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Turin 2006: Olympic Gold Rush

Spanish Translation

By Andrea Delbanco

When 2,500 athletes compete for only 252 medals, not everyone can go home happy. But every four years, the world's top athletes eagerly and excitedly come together to compete in the Winter Olympic Games. These athletes carry their own lifelong dreams as well as the hopes of the country they represent. In the grand tradition of the Games, competitors from an expected 85 countries will put aside their political and cultural differences for 16 days to focus on the only thing that matters: the competition.

Land of Hopes and Dreams
On February 10, flames from the Olympic torch will light up the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy. Nestled at the foot of the Alps mountain range in northern Italy, Turin is home to 900,000 people. Over the next two weeks, residents of the snowy city will make room for around 2,500 athletes, 5,000 officials and 1 million spectators.

Turin is prepared. The central Olympic Stadium can hold up to 35,000 people for the opening and closing ceremonies. Sporting events will be held in 16 racing sites. Athletes will be housed in three Olympic Villages that include shops, restaurants and a medical center. Seven media centers are set up so that the Games can be broadcast to an estimated 3 billion television viewers. That's nearly half of the people in the world!

The medals have a new look this year in honor of the Italian host city. Each metal disk has a hole in its center, representing the open public space of city squares, called piazzas, that are common in Italy.

Hot Competition in Cold Conditions
The 84 official events in the Winter Games take place on ice or snow. Fast-moving action on skis, skates, sleds and snowboards guarantees graceful glides, spectacular slides and wicked wipeouts.

Norway, Germany, Canada and the United States are expected to lead the field in the race for medals. In 2002, the U.S. won a total of 34 medals, outdoing their earlier top totals of 13 medals in each of the two previous Winter Games. For the 215 American athletes competing in Turin this year, the record 2002 medal haul will be tough to beat.

Experts predict that the U.S. and Canadian women's hockey teams could end up in a fierce matchup in the finals. Among the better-known members of the U.S. team, Apolo Ohno is a top contender in the speed-skating races. Two-time silver medalist Bode Miller is in a position to dominate men's downhill skiing. And all eyes are on snowboarders Shaun White and Hannah Teter, who are both first-time Olympians. The red-haired White, nicknamed the Flying Tomato, performs a daredevil, medal-worthy move called the McTwist.

As the action begins, the Olympians will strive to be "Swifter, Higher, Stronger," the motto of the Games. And audience members all around the world are ready to sit back, cheer and enjoy the snowy show.

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