 93 countries of the world together. What a concept.
Competitors were out to better their own best, making them more elite than billionaires who rely on others for fame. Athletes competed with others and the clock, knowing that if they won they would carry their country’s flag in the closing ceremony. The 2026 Winter Games offered 116 events in 16 sports for 2,800 contenders to experience heartbreak or triumph. Intense!
The Olympics started in the 8th century BCE. Those were not televised. Still, the events weren’t so much about individual mettle and pluck as about the vibe of pushing limits.
The Olympics acknowledge human unity and rivalry. Athletes were proud of their homeland, their accomplishment, and their fame. They roistered in excellence.
Watching the Olympics isn’t for everybody, but there was something for everybody to watch. Our personal favorite was curling – a sport of precision rather than athleticism (think chess, golf, pool, darts).
If curling were easy, they’d call it hockey.