Ernest Osogbue.
That the organizers of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, chose to hold the closing ceremony in Verona, 75 miles away from Milan, is another story on its own, suffice it to say that the Games came to a spectacular close yesterday, after two exciting weeks of competition. IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, proudly handed the Olympics flag to the French delegation, who would be hosting the next Games in 2030.
Like any Olympic Games, the Milano-Cortina Games, had it all, from spectacular performances, to politics, sex scandals, and controversies. In the end, however, sporting excellence, the real essence of the Games, stood tall, as exceptional performances on the ice, camaraderie, and the resilience of the athletes, spoke to the love, oneness, and unity of mankind.
Benin Republic, Guinea-Bissau, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), became the latest countries to debut at the Winter Games, as new entrants, by participating at the Winter Olympic Games, for the very first time. Ukrainian athlete, Vladyslav Heraskevych, who wished to compete for his country in the Skeleton, while wearing a memorial helmet with pictures of Ukrainian athletes killed in the invasion of his country by Russia, had his request denied by the IOC. Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has since awarded Hareskevych, a Ukrainian national honor for his efforts.
On the ice, Lucas Pinheiro, won South America’s first ever Winter Olympics gold medal, when he won the Giant Slalom, for Brazil. No other South American had previously won gold at the Winter Games. Elena Myers Taylor, of the US, became the oldest Winter Olympics gold medalist, when she won the Bobsleigh gold medal in the Monobob event for her country. The US Ice Hockey team, also made history, by defeating perennial champions, and arch rivals Canada, in overtime, to win gold. It marked the first US Ice Hockey gold medal since the 1980 Winter Games.
Outside the controversies in Figure Skating, between the Americans and the French, the accusations against the Canadians in Curling, the injury to the legendary American skier, Lindsey Vonn, who broke her leg on her first run in the women’s Super G, the biggest controversy, of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, centered around 22 year old Chinese athlete, Eileen Gu, the superstar skier, who is dividing opinions from Beijing to Washington DC.
Eileen Gu won 3 medals for China, a gold in the Half-Pipe, and two silver medals in Big-Air, and the Slopestyle. This adds to her two previous gold medals from the 2022 Winter Games, when she was only 18 years. The controversy, is not about Eileen’s medals, it is the fact that she has an American father, and a Chinese mother. She was born and raised in the US, lives with her parents in the US, but surprisingly, in 2019, when she was only 15, she switched her international sporting allegiance to China, and has been representing the communist country since that time. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and several other political figures, have challenged Gu about her allegiance, as a result of the rivalry between America and China. According to them, it is wrong for Gu to live in America, speak American, enjoy the freedoms and everything else that comes with being American, and then choose to represent a direct rival, who doesn’t believe in freedom. In 2025, Gu was named as one of the highest paid female athletes, behind only tennis stars, Coco Gauf, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka. She’s as famous in China, as she is in America. It remains to be seen how the Eileen Gu controversy plays out in real life as the years go by, what with the perennial political and economic rivalry between America and China.
Away from controversies, however, Norway maintained her stranglehold on the Winter Olympics, having won the last three editions. They continued in that tradition by topping the medals table with 18 gold, 12 silver, and 11 bronze. The US are in 2nd place, on 12 gold, 12 silver, and 9 bronze. The Netherlands came 3rd on 10 gold, 7 silver, and 3 bronze medals, with hosts Italy, recording their best ever performance, to finish 4th, with 10 gold, 6 silver, and 14 bronze medals. Africa as a whole, is yet to win a Winter Olympic Games medal, since the Games began in 1924.
The biggest challenge of the African continent concerning the Winter Olympic Games, however, is not for the lack of snow on the continent, but the laziness of African sports journalists. African sports journalists, know little or nothing about the Winter Olympic Games, and as a result, are unable to disseminate information about it and raise awareness on the continent. While the African diaspora is prepared to do its part to support the continent, unfortunately, however, the awareness is lacking. Kjnnetwork.com, the only Nigerian media outlet reporting on the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, wishes to commend the lone Nigerian representative at the Milano-Cortina Games, France based, Samuel Ikpefan, who represented Nigeria in Cross-Country Skiing. We also remember, and commend the leader of the 2018 Nigerian Bobsled team, Simidele Adeagbo, for her pioneering efforts. Going forwards, it is hoped that African journalists will remember that their primary assignment is to enlighten the people, and not only to report football and any other stories that enrich their pockets.
We hope to see you in the French Alps, in 2030, God willing.
