The Olympics began many years before you were born! In fact, they began before your grandparents were born! The first Summer Olympics of the modern era were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The first Winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. You could not watch either of them on TV, because television was not invented until the 1920s.
WHY ARE THERE SUMMER AND WINTER OLYMPICS?
Certain sports, like snowboarding, bobsledding and snow skiing, depend on cold weather. The kind of weather we see at the Winter Olympics. Other sports, such as beach volleyball, track & field and rowing, generally require warm weather. The kind of weather we see at the Summer Olympics. Having the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics allow athletes from an array of sports to chase gold. If you’re going to the Winter Olympics, don't forget your mittens, scarf and parka!
February temperatures in Cortina d’Ampezzo, which is in the mountains, routinely drop below freezing!
HAS ANYONE COMPETED IN THE SUMMER AND WINTER
OLYMPICS?
Many athletes have competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympics! But only one athlete has won gold medals in both. Eddie Eagan of the United States won a gold medal as a light-heavyweight boxer at the 1920 Summer Olympics and a gold medal for the four-man bobsled at the 1932 Winter Olympics.
HOW ARE ATHLETES CHOSEN?
You can’t just show up at the Olympics and tell them you plan to compete for a medal. You wouldn’t get far! First, athletes must compete to earn one of the limited spots in each sport. If you plan to be an Olympic figure skater, it helps to have great balance!
HOW ARE COUNTRIES CHOSEN?
Although it might sound unfair, not all countries will be represented at the Olympics. Athletes from each country must qualify for sports based on performance. Athletes from more than 90 countries will be competing at the Winter Games in Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy. That includes Finland, Norway, the United States and Italy!
HOW OFTEN ARE THE OLYMPICS HELD?
The Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics are held every four years, but it’s not that simple. The Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics are held two years apart. So, the Winter Olympics will be held in 2026 and the next Summer Olympics will be held in 2028!
HOW FAST ARE THE FASTEST OLYMPIC ATHLETES?
Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who won eight gold medals, ran a top speed of almost 28 mph. That’s faster than you’re allowed to drive in a school zone! Olympic skiers reach speeds of up to 95 mph. They definitely should not go that fast in a car!
WHAT ATHLETE WON THE MOST MEDALS?
Swimmer Michael Phelps has won 28 Olympic medals, including 23 gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals. Medals weigh about one pound each, so that’s 30 pounds of medals!
ARE THERE OLYMPIC MASCOTS?
Yes! Every Olympics has its own mascot … or mascots! For the 2026 Winter Olympics, there will be two – weasels named Tina and Milo. In Italy, they call these animals stoats.
FIND LITTLE ROSSO
“Chasing Gold” includes some fun games! One of them is to locate our mascot throughout the book. We call our new friend Rosso. Why? In Italian, rosso means red, and Rosso, as you will see, is a fun-loving red dot who loves the Winter Olympics.
Numbers
2
How old Red was when he started snowboarding.
4
The number of full rotations Red makes on one of his hardest tricks, a backside triple cork 1440.
87.16
The score that propelled him to gold after his third and final run at the 2018 Games.
– a bronze medal at the 2014 Games and two silver medals at the 2018 Games – all in slopestyle.
7 big things about Nick
�� Born March 14, 1994, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
�� A big fan of the “Star Wars” movie franchise and has a tattoo of the Rebel Alliance icon on his right arm.
➦ Switched to halfpipe from slopestyle after the 2022 Olympics. Rollerblades as part of his training for freestyle skiing and likes to surf and skateboard.
⛷ Learned to flip on skis thanks to help from his sisters, who were trained gymnasts.
�� Loves cats.
⛰ Grew up skiing Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and says he could do about 30 runs in an hour.
CHLOE KIM
Snowboarding • Two-time Olympian (2018, 2022)
Why Chloe is a legend
Chloe was 17 when she won the halfpipe competition in Pyeongchang, making her the youngest woman to win Olympic gold in snowboarding. She’s also the first woman to win two Olympic golds in halfpipe, and she’s the first to be halfpipe champion at the world championships, Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games and X Games.
7 big things about Chloe
�� Born April 23, 2000, in Long Beach, California.
First woman to land back-to-back 1080 spins in competition. Also first woman to land a 1260 in competition. Her dream job growing up was to be a jockey in horse racing.
⛰ Went to school, and trained, in Switzerland when she was in the third and fourth grades.
�� Competed in Season 4 of “The Masked Singer” as Jellyfish, making it to the semifinals.
⌛ Actually qualified for the 2014 Olympics but, at 13, she wasn’t old enough to compete. Olympic event: halfpipe.
ALYSA LIU
Figure skating • One-time Olympian (2022)
Why Alysa is a legend
A child prodigy, Alysa rose to the top of the sport before she even became an adult, winning U.S. national titles as a teen and qualifying for her first Olympics when she was 16. After taking a hiatus from the sport, Alysa is back to pursue Team USA’s first medal in women’s figure skating since 2006.
7 big things about Alysa
�� Born Aug. 8, 2005, in Clovis, California.
⛰ Made a 40-mile trek to Mount Everest base camp in 2023. Became the youngest skater in history to land a triple Axel in international competition at age 12.
�� Currently a student at UCLA.
⑥ Finished sixth at Beijing in her Olympic debut in 2022.
�� Retired from skating in 2022 but returned in 2024 and won gold at the world championships in 2025.
Olympic events: women’s and team competitions.
Numbers
13
How old Alysa was when she won her first U.S. figure skating championship, the youngest in history.
Lindsey is one of just six women to have won World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing — downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and super combined. And her Olympic gold medal in 2010 was the first time an American woman brought home the gold for the downhill event! things about Lindsey
7 big things about NAME_ HERE
�� Born Oct. 18, 1984, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Has four younger siblings, and the three youngest are triplets.
⛷ Taught to ski by her grandfather in Milton, Wisconsin.
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˃ Made her World Cup debut at age 16 on Nov. 18, 2000, with the U.S. ski team in Park City, Utah.
�� Made her Olympic debut at the 2002 Winter Olympics at age 17, racing both slalom and combined in Salt Lake City.
⛰ Olympic events: downhill, super-G, team combined.
Retired in 2019 due to injuries. Had partial right knee replacement in 2024 and unretired that November. Won a super-G silver at World Cup finals in March 2025.
Numbers
Olympic medals: One gold (2010 downhill), two bronze (2010 super-G, 2018 downhill).
World Cup first-place finishes (in five events: downhill, super-G, giant, slalom, combined).
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WINTER OLYMPICS BINGO
Play your own game when watching the Winter Games on TV! Color or place a marker on each square when you hear or see one of these words, phrases, items and names. To win the game, you need five squares in a row – horizontally, vertically or diagonally (that’s left-to-right, up-and-down or at an angle). You also can play a cover-all version. To win, you need to cover all the squares.
Johnny Weir Team USA country flag Alps Beijing Los Angeles halfpipe monobob shot rock Zamboni Celsius
“Going for gold" moguls goal Axel Olympic Village podium broom kiss and cry Tina & Milo Tara Lipinski medal count goofy FREE SPACE hat trick
