Previewing The 2026 Winter Olympics In Milan

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Previewing The 2026 Winter Olympics In Milan

Podcast: All Of It
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Matthew Futterman, Senior Writer, The Athletic
Date: February 5, 2026

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Overview

This episode of All Of It serves as a comprehensive preview of the 2026 Winter Olympics, about to kick off in Milan, Italy. Host Alison Stewart and guest Matthew Futterman, an on-the-ground reporter for The Athletic, discuss key Olympic storylines, athlete dramas, new sports, and the cultural context of these Games. From last-minute preparations to athlete comebacks and controversies, the episode gives listeners an inside look at what to watch—both in competition and behind the scenes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Milan’s Final Countdown: Last-Minute Preparations

• Organizational “Italian Charm”:
  • Matthew describes Olympic preparations as “seat of the pants,” especially in facilities like the hockey arena, which struggled to make ice just weeks before opening ([03:04]).
  • “It's all part of the charm. You sort of take it with the incredible food and the outrageous views and the beautiful scenery.” – Matthew Futterman ([04:14])
• The Alpine skiing events take place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a mountain resort town adjusting as it goes.

International Tensions: The Olympics in a Divided World

• Athletes (Still) Represent the Flag:
  • Matthew notes that U.S. athletes are navigating complicated feelings abroad amidst America’s tense global standing.
  • Highlights a post from Jesse Diggins, U.S. cross-country skiing star, on representing “an America that stands for peace and love” ([04:43]).
  • “It's a little weird being an American abroad these days. America's doing a lot of things that I would say are complicated, to say the least.” – Matthew Futterman ([05:55])

Norwegian Ski Jumping Scandal (“Crotchgate”)

• Cheating in Ski Jumping:
  • Norwegian coaches were caught sewing extra material into competitors’ suit crotches, creating a “sail” effect for longer jumps ([07:06]).
  • A whistleblower filmed the act, resulting in an 18-month ban for coaches, while athletes were cleared to compete.
  • “Here we are where we're usually talking about the Russians cheating. And, you know, right now we're talking about how Norway cheated…” – Matthew Futterman ([08:45])

Lindsey Vonn: Comeback Queen Against the Odds

• Skiing on a Torn ACL at 41:
  • Despite a crash and ruptured ACL a week before the Games, Lindsey Vonn is set to compete ([09:11]).
  • Lindsay’s recovery is unusual—no swelling, and potential pre-existing damage.
  • “She has, like, the strongest legs in sports… She's a superstar and she just brings people into her sport who would never otherwise watch it.” – Matthew Futterman ([10:33])
• On Age and Skiing:
  • “I'm going to say 100% no, because she's the leader in the downhill this season. She's winning every week… She's absolutely unbelievable.” – Matthew Futterman on whether 41 is too old for elite skiing ([11:17])

Mikaela Shiffrin’s Resurgence

• From Injury to Podium:
  • Shiffrin is in top form, especially in slalom. Her giant slalom comeback follows a dramatic crash and PTSD symptoms in 2024 ([13:07]).
  • “She really could not be coming into Olympics in a better position… She expects a lot of herself in addition to other people expecting a lot of her.” ([14:42])

The Arrival of Ski Mountaineering

• What Is It?
  • Athletes “run up the mountain” with “skins” attached to skis, then ski down. No chairlifts, just brute strength ([15:17]).
  • “It's sort of what I think is probably the most tiring Olympic event I could possibly imagine.” – Matthew Futterman ([15:51])

American Figure Skating Standouts & “Minions” Drama

• Next-Gen Stars:
  • Ilya Malinin and Alyssa Liu, both reigning world champions and children of immigrants, are top U.S. hopefuls ([17:09]).
  • “It’s an interesting moment for America to be embracing these two children of immigrants… These ones are gonna be right in front of your face for a really long time.” – Matthew Futterman ([17:46])
• Spanish “Minions” Routine Controversy:
  • The Spanish skater’s Minions-inspired program, including yellow overalls, faces possible music rights hurdles. “Free the Minions is my position on this.” – Matthew Futterman ([18:54])

