Winter Olympics Trivia

The Winter Olympics compress an entire subculture of ice and snow sports into two and a half weeks every four years, introducing casual viewers to disciplines they otherwise never think about, like sliding face-first down an icy chute at highway speed. This quiz covers the sports, the traditions, and the nations that have shaped the Winter Games.

Eleven questions covering everything from the rink to the slopes.

The Sports That Only Show Up Every Four Years

Luge, skeleton, and bobsled all send athletes hurtling down the same basic idea — an icy, twisting track — but each does it with its own body position and its own particular brand of nerve. Curling asks for a completely different skill set, rewarding precision and strategy as players slide stones toward a target called the house. Meanwhile figure skating turns raw athleticism into something closer to performance art, with jumps named after the skaters who pioneered them.

The Nations Built for Winter

Some countries just seem built for these Games. Norway's dominance in cross-country skiing and biathlon reflects a national culture built around winter sport, and its medal counts at the Winter Olympics regularly outpace countries many times its size.