The 2018 Winter Olympics will be televised for all the world to see and we’re all wondering what to expect. Perhaps you have followed the Olympic Games most of your life or maybe you are a relative newcomer to the myriad of different games that play themselves out on global television. Either way, this year is going to be different from Olympic Games that have been played in the past. In reality, there are many changes that are likely to have a very big impact on the Games themselves. Below are five of the changes that are bound to make things more interesting, whether or not you have a tendency to watch the Olympic Games with any regularity.
1. New sports have been added
Before you get terribly excited, understand that the four new events that are being added to the 2018 Olympic Games are really just offshoots of events that already exist. You might find that you really enjoy some of them and others might be the cure for insomnia. Whatever your opinion might be, you can now watch Big Air Snowboarding as opposed to just watching regular snowboarding, as well as Freestyle Skiing, Mass Start Speed Skating and Mixed Doubles Curling.
2. Russia won’t be dominating the Olympics this year
It wasn’t all that long ago that Russia made headlines in the news because they had been banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics. This announcement came on the heels of a rather long investigation that centered on the fact that an overwhelming number of Russian athletes were testing positive for doping. In fact, the situation became so severe that those in charge of the Olympic Games made the decision to ban Russia as a country from the Winter Olympics in order to make a point that doping would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
3. There won’t be any hockey this year, either
If you have always enjoyed watching your favorite hockey teams duke it out at the Winter Olympics, you are in for a big disappointment this time around. The last time the Winter Olympics were played, many hockey teams were frustrated by the need to participate because they felt that it completely disrupted their regular season. As such, there won’t be any hockey at the Olympic Games this year. This is undoubtedly a big change, but it might be one that fans have to get used to on a permanent basis. Only time will tell.
4. North Korea will be competing
It seems like North Korea is in the news on an almost daily basis, especially given the relationship between North Korea and the United States. With all that being said, North Korea has announced that it will be sending its athletes to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics. This announcement made waves because for a long time, there was serious doubt that anyone from the country would be allowed to compete in any capacity.
5. Transgender athletes will be allowed to Showcase their talents
This will be the first year that the Olympic Games has allowed transgender athletes to compete. This is a big step forward, not only for competition athletes, but for everyone that identifies as transgender. It represents getting one more step closer to true equality for everyone, not just the people that fit into someone else’s tidy little box.
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