Bobsledding and Athlete Health

• Jamaica’s Ongoing Bobsled Story:
  • The team continues to impress; listener affection for “Cool Runnings” is noted ([19:12]).
• Health Warning:
  • Serious concerns about long-term brain injuries like CTE in bobsled and skeleton sports ([20:27]).
  • “What neurologists have compared it to… not shaking baby syndrome, but shaking adult syndrome.” ([20:46])
  • “Several suicides among these sliding sport athletes in the last 10 years, including Steve Holcomb…” ([20:30])

Curling’s Curious Appeal

• Curling’s Cult Following:
  • U.S. mixed doubles curling success highlighted ([21:07]).
  • Curling fame is fleeting and quirky: “You’re an Olympic hero yesterday, and today you’re back in the back of the plane…” ([21:52])

Hockey Returns—with NHL Stars (But No Russia)

• NHL Back in Action:
  • NHL players return after missing recent Games due to COVID-era logistics and lack of incentive for the league ([22:34]).
  • Hockey tournament will lack a Russian national team, due to the ongoing ban stemming from the Ukraine invasion ([23:40]).
  • “Russian athletes had to get special approval… to compete as neutral athletes… It's very symbolic.” ([24:02])

Snowboarding and Biathlon Highlights

• Biathlon’s Party Reputation:
  • "It's the best party at the Olympics… There's cowbells... It's also the only Olympic sport where America has never won a medal." ([25:23])
  • U.S. medal hope: Campbell Wright, New Zealand transplant.
• Chloe Kim’s Three-Peat Bid:
  • “Don’t bet against Chloe Kim.” She’s “all grown up now, going for a third straight gold medal.” ([26:13])

The Magic of the Italian Alps

• Why These Games Feel Different:
  • “Now we're in the Italian Alps, the Dolomites, and it's pretty magical here. There's just Olympic sports fans everywhere… it's going to have that real organic feel that has been missing from the Olympics for quite some time.” – Matthew Futterman ([27:13])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Italian Olympic Preparation:
  “It's all part of the charm. You know, you sort of take it with the incredible food and the outrageous views and the beautiful scenery.” – Matthew Futterman [04:14]

• Jesse Diggins’ Message:
  “No one gets to tell her what America she is representing. Like, she is representing an America that stands for peace and love…” – Paraphrased [04:43]

• Crotchgate Explaned:
  “Are we allowed to talk about, you know, the male anatomy and, you know... Cause that's the area that this scandal has to do with.” – Matthew Futterman [06:43]

• On Lindsey Vonn’s Longevity:
  “I'm going to say 100% no, because she's the leader in the downhill this season. She's winning every week or getting on the podium…” – Matthew Futterman [11:17]

• On New Sports (Ski Mountaineering):
  “You run up the mountain… it's probably the most tiring Olympic event I could possibly imagine.” – Matthew Futterman [15:51]

• On Immigrant Athlete Impact:
  “In a lot of ways like without embracing people from other places, you know, we don't really have sports stars…” – Matthew Futterman [17:58]

• On the Magic of Milan:
  “Now we're in the Italian Alps, the Dolomites… it's going to have… that real organic feel that has been missing from the Olympics for quite some time.” – Matthew Futterman [27:13]

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Timeline of Important Segments

• 00:38-02:27 – Episode intro, Olympic preview, headlines, guest intro
• 03:04-04:23 – Olympic preparation and Italian “last-minute” style
• 04:23-06:09 – U.S. athletes and international relations
• 06:43-08:54 – Norwegian ski jumping scandal explained
• 08:54-12:09 – Lindsey Vonn’s torn ACL comeback and discussion of athletic longevity
• 13:07-15:05 – Mikaela Shiffrin’s injury, recovery, and expectations
• 15:17-16:16 – Introduction of ski mountaineering
• 17:09-18:32 – American figure skating stars
• 18:32-19:02 – Minions music drama (Spanish skater)
• 19:12-20:59 – Jamaican bobsled team and athlete safety in sliding sports
• 21:07-22:23 – Curling’s brief popularity
• 22:34-24:02 – NHL stars return to Olympics, Russian ban
• 25:02-26:36 – Biathlon’s American hope and Chloe Kim’s medal chances
• 26:40-28:03 – Why these Games will have unique atmosphere (Italian Alps “magic”)

