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EDITOR’S NOTE

I don’t know about you, but the Winter Games have taken over my social feeds — and I’m loving it, including this gem from the streets of Italy. But before we break down what to expect, I want to highlight National Girls & Women in Sports Day. From the latest Australian Open women’s champion to these NWSL stars (yes, Trinity, you deserve gold in this category) — women athletes are really giving us the best highlights on the court and off the field. Now, if they could just get paid what they’re worth. In the meantime, as I debate which one of these Super Bowl recipes to try (number five seems easy enough), here’s what else is making headlines…

— Maria Corpus / Editor / Madison, WI

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The Countdown Is On

Even before Mariah Carey hits whistle territory and Andrea Bocelli brings the gravitas, the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have unofficially begun. Today, mixed-doubles curling kicked off what promises to be a 19-day spectacle of pure athleticism, sideline antics (see: Snoop Dogg’s Zamboni moment), and sleep deprivation (here’s the time-zone math). So, set your alarms and get the Peacock subscription ready — here’s what you need to know:

Who we’re rooting for: Lindsey Vonn isn’t throwing away her shot at gold — not even with a torn ACL. And with this mic-drop moment, we couldn’t be more excited to watch her hit the slopes. On the ice, “The Blade Angels” are Team USA’s best hope of ending a 20-year medal drought in women’s figure skating. Meanwhile, Campbell Wright, one of the US’s top medal hopefuls, is chasing history in the only Winter Olympic sport the US has never medaled in.
The scandals: When it comes to Milan’s hockey arena, the drama hasn’t completely thawed. Don’t worry: Team USA will hit the ice for competition, but here’s hoping those bathrooms have been finished and cleaned by now. In figure skating, one athlete had a truly despicable week as his routine nearly got shelved — all because of a Minions movie copyright debate. Guess Gru got the message.
Behold, the crotch rules: Turns out, extra stitches in that area of a ski jumping suit can buy you a few more meters per jump — and Norway got caught doing exactly that last year. Now, ski jumpers at the games will be scanned with tamperproof microchips before and after jumps. Because size does matter.
Make way for the new: Eight additional programs will compete for the unofficial honor of Most Terrifying New Event. Skimo (aka ski mountaineering) — when athletes ski up mountains before racing down (why not, right?) — will make its debut. Luge added women’s doubles, skeleton (don’t ask us to explain) got a mixed-team relay, and ski jumping expanded to include a women’s large-hill event. We’re winded just hearing about it.

With 116 medal events and nearly 3,000 athletes, we’re in for a whole lot more action. All we have to say is bring on the hope, triumph, and heartbreak, per favore.

Related: These Olympic Power Couples Are About To Take Over Your Feed (Cosmopolitan)

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