Winter Olympics

Figure skating at the Olympic winter games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1936

A Brief History of Women’s Figure Skating

You might be surprised to learn that this sport where women now shine was initially seen as solely the purview of male athletes

Skiing robots will race in a sideline competition.

Meet the Robots of the 2018 Olympics

The Pyeongchang games will have bots to clean, dance, serve drinks, provide translation and more

Jim Martinson using his sit ski at Crystal Mountain Resort, Washington

The Unbreakable Spirit of American Paralympians Is Embodied in These Artifacts

Smithsonian’s Sports History collections honor the indomitable innovators of the Paralympic community

Olympic Dreams by Neil Leifer, 1984

These Portraits Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of What It Means to Be an Olympian

From Sonja Henie to Shaun White, see these rare images from the collections of the National Portrait Gallery

Mass start speed skating sounds like chaos.

A Primer on the Four Olympic Events Debuting in Pyeongchang

The Winter Games hope to stay popular, with new disciplines that create shareable videos or feature men and women competing together

Behold, the unsung hero of the Winter Olympic Games: ice.

The Slick Science of Making Olympic Snow and Ice

Crafting the ideal ice rink or bobsled course takes patience, precision and the skill of an Ice Master

We've got you covered.

Five Whimsical Words of the Winter Olympics, from 'Skeleton' to 'Salchow'

The sports are hard. The words are harder. We're here to help

The spandex in Under Armor suits U.S. speedskaters will wear has a slightly gritty texture, which designers claim makes them more aerodynamic by breaking the vacuum that can form around skaters’ arms and legs.

Look at the High-Tech Gear Olympians Will Be Wearing

From jackets heated with electronic ink to personal airbags for skiers, these are some of the most innovative wearables you'll be seeing in PyeongChang

Ice skates signed and worn by Sonja Henie, the Norwegian figure skater who was instrumental in popularizing the sport. Her impressive array of spins and jumps won her three Olympic gold medals.

The First Ice Skates Weren’t for Jumps and Twirls—They Were for Getting Around

Carved from animal shin bones, these early blades served as essential winter transport

A flag with Korean peninsula unification symbol at the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Is Reunification Possible for North and South Korea?

North Korea has taken up the South's invitation to the Olympics, but a quick look at the history suggests that unity is not as close as it may seem

The National Aquatics Center is where Michael Phelps earned his eight gold medal during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Today it's been transformed into the Happy Magic Water Cube, one of Asia’s largest waterparks.

Four Olympic Stadiums With Unexpected Afterlives

What happens to old Olympics facilities after the medals have all been awarded?

The Buddhist Sculpture Gallery at the National Museum of Korea.

Seven Must-See Museums in South Korea

Get cultured while you’re in the country for the Winter Olympics

KoChix’s signature fried chicken

How Korean Fried Chicken, AKA "Candy Chicken" Became a Transnational Comfort Food

A new Smithsonian Folklife Project, Forklife, traces the journeys of immigrant food traditions taking root in the United States

Chaunté Lowe, who placed sixth in the high jump in the 2008 Beijing Games, is now a bronze medalist

New Doping Tests Are Turning Past Runners-Up Into Olympic Medalists

Over 75 medal winners from the 2008 and 2012 games have been busted for doping, scrambling the Olympic record books

The Olympics' highest honor is named for Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games

This Olympic Medal Is Even Harder to Win Than the Gold

The International Olympic Committee values sportsmanship above all else

Federal Corrections Instiution, Ray Brook, is housed inside the former Olympic Village for the 1980 games in Lake Placid

Why the 1980 Olympic Village Is Now a Prison

It’s one way to deal with leftover infrastructure

Scenes from the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

The Rise of the Modern Sportswoman

Women have long fought against the assumption that they are weaker than men, and the battle isn’t over yet

Are the Fancy New Curling Brooms Fair? Robots and Lasers Will Help Figure It Out

So-called “Frankenbrooms” are causing tension amongst the world's curlers

Russia's Anna Sidorova plays during the 2014 World Women's Curling Championship.

The World of Competitive Curling Has Its Very Own Scandal

Is new technology too dominant for the Olympic sport?

London Paralympic winners.

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine May Be Derailing the Paralympics

As the rest of the world considers what to do about Russia’s military actions, the Paralympians find themselves in limbo

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