The 2006 Winter Olympics, held in Torino, Italy, has for the past several weeks captured the attention of media and citizens of the world. This year’s Olympics have proven to be extremely exciting, from let downs on the slopes, to drama on the ice rink.

Situated in the midst of the picturesque Alps Mountains, Torino, (known to the Italians as Turin), seems the ideal place to hold one of the world’s largest winter sports competition. Press and visitor villages have been established around the city, giving the bustling feeling only the Olympics seem to inspire.

Athletes from all over the world gather, all of them hoping to leave their mark in Olympic history. With all of the sports and events to participate in, it is no secret why so many flock to the venue or become glued to the television.

One sport in the Olympic program is the Biathlon. There are ten events: the men’s 10 km sprint, the women’s 10km pursuit, the women’s 12.5km mass start, the men’s 12.5km pursuit, the women’s 15km sprint, the men’s 15km mass start, the men’s 20km sprint, the women’s 4 by 6km relay, the men’s 4 by 7.5km relay, and the women’s 7.5km sprint.

According to the International Olympic Committee website, “During the sprint, women race 7.5km and men race 10km. Competitors stop twice and must hit all five targets with five bullets. For each target missed, athletes take a lap around the 150m-penalty loop. The top 60 finishers of this competition qualify for the pursuit.

In the pursuit, the competitors start at intervals based on their finishing time in the sprint competition. Women race 10km and men race 12.5km. Competitors stop four times and must hit all five targets with five bullets. For each target missed, athletes take a lap around the 150m-penalty loop.

In the individual event, women race 15km and men race 20km. All competitors stop four times at the firing range and must hit all five targets with five bullets. For each target missed, one minute is added to their total time.

The relay is a fast-paced team event in which four-person teams tackle four 7.5km legs for a total of 30km. It begins with a mass start by the first skiers of their respective teams. Each team member has two firing sequences and is allowed three extra bullets (a total of eight) to hit five targets, yet must load the three extra bullets one by one. For each target left standing, competitors ski a lap around the 150-meter penalty loop.

Another popular Olympic sport is bobsled which was created in search of the ultimate thrill, and has since transformed into a high concentration sport consisting of the following events: men’s four-man bobsled, men’s two-man bobsleigh, women’s two-man bobsleigh, men’s skeleton, and women’s skeleton.

In any kind of bobsled, athletes lie flat on a small sleigh as they slide down an icy track. Through extreme body control, racers move their sled just the right way to finish the course the fastest.

Curling is a lesser-known sport where teams of four try to maneuver 19.1kg stones as close to the center of a target as possible. The team consists of a “lead,” a “second,” a “third,” and a “skip,” who is the leader of the team. A game consists of 10 ends, which are rather like baseball innings. Sixteen stones are delivered each end, and the team with the most points, (determined by stone position on the target), after 10 ends have been played is the winner.

Both men’s and women’s ice hockey is a grueling sport that combines elements of soccer with ice. Six players from each team are on the ice at any given time, though penalties may result in less. Players attempt to hit the hockey puck into the opponent’s net to score points.

A typical game consists of three 20-minutes periods and a 15-minute intermission after the first and second periods. In the Olympics, women compete in an 8-team tournament and men compete in a 12-team tournament.

Luge is a difficult sport where an athlete makes four runs down an icy track lying upon a small sled. The racer with the fastest total time is the winner.

Men and women compete in individuals, and there is also an event known as doubles luge. In doubles, two racers lie on top of one another for two runs on the same sled. Though there is no rule stating that partners must be same-gender, traditionally, two men compete in this event with the larger on the bottom.

Many forms of skating and skiing are included in the Olympic program, among them figure skating, speed skating, snowboarding, alpine skiing, downhill skiing, and many others. These are without a doubt the more well known of winter sports.

The United States has won 19 medals as of February 22. Ted Ligety in combined alpine skiing, Shaun White in the halfpipe snowboarding, Seth Wescott in the snowboard cross, Hannah Teter in the women’s halfpipe snowboarding, Joey Cheek in the 500m speed skating, and Chad Hedrick in the 5000m speed skating are a few of the Americas who will bring home the gold.

Silver medalists are Gretchen Bleiler in the women’s halfpipe snowboarding and Danny Kass in the men’s halfpipe snowboarding. Toby Dawson also won the bronze medal for freestyle skiing moguls.

With a total of 19 medalists, the United States now ranks second in the overall medal count, (behind Germany and tied with Austria), and is fourth behind Germany, Austria, and the Russian Federation in the final rank as of February 22.

Even though every athlete dreams of gold, the Olympic Games, however, give athletes the chance to exhibit their love for their sport country by representing them for the entire world to see.