Most popular Winter Olympics events
The Winter Olympics began in 1924 and have been growing by leaps and bounds ever since. Like its summer cousin, there are some events that capture the imagination of sports fans more than others. These events draw the most viewers and get the most airtime on television.
It would be safe to say that of the 15 events featured in the Winter Olympics, the following are the most popular:
Figure skating
Always a fan favorite, figure skating has a number of categories where enthusiasts eagerly watch every turn on the ice. The categories are:
-Singles (men and women): the skaters perform beautiful turns and jumps to the beat of the music.
-Dance on Ice: Mixed couples perform to the sound of music. An important aspect of this discipline is that the man must not lift his partner higher than his shoulders.
-Couples: Similar to Ice Dancing in that it involves couples.
In the men’s event, the US has always done well, winning more gold medals than any other country. The costumes are as much a part of the charm of this event as the grace displayed by the figure skaters.
Alpine skiing (slalom)
Added to the Winter Olympics in 1936 in Germany, this sport has a number of categories that are easy for fans to understand. Its hair-raising turns and super-fast speeds have made it one of the most popular events at the Winter Olympics. Skiers have been known to reach speeds of almost 81 miles per hour.
One of the features that makes this event so popular is that skiers, despite their speed, must pass through a series of gates as they descend what is known as a vertical drop. If a gate is missed, the competitor has to go back up and through the gate or face disqualification. This event is definitely not for the faint of heart.
Alpine skiing includes:
-Giant slalom
-Slalom
-Super G (also known as Super Giant Slalom)
-Downhill
-Super Combined
Both men’s and women’s events have the same appeal to viewers. Not surprisingly, the top three countries over the years have been Austria, Switzerland and France.
Ski (freestyle)
The dizzying jumps and turns keep viewers enthralled as they watch skiers perform almost unbelievable feats. Aside from the beauty of the man versus nature display, spectators hold their breath at the unspeakable spills that are an integral part of freestyle skiing.
men’s ice hockey
This event may well be the most popular of the winter games. He hasn’t fallen out of favor since the start of the event. In fact, this is just one of the original six sports that kicked off the Winter Games.
Curling
This event became an official game at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Prior to this, it was a demonstration game, also known as “Ice Chess” due to its use of strategy. There are two events, men’s and women’s, although an unsuccessful bid was made to add a mixed doubles category for the upcoming 2010 Games in Vancouver, Canada.
Bobsled or Bobsleigh is also quite popular and always attracts a sizeable audience. It has been part of the Winter Olympics since the beginning. The three events are the two-man, two-woman and four-man races, with the four-man event generally being the most popular.
Overall, the honor of winning the most gold medals at the Winter Olympics goes to Norway, followed by the United States of America. The Winter Olympics, while not as popular as the Summer Olympics, have grown steadily over the years to capture a sizable audience.