Introduction
The 2026 Winter Olympics are right around the corner, so here’s some of the most popular sports to be sure to watch, according to the EPHS students who voted. A Google Form was sent out to get the opinions from students about which sports they like the most out of the sports played throughout the Winter Olympics. Results showed that the most popular sports are snowboarding, ice hockey, ski jumping, figure skating, and bobsleigh.
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is the most anticipated sport in the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to the EPHS students who voted. Out of all the students who took our survey, 87% of people voted for snowboarding as one of the top Winter Olympic sports. When snowboarding was first introduced, it slowly climbed to the top and took over skiing with its popularity.
(Matt Zombonin)
Ice hockey
Ice hockey came in second place with 60.9% of the EPHS students voting for it. Ice hockey is one of the older sports that were introduced to the Olympics. This sport has been a part of the Olympics since 1924, and it has been a top favorite for fans. Ice hockey is a sport that requires an immense amount of skill and concentration as you have to be able to skate well while also focusing on scoring with a small hockey puck.
Ski jumping
(kyodo news)
Ski jumping is the third most popular sport, getting 56.5% of votes from EPHS students. Ski jumping can be very dangerous because, if you land in a certain way, you can fall and injure yourself. Ski jumping begins with 50 athletes in the first round, but only the top 30 advance to the next round. Athletes are scored by the length and style of their jumps, which are evaluated by judges.
Figure Skating
With 56.5% of votes by EPHS students, figure skating is tied for the third most popular sport.
Figure skating is the oldest sport of the Winter Olympics. It was first introduced in 1908 and again in 1920. Figure skating is divided into 5 disciplines: men’s and women’s singles, pairs, ice dance, and the team competition. Each event is scored by a panel of 9 judges. The score is based on the quality of execution and the artistic elements of creativity.
Bobsleigh
With 45.8% of student votes, bobsleigh was the 5th most popular sport. There are multiple different ways that this event is run: you can compete by yourself or in a group of two or four. These teams work together as the first person in the order uses ropes inside of the bobsleigh to steer. The men behind use their weight to steer and stay as low as possible to maintain speed and allow the person in front to have the best possible chance to steer with control. People who participate in this event wear many different kinds of protective gear as crashing in this sport is very dangerous given the speed they are going.
Conclusion
We hope that you have learned more about each of these sports. Make sure to tune in to the 2026 Winter Olympics, which begin February 6, 2026.
Works Cited
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Sports (Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Sports, n.d.)
