The Olympic Games are something have one makes sure they can sit down and enjoy. Every four years people sit down to watch the torch ceremony. This year over two hundred nations will send their best athletes to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea from February 9-25. The winter games have a total of fifteen different sports, some of these sports are more watched then others, but why are some getting more recognition than others. These sports include Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Nordic Combined, Short Track Speed Skating and Skeleton.

Most people are pretty capable of skiing, sledding or skating at the basic level, but most people would not be able to complete at the extreme level that the games are set. Some of the more overrated sports in the game are ice hockey, speed skating, snowboarding, and curling. It is not that the sports are too easy or do not require a lot of talent and skill, but that they get so much attention during the games. Snowboarding can be one of the more difficult sports because of the tricks in the halfpipe, but if finishing is the end goal you can just snowboard down the center of the halfpipe. According to USA Today, “The whole ‘no fighting’ thing [in hockey] is both a plus and minus. On one hand, it saves you from having to throw down or, more appropriately, from getting thrown down. On the other, it’s gotta be insanely difficult to play a game without wanting to start something.”

Speed Skating began as an efficient way to travel across frozen lakes and rivers and soon became apart of the games in 1924. The sport itself is a winter version of running sprints with skates attached to one’s feet. Curling has to be one of the easiest sports to be a part of the Olympic Games. USA Today noted that “the sweepers (the competitors who guide the stone by decreasing friction through vigorous brushing) don’t have much to do. It’s like shoveling the driveway, minus the physical exertion, sense of pride upon completion and ever-present threat of severe back injury.”

There are however multiple sports that do not get the credit they deserve. The biathlon is a combination of cross country skiing with rifle shooting. The event is a combination of freestyle skiing and then needing to hit five targets throughout the course. Figure skating is one of the more elegant sports in the games combining dance with skating. Ski jumping is one of the more intense sports and is done with the jumps being judged for the distance the athlete reached and the technique they used.

Regardless of how popular or intense the sport is in the games, each athlete works and trains countless hours to compete in the games. These athletes get an incredible opportunity to represent their country and a sport to which they dedicate themselves. Whether you are watching an event you thought was unappealing and never thought he/she would enjoy, one might discover it is the most intense event in the games.