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Final Thoughts

This lively conversation balances breaking news, athlete profiles, humor, and critical context (from political dynamics to sports safety). Both host and guest keep the tone accessible, informative, and enthusiastic—perfect for listeners eager to follow the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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Transcript

[WNYC Announcer]

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart. Thanks for sharing part of your day with us. I'm really grateful that you're here. Here's a little peek at what team all of it is working on for next week. On Monday, we'll talk with Aldolfo Veloso, the cinematographer behind the best picture nominated period drama Train Dreams, as part of our Oscar series. On Tuesday, we'll talk Chris Jennings, whose new book explores the Ruby Ridge standoff gone very wrong. The book is called End of Days, Ruby Ridge, the Apocalypse and the Unmasking the Unmaking of America. And on Wednesday, I'll speak with artist Carolyn Mazloomi about her quilting and textile show. Certain restrictions do apply. Her work uses fabric arts to explore the narratives of black history. That is what is coming up next week. But to kick off this hour, we're heading to Milan. You knew we had to do it tomorrow. The 2026 Winter Olympics kick off in Milan, Italy. Some of the best athletes in the.

[WNYC Host]

World are headed there to compete in figure skating, skiing, ice hockey, snowboarding, and of course, everyone's favorite CR curling. But some drama has begun even before the opening ceremonies. The Norwegian ski jumping team has been caught in a cheating scandal. US Skin skiing gold medalist Lindsey Vaugh has announced she'll be competing with a torn acl. And one figure skater is fighting to have his routine approved. And it involves the minions, as in the cartoon characters.

[Alison Stewart]

You don't want to make the minions cry.

[WNYC Host]

Joining us now to give us a preview of what events and athletes to look out for at this Winter Olympics is Matthew Futterman, a senior rider for the Athletic who is in Milan as we speak. Hi, Matt.

[Matthew Futterman]

Hi, Alison. How are you? I'm just gonna warn you, I'm not a massive figure skating expert, so I don't have the insider scoop on that minions controversy.

[WNYC Host]

We'll be gentle with you. First of all, what sense do you get how the preparations have been going in Milan?

[Matthew Futterman]

Yeah, I think they were last minute as everyone Expected, which is sort of par for the course with both the Olympics these days and also just major events. There's a lot of stuff you really, like, can't do really far in advance, like Cortina d', Impezo, which is this tiny town in northeast Italy which is hosting Alpine skiing and a number of other things. You know, the town just sort of, like, has to operate and be a winter resort community. And so a lot of the stuff they've been doing has been going on for the last few months. So it's been a little seat of the pants in terms of some of the facilities, especially the hockey arena, where they were struggling to make ice about six weeks ago. You know, but it's like I said, I think a lot of people sort of expected this, and it was sort of what was going to come with coming to a country that. With a reputation for doing things at the last minute.

[WNYC Host]

Oh, I remember in 2006, during. I went to Torino, and they were, like, literally painting. Like, when we showed up, they were, like, painting the light. The light posts.

[Matthew Futterman]

Yeah, it's all. It's all part of the charm. You know, you sort of. You sort of take it with the incredible food and the outrageous views and the beautiful scenery.

[WNYC Host]

I do want to ask about U.S. tensions before we get into sports. There have been tensions with the U.S. government and leadership and governments in Europe nations of late, especially in the wake of President Trump's push for the US to acquire Greenland. Do you get any sense about what kinds of international tension there might be?

