The 2026 Winter Olympics will begin this week when competitors walk under the wave of their nation's flags at Friday's Opening Ceremony. The ceremony not only offers Olympians a chance to represent their country on the international stage,

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When it comes to both overall medal count and gold medal count, Norway is the odds-on favorite at the Winter Olympics. The nation has 405 medals overall, 148 of them gold. Compare that to the United States, which sits in second position in the all-time medal table, with 330 total, 114 gold.

Even though the Olympics are said to connect the global village, the Winter Games remain a distant story for Africa, a continent where snow and ice are hard to find. Winter sports face high barriers from the start here.

The rising global temperatures could endanger the future of the Winter Olympics, even with technological innovations like snowmaking machines.