, Columnist
An Olympic Crisis Is Coming for Team USA. Curling Can Help.
Tabitha and Tara Peterson of Team USA practicing.
Adam Minter/Bloomberg
On Friday night, a record 232 US athletes are expected to attend the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Behind that impressive number, though, a quiet crisis is looming over the medal podium — one that might prevent the country from rolling this deep into subsequent competitions again.
Of those athletes, 88 competed collegiately, according to the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. But dozens of Olympic sports have been cut from college athletic departments in the last year alone, with more to come.