[Matthew Futterman]

So I think the tension that I think I'm most sensitive to is the athletes who are representing the flag and what that means in a world where America has become a little bit of a pariah, maybe a lot of a pariah in many ways. And, you know, I think there was a really interesting post that Jesse Diggins put up. The star cross country skier and, you know, Olympic medalist multiple times and a real leader of Nordic skiing. And I think, you know, a lot of other US Athletes look up to her, and she posted about how, like, no one gets to tell her what America she is representing. Like, she is representing an America that stands for peace and love, and knowing that there's lots of people who stand for all of those things, and that's what she wants people to see her as representing. And I think that was. I thought that was sort of a poignant thing to say, because it is difficult. I mean, you know, I'm an American. I was in Australia covering the Australian open terrace tennis. Excuse me, over the last few weeks. And I came right here and, you know, it's a little weird being an American abroad these days. America's doing a lot of things that I would say are complicated, to say the least.

[Alison Stewart]

We're discussing the 2026 Winter Olympics. They kick off tomorrow in Milan, Italy. My guest is Matthew Futterman, senior writer for the Athletic. And listeners, we want to hear from you, what events are you most excited for at this Olympics? Our number is 212-433-9621-2433. WNYC One controversy that has happened before the Games even started has been this cheating scandal among Norwegian ski jumpers. Can you get us up to speed what's happened here?

[Matthew Futterman]

So, I mean, I think we have to offer a warning here. Are we allowed to talk about, you know, the male anatomy and, you know. Cause that's the area of. That's the area that this scandal has to do it.

[Alison Stewart]

So the word I'm looking at, my.

[Matthew Futterman]

Word, C R O T, C H is going to be used in the next 60 seconds.

[Alison Stewart]

That's fine. That's not on my list of seven words that you can say, you can't say. So crotch is fine.

[Matthew Futterman]

Okay, so basically what happened was last year at the World Championships, Norway got caught sewing extra material into the crotch area of its ski jumping suits. Because the ski jumping suit sort of acts like a sail on a sailboat. When ski jumpers go off the jump, the bigger the sail, the more wind it can catch, the farther that the jumper flies. So they were sewing these special threads in there that would allow it to expand. There was a whistleblower who filmed them, who filmed the coaches through a curtain sewing this stuff in the night before, I think the final competition. And turn that over both to the media and the officials in ski jumping. And all hell broke loose in both ski jumping and Norway, which has a very sort of buttoned up reputation for not cheating and not caring so much about winning, even though they're the most successful winter sports, Winter Olympic sports country in the history of the Olympic Games. And so, yes, we have these jumpers who were exonerated and claimed that they had no idea that their coaches were doctoring their suits. They will be competing. The coaches, however, have received an 18 month ban from any competition. They've lost their job. It's unclear what their future in sports is going to be. And so here we are where we're usually talking about the Russians cheating. And, you know, right now we're talking about how Norway cheated and what will now Happen.

[Alison Stewart]

Some big news came out this week. Skiing star Lindsey Vaughn revealed that she has torn her acl. She had a crashing five or six days ago, but she still plans to compete in the Olympics. Given the crash, how realistic is that for her?

[Matthew Futterman]

So it'll be. We'll know a lot more on Friday after she does her first training run. That was supposed to be today, Thursday, but it snowed a lot. And they, you know, they have to make the downhill track really, really flat and hard for safety reasons, and so they weren't able to do that today. You know, it sounds completely crazy that she ruptured her ACL and is going to ski on it a week later. But first of all, she has, like, the strongest legs in sports, so that's one thing. Second of all, she has no swelling, which is really interesting because those injuries tend to bleed and swell a lot initially. Hers does not. It did not. Which some doctors I've talked to said suggest that it might already have been somewhat ruptured. And so now it just went fully ruptured. She's had lots of horrendous injuries. She said she's on a partial knee replacement in her right knee. She's got a lot of titanium in there, but this is on her left knee. She says that she has skied on it wearing a brace. It feels stable and she's desperate to go for it. At 41 years old, it's sort of an improbable comeback as it is. She came back in 2024, had a frustrating season, but this year is the dominant downhill skier in the world once more. And so this crash and the subsequent injury was just a huge heartbreaker for her and for lots of people who are very invested in her comeback, which is really stirring. And she's a superstar and she brings, she's just one of these athletes that just brings people into her sport who would never otherwise watch it.

[WNYC Host]

I feel sort of, I don't know if this is the right question to ask, but she's 41 years old. Is that too old for her to ski? And on the level she's skiing, I'm.

