International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry suggested firing her communication and PR team during a press conference. 

Coventry held a press conference for the end of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Reporters asked her about FIFA President and IOC member Gianni Infantino joining the peace board of President Donald Trump, a potential for Germany to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, which would be 100 years after Nazi Germany hosted the Olympics and revelations about a Russian doping scandal from 2018.    

“OK, I’m really looking at my team, and maybe someone needs to be dismissed because I’m not aware of that either,” Coventry said. “But I would be very interested to find out more about it.” 

Coventry started off as an Olympic athlete herself. She won gold medals for her home country, Zimbabwe, for the 200-meter backstroke in 2004 and 2008. She also took home four silver medals and a bronze medal between the two Olympics. 

She was the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in Zimbabwe from 2018 to 2025.  

Coventry was named the President of the IOC in 2025. She replaced Thomas Bach, who stepped down to respect the precedent of the 12-year limit. 

She is the first woman to serve as President of the IOC. Along with that, she’s also the first person born in Africa to be put in this role. The United States and Zimbabwe are the only non-European nations to have a President of the IOC. 

The 2026 Winter Olympics were Coventry’s first Olympic Games as president. Early estimates of the games show they were largely successful. NBC has reported record viewership for weekday Olympic events. Along with that, several women athletes were able to garner interest in several sports amongst other women. 

The 2030 Winter Olympics will be held from Feb. 1 to Feb. 17 in the French Alps. 

American skier Lindsey Vonn revealed that she was at risk of losing her leg after her tibia fracture in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Vonn crashed during the women’s downhill event. She was airlifted out of the course. She has undergone several surgeries, both in Italy and in the United States. 

In an Instagram post, Vonn revealed that her crash also led to compartment syndrome in her leg. This is when excessive pressure builds up in a muscle. 

Dr. Tom Hackett, who worked for Vonn and Team USA, performed a fasciotomy. This is an emergency surgery where connective tissue is cut to relieve high pressure. 

Vonn suffered a torn ACL before the Winter Olympics. Despite this, she did several practice runs on the Olympic slope, all of which were successful. 

It’s unclear how much her torn ACL impacted her eventual injury in the Olympics. The injury was caused by her right arm, not her leg, hooking on a gate. However, some medical experts have argued that having full movement in her left leg would’ve allowed her to regain control or at least minimize the damage of her fall. 

Hackett was brought in by the U.S. to observe Vonn’s ACL. If he hadn’t brought in, there’s a chance that Vonn would’ve needed an amputation. 

Regardless, both the torn ACL and injuries sustained at the Olympics likely mean an end to her skiing career. Vonn won the gold medal in downhill skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She also won the bronze medal in Super-G skiing. In the 2018 Winter Olympics, she won the bronze medal for downhill skiing. 

The 2026 Winter Olympics ended on Feb. 22. The 2030 Winter Olympics are projected to start on Feb. 1 and go until Feb. 17. The 2030 Winter Olympics will be held in the French Alps.

For the first time since Turin 2006, Italy was chosen on Monday to host the Olympic Winter Games in 2026.

Northern Italy was one of only two finalists, with the other being a joint bid between Stockholm and a ski resort in Are, Sweden. Due to the Stockholm/Are bid being both hesitant and skeptical, Northern Italy easily won the favor of the International Olympic Committee, as most people predicted happening.

Fewer cities than ever have been able to afford the billions of dollars needed to host the Olympics. Thus, the bids for the 2026 Olympics have shown what the future of bidding will be. That is, multiple cities (possibly even countries) collaborating.

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Italy’s win became all but solidified due to a lack of commitment from Stockholm’s bid. Stockholm previously dropped out of the running to host the 2022 Winter Olympics due to financial reasons, so a lack of commitment to host the games in 2026 does not come across as all that surprising. Even several months ago, it seemed as if Italy’s bid was on its way to dematerializing. However, after a recent poll revealed that over 80% of Italians supported the hosting of the Olympic games, Italy unified to make sure that the final bid and ultimate victory came into fruition.

Italy has also embraced the idea of multiple cities that will host different parts of the 2026 Winter Games. The Games are set to be spread across Northern Italy from Milan to Cortina. The opening ceremony will be held at Milan’s new San Siro stadium, and the closing ceremonies will occur at an amphitheater in Verona.

Bidding for the 2026 Games experienced a withered field of candidates as public interest flagged or rose in opposition in Calgary, Alberta; Sion, Switzerland; Graz, Austria; and Sapporo, Japan.

For Italy, this is a big win, as the entire country seems to be in complete unity with their excitement to host the world’s largest sporting event.

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