The rush of competition, the cheering from the crowd and a global audience ready to scream, cry and celebrate with their teams on an international stage. As the world gets ready for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, WCHS winter sports student-athletes also look ahead to the quadrennial competition and what it means to them.
“I am most looking forward to [seeing] the winner,” WCHS freshman and hockey player Ishveer Sethi said. “It is fun to see the picks for the teams, the audiences are really eager for their country to win. To see the fight for the win while representing your country is something incredibly deep, and it is really fascinating to see how it is everything for these athletes. It is an inspiration for me, and hopefully it will be me one day.”
For Sethi and many other students, the battle of the game is what draws them to this incredible showcase of athleticism that is the Olympics. Sethi himself plays hockey for the WCHS varsity team, so he is familiar with and can appreciate the effort it takes to win and the work that is put in to become a winner.
“The competition has become really heated,” Sethi said. “The hockey roster of the U.S. is obviously the best of the best. The U.S. has a stacked roster with the best Americans that play the sport, and I am excited to see who is going to win.”
Many of WCHS’ athletes get to enjoy watching their sports being played at the Olympics. Although, there are some who have not and likely will not see their sport being competed in the international competition. With recent controversies about the International Olympic Committee not including enough events at this year’s Winter Olympics, a WCHS synchronized skater tells the Observer about her experience with her sport and the Olympics.
“Synchronized skating is not in the Olympics,” WCHS junior Audrey Ke said. “Fortunately, they are hoping to get it in the Youth Olympics in 2028. I still really like watching the figure skating events at the Olympics. I love the singles events and I am really appreciative of the pair and ice dance events because they are so entertaining and it is really fun to see them do cool tricks. I do hope that [synchronized skating] gets into the Olympics in a few years.”
Another aspect of the competition that draws the attention of WCHS students is the national loyalties that people have for their countries once every four years. To be able to root for athletes or teams that represent your country, whether that be where you live or where your family is from, is a special feeling that usually only happens with sporting events.
“[Singles figure skater] Amber Glenn is going to the Olympics for the U.S.,” Ke said. “I think [her] programs are so powerful and so pretty and she has a really nice power that goes along with her performance, which I think is really special. Her short program dress for this competition season is so pretty as well and I am really excited to see her represent us at this Olympics.”
The broad range of events that the Olympics offers is like no other. When other international sporting events happen, it is usually just for one specific sport and discipline, but at the Olympics, almost every sport is represented, and gives fans a wide range of options to choose from for their viewing pleasure.
“I am really excited to see all the events at the Olympics,” Ke said. “I know figure skating is usually the big event of the Games, but I am really excited to see skiing and snowboarding. I do not know who is in those events, it is not a sport I usually watch, but I have seen snowboarders do backflips and crazy in air rotations and I really want to see some more of that this year.”
The Winter Olympics bring people together through the power of sport. Whether that is watching events together, rooting for the same team or watching your nation or your favorite player beat the odds and bring it home with a win.
The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics officially start on Feb. 4, 2026, with the Opening Ceremony occurring on Feb. 6. As WCHS students get ready to cheer on their favorite teams, they also end up creating a community of fans who are all excited to see what will happen at the Olympic Games.
“It is so interesting to see the best of the best at the Olympics,” Sethi said. “People who have worked their entire life for this compete on this scale. You can also see the camaraderie between [fans] as they are talking about the Games and rooting for their teams and it is very cool to see people come together through sport.”
