Five Ring Circus

“Perhaps more than anything, the operas that Italians began creating 400 years ago are designed to make you feel. To have the rest of the world melt away as you get lost in a story sung in a language you might not understand, but whose stakes are unmistakable. No wonder the country that invented the art form where music and poetry merge, and these Winter Olympics seem to be such a perfect fit.” Bravo! Act I of the Winter Olympics’ visit to Italy has been filled with drama, catharsis and tears.

+ Apparently, amid all the drama, catharsis, and tears (and competition), athletes have found time for horizontal pursuits. Winter Olympic village runs out of condoms after three days.

+ “U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim’s quest for a historic Olympic halfpipe three-peat was foiled by none other than her teenage protégé. Kim took home silver, after 17-year-old Gaon Choi of South Korea rebounded from a dramatic crash to overtake her in the final run.” It’s still quite a result for Kim, who has an injured shoulder and barely competed at all leading up to the games. Besides, Chloe Kim’s smile will always be worthy of gold. (Note to Miles Garrett: I mean that in a purely platonic sense…)

+ “If you’ve watched even a small amount of figure skating at the Winter Olympics, you’ve probably seen Benoît Richaud. He’s the tall, slender, bald man sitting next to seemingly every athlete after they compete, when their scores are read aloud.” You may also notice that he wears a lot of different jackets. He coaches 16 skaters from 13 countries at the Winter Olympics.

+ High-Level, Actionable Insights From Watching Doubles Luge For The First Time. “Unlike other baffling Olympic sports like biathlon and curling, doubles luge has no legible explanation rooted in Scandinavian military training or bored Scottish people. Doubles luge appears to be the consequence of somebody watching luge and being struck by the idea of stacking another guy on top of the first guy. Apparently back then there were no bad ideas.”