[Matthew Futterman]

Going to, I'm going to say 100% no, because she's, she's the, she's the leader in the downhill this season. I mean, she's winning every week or getting on the podium every week. She's, she's absolutely unbelievable. And so. And the fact that she ruptured her ACL, she crashed and ruptured it. There's a 23 year old or 22 year old member of the US team, Lauren Masuga, who ruptured her ACL in December and she underwent surgery and she's not here. So it's a very common injury for people who ski 80 miles an hour if they crash. So this has nothing to do with age. This just has everything to do with a sport that has a 100% injury rate. And the injuries can be really bad because they're flying down an icy mountain at 80 miles an hour.

[WNYC Host]

Someone just texted Lindsay, I'm rooting for her as hard as humanly possible.

[Matthew Futterman]

See, there you go. That's what I'm talking about. I mean, like, she and I, I wouldn't be surprised if that person who texted you, like, hasn't. Has barely watched a ski race. Like, you know, my wife never watches ski races and she was heartbroken about Lindsey Vaughn.

[WNYC Host]

We're talking to Matthew Futterman, senior writer for the Athletic. We're discussing the 2026 Winter Olympics, which kick off tomorrow in Milan, Italy. We want to hear from you. What events are you most excited for this Olympics? Our number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC US skier Michaela Schifrin is the most decorated skier ever, but she has not had as much success at the Olympics and she also has some serious injuries. How is she looking going into this Games, into these Games?

[Matthew Futterman]

She's looking great. She's had a really good season, especially in slalom, which is her specialty. She's winning all the time, like Lindsey Vonn or landing on the podium all the time. The big question is how she'll do in giant slalom, which is a faster race. It's a race that she wiped out pretty badly in, in November, or Maybe it was December 1st. It was either November 30th or December 1st of 2024 in Killington, Vermont, in a race. And she ended up with a puncture wound in her abdomen, probably from either the gate or her pole. No one can really figure it out. Even she doesn't know. She's quite frustrated by that. Even though she's better now. She missed most of last season and then when she came back, she suffered symptoms of PTSD when she was doing giant slalom. It's been a long road back in that event. She was just uncomfortable and scared of going fast and her brain was sort of telling her not to do it. And so. But she actually landed on a podium recently in giant slalom. So, you know, she really could not be coming into Olympics in a better position that of course, raises expectations, and those expectations were pretty crushing four years ago when she, you know, crashed in three races in Beijing. That was a different time. Her father had died not so long before. She had a lot of stuff going on, I think, in retrospect, and it was very unfamiliar, uncomfortable place for her to be. So she's in a really good headspace now, hopefully, from what she says. And she's in a place that she loves in Cortina, Italy. I think most of the skiers love Cortina, Italy. There's a lot to love there. And so I think people. And she expects a lot of herself in addition to other people expecting a lot of her.

[Alison Stewart]

One more skiing question. There's a brand new sport called ski mountaineering. How is this sport different from other ski events already included in the Games?

[Matthew Futterman]

Well, you run up the mountain. I mean, no chairlifts allowed, basically. Wow. You know, you put these. You put these, what are called skins on the bottom of your skis. And you have to run up the mountain and then ski down. Obviously, you got to take the skins off because the skins are what makes your skis kind of stick to the snow and prevent you from sliding backwards as you're running up the mountain. So that's basically how the race goes. And it's sort of what I think is probably the most tiring Olympic event I could possibly imagine in the world. Unbelievable. Yeah, it's pretty outrageous. I mean, I have a friend who skins up mountains, and, you know, and I've passed many people doing it when I've been skiing, and, yeah, they're the sweatiest people on the mountain far. So, yeah, hats off to all the ski mountaineers out there.

[Alison Stewart]

We got a text that says, I watch skiing whenever I can. I'm an Olympics fanatic. We are talking about the 2026 Winter Olympics, which kick off tomorrow in Milan, Italy. My guest is Matthew Futterman, senior rider with the Athletic. After the break, we'll talk a little bit about snowboarding, a little bit about hockey, and just a little bit about figure skating. This is WNYC, and it is all of it. We're discussing the 2026 Winter Olympics, which kick off tomorrow in Milan, Italy. My guest is Matthew Futterman, senior writer for the Athletic. All right, you mentioned that you. You weren't completely up to date on figure skating, but who should we keep our eye open for?

