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Fireworks fill the sky over the "Bird's Nest" arena in Beijing on January 30, 2022 Photo by Yang Wei/VCG via Getty Images
Special Report

The Beijing Winter Olympics

As you watch the Beijing Winter Olympics, enjoy this guide to the history, science and thrills of the worldwide athletic competition

Snowboarder Shannon Dunn competes for Team USA in the 1998 Winter Olympics, where she won the bronze medal in half-pipe.

Innovation

A Brief History of Snowboarding

Rebellious youth. Olympic glory. How a goofy American pastime conquered winter

Activists in London hold signs urging the BBC to boycott the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.

History

Is China Committing Genocide Against the Uyghurs?

The Muslim minority group faces mass detention and sterilization—human rights abuses that sparked the U.S.' diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics

In the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, the USA's Hannah Teter (above: in action during the women's snowboard halfpipe competition) took home silver. Her boots are now in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

At the Smithsonian

Meet the Trailblazers in Women’s Olympic Snowboarding

The careers of Shannon Dunn-Downing, Kelly Clark, Amy Purdy and Hannah Teter are recognized in the Smithsonian collections; learn their stories

For their scale, these microbes are faster and more resilient than any human athlete.

Science

If Microbes Entered the Olympics, These One-Celled Superstars Would Win Gold

They race, they spin, they shoot. Meet the organisms for which physical prowess is more than sport—it’s a matter of life and death

A skier takes advantage of several inches of snow covering blanketing the landscape, including trees that resemble piles of cotton balls, on Revelstoke Mountain in British Columbia.

Travel

These 15 Inspiring Images of Winter Sports Will Help You Rediscover Your Olympic Spirit

You don’t have to be an Olympian to enjoy these snowy activities

Brian Boitano wore these skates during the performance that earned him a gold medal in figure skating at the Calgary Games in 1988. The boots were made by Harlick & Company and the metal by John Wilson Blades.  

At the Smithsonian

See the Blades That Carried Boitano to Gold in the ‘Battle of the Brians’ in the 1988 Olympics

The American’s fabled rivalry with Canadian Brian Orser reached its pinnacle in Calgary on these skates, now part of the Smithsonian collection

Of these featured individuals, Benjamin Spock, Johnny Weissmuller and Harold Sakata medaled at the Olympics.

History

Ten Surprising Public Figures Who Dreamed of Olympic Gold

The list includes European royals, Darth Vader’s stunt double and an American World War II general

From the real reason behind the Games' collapse to a breakdown of who was eligible to compete, here's what you need to know about the ancient Olympics.

History

Nine Things You Didn’t Know About the Ancient Olympic Games

With an intensive athletes’ boot camp and the threat of execution for unwelcome spectators, the Greek sporting event was a serious affair

Ski jumpers use aerodynamics and physics to overcome gravity – at least for a while.

Science

The Freaky Physics of Ski Jump

Olympic ski jumpers do everything they can do counteract the effects of gravity and fly as far as they can down hills