BLUF: More than Medals
The 2026 Winter Olympics has seen new athletic records, first-time country winners, and devastating injuries. The Steer PR team has been donning red, white, and blue all week, equally amused and confused by events like the ski mountaineering debut.
Despite the stunning feats that challenge the bounds of human physiology, most media engagement has focused on the stories behind the athletes. This comes as no surprise – there’s only so much the layperson can debate between degrees of athletic perfection. Humans are most drawn to human (and sometimes Czechoslovakian wolfdog) stories.
Dr. Regina Martínez Lorenzo, for example, didn’t win a medal, but instead captivated the world with her story: she first clicked into skis at 28 years old during her medical internship in Minnesota, and went on to be Mexico’s first female cross-country skier. American Elana Meyers Taylor's monobob gold medal is impressive in itself, but she captivated social media channels as the oldest Winter Olympic champion in an individual event and mother of two children–one with Down syndrome, and both deaf.
Aside from one Canadian curling faux-pas, the controversies also haven’t been around the actual games. The IOC disqualified Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych over a helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes who have died due to causes related to the war. Debate over freestyle skier Eileen Gu’s choice to represent China has risen to the very top, prompting comments from VPOTUS Vance this week.
The IOC’s Olympic Charter mandates political neutrality. But to pretend that one of humanity’s most broadcast international gatherings is somehow politically-neutral is a stretch. Even “enforcing neutrality” is a political act, let alone through a heavy-handed IOC. As a public, international forum – which the Olympics are – it’s best to keep the bureaucrats out of it and just let the individuals, nations, and fans sort it out on the field. Or track. Or sheet.
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