While the Winter Olympics still remains in the shadow of its Summer brother, the Frozen version of the Olympiad has definitely become more popular in recent times with the IOC now starting to choose hosts from all over the world to host winter sport's premiere event, looking beyond Central Europe and North America at the emerging markets, e.g. Sochi, Pyeongchang.
However, this new era of expansion has come fraught with controversy, with the focus from the English speaking media around the location of this year's games - Black Sea resort of Sochi being so close to an active warzone, i.e. the area where the South Ossetia War between Russia and Georgia broke out in 2008 and the construction of many of the venues on sites once occupied by the Circassian people. There has also been much talk about Russia's human rights record and stance on homosexuals with the safety of many openly gay athletes in serious doubt.
And most people are still pissed off about the way they sent Pussy Riot to jail....
The worries will linger on but hopefully once the Games kick off on Friday, people can put those aside and focus on the high class sport on show.
Canada, the USA, Russia and the European nations should be thereabouts contesting for the top ten in the medal tally - the Russians will be keen to put on a good show in their first Olympics in the post-Soviet era and will hope to emulate the efforts of the Canadians in Vancouver 4 years ago where they finished top of the medal ladder after a slow start to the Games - of course that achievement was capped off by Canada's defeat of the USA in a thrilling ice hockey Final.
Speaking of ice hockey, Washington Capitals star, Alexander Ovechkin will be keen to follow Calgary Flames star, Sidney Crosby's achievement of winning gold at home - the Russian squad is full of talent based in the NHL and KHL and will be tough to beat. The ice hockey will probably be the sport I'll be most keen to follow at this games.
The other sport will be the free-style skiing with the Wells brothers from Wanaka, New Zealand competing this time - Jossi, the oldest, is a hot favourite to end New Zealand's medal drought at the Winter Olympics. Jossi is a star in his own right in the Winter X-Games so there will be immense pressure for him to shine as freestyle skiing makes it debut in the Olympics.
Another Winter X-Games star, Shaun White, will also feature although White has pulled out of the slopestyle after fears about the track following a massive crash that ended Norwegian Torstein Horgmo's Olympics. He will still contest the half pipe at this games - but naturally, the big star has attracted plenty of criticism from his competitors over his decision to pull out of the first ever slopestyle event at the Olympics.
One American who won't be at the Olympics is Lindsey Vonn. Vonn tore knee ligaments and broke a leg in the world championships in Austria so will not be defending her downhill gold medal - a blow for the sport who will be missing their biggest star.
Another sport I'd follow is Nordic biathlon - I quite enjoy seeing athletes cross country ski and then pick up a rifle and have a shot at the board.
So stay tuned for a lot more ice and snow over the next two weeks!
#Sochi2014
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