The Latest News from the 2022 Winter Olympics

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The Winter Olympics have been one of the major highlights of 2022 so far, as world-class athletes from 84 countries have competed in 15 winter events over the last three weeks. Whether you haven’t had a chance to watch the Olympics at all or you just want a refresher on the current standings, read on below for the latest news.

Current Standings

As of today, February 16th, Norway is leading the Olympics with 13 gold medals, seven silver medals, and eight bronze medals. Norway is followed by Germany with 10 gold medals, six silver medals, and four bronze medals. Holding third place is currently the United States, with eight gold, seven silver, and four bronze medals.

Making up the rest of the top ten are China, Austria, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the Russian Olympic Committee, and France. At the most recent Winter Olympics in 2018, the top three teams were Norway, Germany, and Canada.

Team USA

So where do Team USA’s medals come from? As of now, the team’s eight gold medals comprise three for snowboarding, two for freestyle skiing, one for figure skating, one for speed skating, and one for bobsledding. 

The U.S. tends to perform better in the Olympics than in the Winter Olympics, and the team won the Tokyo Olympics last year with a final medal count of 39 gold, 41 silver, and 33 bronze. Their performance so far in this year’s Winter Olympics has been outstanding, and they still have a shot to pull ahead of Germany for the second-place spot.

The leader

In characteristic fashion, Norway is again head and shoulders above the competition in this year’s Winter Olympic Games. Norway has won more medals in the Winter Olympics than any other country, with a whopping 329 medals over the 24 Winter Olympics that have been held. Norway is one of only three countries in the world to hold more medals in the Winter Olympics than the summer ones.

Norway has currently won gold medals in the biathlon, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, nordic combined, ski jumping, and speed skating. Norway’s consistent dominance in the Winter Olympics every four years might be partially due to the country’s climate, which is much more conducive to winter sports than the summer sports of the regular Olympic Games. 

Shaun White

One of the biggest news pieces from this year’s Olympics is the retirement of legendary snowboarder Shaun White. At 35 years old, Shaun has decided that this year’s Olympics will be his last competition. He entered the Olympics with three gold medals in half-pipe snowboarding.

Concerns over athletes’ accommodations 

Multiple athletes from the USA as well as other countries have raised concerns about their accommodations in the Beijing hotels where athletes who contract COVID-19 are sent. These Olympians have mentioned a short supply of low-quality food and a lack of access to training equipment.

When will the Winter Olympics end?

The 2022 Winter Olympics will end this Sunday, February 2022. The closing ceremony will begin at 7 a.m. EST, and you can watch it live on NBC or at nbcolympics.com.