What if these Winter Olympics events had stuck?
By Karl J. Paloucek
The Winter Olympics don’t always get the same level of respect as their summertime cousins. Some argue that the Winter Olympics aren’t Olympics at all, as they’re not at all connected with the Games of ancient Greece. But it’s harder to argue that they’re any less exciting or drama-filled, and they’re certainly far more dangerous. Events like the super-G have people hurtling themselves down iced-over mountainsides, and from the way those luge competitors try to keep themselves perfectly aerodynamic, it sure doesn’t look like they can even see where they’re going.
But the Winter Olympics does have its share of events that some will find peculiar. The biathlon, an event combining cross-country skiing speed and agility with rifle marksmanship, throws a lot of people for a loop until they understand its historic origins in Scandinavian border patrol activity. More recent, “extreme” events like freestyle skiing and snowboarding have a more contemporary than historic feel, but they mesh well with the intense media focus that’s become part of the Games.
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