The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games, are scheduled to take place from February 7 to February 23. The games will be held in Sochi, a ski town in Russia.

Construction for these games involves the building of new venues, as well as remaking the telecommunications and transportation systems in and around Sochi. These changes will include a brand new Olympic park relatively close to the coast of the Black Sea.

However, the games have already caused some controversy involving economic, environmental, and political issues. The games are also the most expensive in history, costing up to approximately $50 billion.

Besides this, Russia has also had major controversies with anti-gay laws. The country has recently passed laws targeting homosexuals and displays of homosexuality, drawing the ire of some athletes and the international community.

Ignoring the controversies, the main attractions of the Olympics are the games themselves, and this year is not going to disappoint. With 98 events and over 15 different sports occurring at this year’s games, it’s sure to be a spectacular sight.

Junior John Lawless said, “I’m really glad that the Winter Olympics are getting bigger and bigger every year. They’re actually exciting!”

With every game, though, come athletes, and there are plenty to keep an eye out for in 2014. In the women’s alpine skiing, Mikaela Shriffin is only seventeen years old, comes straight out of the USA, and is thought to be the princess of the slopes.

Senior Abby Ducat said, “It’s awesome to see a new girl at such a young age power through most of the older participants!”

Turning to snowboarding, one of the main men to watch once again is the fiery boarder Shaun White, who will be striving to receive his third consecutive gold medal in the halfpipe competition. He will be doubling up in slope style as well.

Junior Isaiah Carter commented, “Shaun White has to be the most famous athletes in the winter games, so I’m pumped to see what he’s going to do next.”

Besides these events, men’s figure skating is also climbing up to being one of the most popular sports in the Winter Olympics, and skater Max Aaron of the United States will be taking charge in this year’s games after winning a national championship.

More and more athletes are pushing themselves every day just to call an Olympic medal their own. The stakes are high and there’s no turning back now—let the countdown to the 2014 Winter Olympics begin!