[Matthew Futterman]

Yeah, I'm. I'm up to date enough to tell you to keep your eye open for Ilya Malinin and Alyssa Liu, who are the reigning World champions. They're Americans. Yeah, they're phenomenal athletes and phenomenal skaters. And you know, Malin basically does things that I think no skater has ever done before in terms of the number of rotations he does in the air. I think they're also both really interesting because they're both the children of immigrants. And you know, I think, you know, they're going to be highlighted on NBC and the American broadcast as much as any athletes are probably over the next week because, you know, figure skating gets a lot of eyeballs and so they show a lot of figure skating. And I think it's an interesting moment for America to be embracing these two children of immigrants and sort of understanding, you know, that in some ways without, in a lot of ways like without embracing people from other places, you know, we don't really have sports stars. They're all over the place these days and these ones are going to be right in front of your face for a really long time over the next two weeks. If you're watching, if you're watching the.

[WNYC Host]

Olympics, I'm going to ask you about a. The Spanish figure skater who made some ways for performing a Minions inspired routine, complete with overalls and a yellow shirt. He had been informed he might not be able to use the Minions music that he had been using for his routine. What is the status of the Minions routine, do you know?

[Matthew Futterman]

I don't know at this moment, but you know, free the Minions is my position on this.

[WNYC Host]

We got a text here that says I'm excited for the bobsledding and as a fan of cool runnings, I'm excited to see the Jamaican team that I hear has been killing it this season.

[Matthew Futterman]

Yeah, I mean the Jamaicans and bobsledding, who knew, right? Obviously they have a good history with that. Yeah, it's a fact. It's a, it's, it's, it can be an, a very exciting sport. I always, I mean, I honestly, I'm in a position where I know a little too much about bobsledding. I've done a lot of reporting over the years about the post concussion syndrome that a lot of bobsledders experience. Bobsledding has been sort of racked by athletes that have long term brain injuries. Skeleton is the same way. So, you know, in some ways I feel the same way watching bobsledding that I do about like watching football, which is a sense of like I enjoy it, but I also feel bad because I know that there's, you know, not great things going on. You know, the, those sleds they look very smooth on TV when they're going over the. Over the ice. But you know what neurologists have compared it to, you know, sort of not shaking baby syndrome, but shaking adult syndrome. I mean, that's what's really going on.

[WNYC Host]

So having CTE injuries.

[Matthew Futterman]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, Steve Holcomb, who. There's been. Yeah. I mean, there have been several suicides among these sliding sport athletes in the last 10 years, including Steve Holcomb, who was the pilot of, you know, one of the American bobsleds that won the gold medal, I think it was 2010. So it's. It's been a. It's. It's a problem for the sport, and it's something that they have to address. That they have to address. I think they're trying to address it.

[WNYC Host]

We got another text here that says, USA mixed doubles curling team won twice today. So that's good news.

[Matthew Futterman]

Yeah, I heard that. I was not there. I was not there, but I. But I heard that. So for all the curling fans out there, I've always been a little baffled by curling personally, but every four years, people get obsessed with curling. And. Yeah, I guess my. My main memory of curling is I was flying back from, I think, yeah, the Korea Olympics and the US had won a gold medal and a guy from, I think Minnesota had become, like a big star. And we were at the airport and he was on my flight and he was very upset that he wasn't in that. That there was no first class ticket available for him, that he was in the back. He was in the back of the plane with me, and he was sort of pleading with everybody with the people at the gate, and it was sort of like, yeah, I'm really sorry. Like, you were an Olympic hero yesterday, and today you're going back to the back of the plate and sorry. So it's very. It's sort of the ultimate sort of curling thing to me. People are fascinated with these people for two weeks every year and every four years, and then, yeah, we don't see a lot of curling.

