With Brazil entering the joyous throes of Carnival, Alpine ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen on Saturday gave it another reason to celebrate — an Olympic medal. It was the first-ever medal at the Winter Games for any country in South America. And not just any medal: Gold.

Davidson College Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics Allison Smith examines the "distant echoes" of the original Olympic Games and how they compare to the modern global competition. The discussion explores the evolution of the games from a sacred religious sanctuary at Olympia to today's "moving circus" of international host cities.

The word "Olympics" is rooted in ancient Greece. In Greek mythology, the gods would descend from Mount Olympus into the town of Olympia to gather and socialize with humans, according to Matthew Llewellyn, co-director of the Center for Sociocultural Sport and Olympic Research at California State University, Fullerton.

Japan hailed a "new chapter" in the country's figure skating on Tuesday after Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara pulled off a stunning comeback to claim pairs gold at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. It was the first time Japan had won an Olympic figure skating pairs medal of any colour.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games are transforming Northern Italy-and what they're leaving behind will last for generations. We spent a week on the ground exploring the Olympic legacy in action: an Olympic Village becoming homes for 1,

Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated skier of all time, last won a medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.