Alexandra Rosner

Honors Journalism

Voyager Online

The Most Memorable Moments of The 2026 Winter Olympics

Alexandra Rosner `29

Staff Reporter

There were many memorable moments from this years Olympics that show how the games aren’t always as competitive and harsh as they may seem, but rather light-spirited and enjoyable to take part in and watch. For starters, the opening ceremony of Milano Cortina 2026 featured many entertaining acts, including singers Mariah Carey, Laura Pausini, and Andrea Bocelli, and actors/actresses Pierfrancesco Favino and Sabrina Impacciatore. The opening ceremony took place on February 6th, 2026 and was produced by Balich Wonder Studio in the Milano San Siro Stadium.

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, a 25-year-old alpine ski racer, took home South America’s first-ever Winter Olympic medal. Similarly, Choi Gaon, a 17-year-old from the Republic of Korea, made herself known by defeating Chloe Kim, a three-time Olympic halfpipe champion, and taking home her nation’s first-ever Olympic medal in snow. Elana Meyers, a competitor in the Women’s Monobob Bobsleigh Heat, officially became the oldest individual champion in the history of the Winter Olympics at 41 years old. Lindsey Vonn, a 41-year-old who returned from retirement for these Olympics, was hospitalized after her campaign ended in a skiing crash. She supports her fellow USA team members in recovery and has left a legendary mark on the Winter Olympics. Francesca Lollobrigida, a woman who competed on her 35th birthday, won Italy’s first gold medal of this winters Olympics in the women’s speed skating 3000m.

There were a few notable cheating and fraud accusations during the events. One notable conflict occurred during an event with the Canadian men’s curling team. Team Canada was accused by Team Sweden on Friday, February 13th, of double-touching the curling stone, which is strictly prohibited. This accusation led to a verbal warning from World Curling following multiple disputes between the two teams. Vladyslav Heraskevych, a Ukrainian skeleton athlete, was disqualified from the 2026 Winter Olympics because of his refusal to wear a different helmet due to politics involving the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The issue with this helmet was that nothing political can be brought into the events, and Herakevych’s helmet had images of 20 deceased Ukrainian athletes and coaches. Herakevych rejected the claim that he wore the helmet for political purposes, arguing that he did so to honor the dead.