[WNYC Host]

For the first time in a while, many National Hockey League top athletes will be competing in the Olympics. First of all, why weren't they included before?

[Matthew Futterman]

Well, the NHL has to stop its season in order for hockey players to participate. And that just didn't make sense for them. They didn't think when the Olympics were taking place in the COVID world of Beijing or in South Korea, where that's not really a big growth area for hockey, so it wasn't worth it for the NHL. But NHL players love to play Olympic hockey. They love to represent their countries, especially the Canadians, the Americans, the Czech team. I mean, hockey's huge in a lot of these Winter Olympic countries. And so that should be an incredibly spirited tournament with, you know, truly the best. The best. Most of the best hockey players in the world. No Russians, though. There would be no Russian team because the Russian. Russian athletes are banned from playing under their flag, and Russian teams are not allowed to compete as a nation.

[Alison Stewart]

Would you explain that for people?

[Matthew Futterman]

Well, Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and ever since then has been a real pariah of international sport. And what the IOC has decided was that while it's. It's. Well, it's sort of wrong to punish these athletes for the behavior of their government, there was sort of a statement that they needed to make. So Russian athletes had to get special approval. To compete as neutral. To be. To compete as neutral athletes essentially is not under any flag, which is. I. Which is, I. I guess, kind of. Kind of okay, but also kind of weird because everybody knows they're Russians anyway. So it's very symbolic, obviously. But to the extent that, you know, you want to have some leverage over Russia in whatever peace talks may or may not be happening right now, if it's an incentive for them to reenter the world of international sports, and that can help a little bit, I think probably people who support Ukraine like I do in this conflict are probably okay with it.

[Alison Stewart]

This text says, my favorite is the biathlon. Who came up with this race where you cross country, ski and shoot? Before we go, I wanted to ask you about snowboarding, Chloe Kim. A lot of people remember her as a fan favorite snowboarder who won two gold medals in 2022. How are her chances?

[Matthew Futterman]

Before. Before I talk about Chloe Kim, I want to just give a shout out to your listener who likes biathlon. It is an amazing sport. It's a great sport. It's the best party at the Olympics. Everybody's drunk at a biathlon race. Fun. There's cowbells. And this year, I mean, it's also the only Olympic sport where. America. Winter Olympic sport where the US has not won a medal. This year, the US Actually has a chance to win a medal. There's a guy named Campbell Wright who's good and occasionally gets onto podiums. He is a son of American parents, but grew up in New Zealand and was competing for New Zealand and now, but switched to compete for America because New Zealand doesn't really have any biathletes or biathlon. Federation and so he's someone to keep an eye on. He may just do it. So anyway, but moving on from Campbell Wright to Chloe Kim. Yeah, Chloe Kim, 25 years old, all grown up now, going for a third straight gold medal. Pretty incredible. And you know, I would argue don't bet against Chloe Kim anything that you're.

[Alison Stewart]

Really looking forward to this Olympics.

[Matthew Futterman]

I am so looking forward to the Olympics. Being in the heartland Winter Olympic sports. I, I came on to Olympic sports coverage in 2008, 2009. My first on the ground Olympics was in Vancouver, which was great, you know, the North American Rockies. Since then I was in Sochi, which is basically a summer resort and I was sweating in a T shirt while covering alpine skiing. Then went to South Korea, which, you know, doesn't have a great history of winter Olympic sports. Mostly man made snow. They're really good at short track speed skating. Then Beijing. I think enough said about Beijing and Winter Olympics and there were no spectators because of COVID and now we're in the Italian Alps, the Dolomites, and it's pretty magical here. There's incredible, it's just, it's just absolutely beautiful wherever you look. And there's just Olympic sports fans everywhere who are descending on this area. So it's going to have, I think that real organic feel that has been missing from the Olympics for quite some time.

[WNYC Host]

Matthew Futterman is a senior writer at the Athletics. He is following the Olympics, the 2026 Winter Olympics, which kick off tomorrow in Milan, Italy. Thanks for taking the time and have a great Olympics.

[Matthew Futterman]

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[WNYC Announcer]

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