Every two years, the majority of the world gathers in a competition of more than 30 different sports, in efforts to bring home the gold metal for one of over 30 different sports . Over the years, the Olympics have gained a lot of popularity. In 2016, an average of about 26.13 million people tuned in to watch the 16 day long athletic competition. This year, many important events will take place during the Olympic Games, with an estimated 20.46 million viewers in the U.S.

An important milestone in the Olympics are its women participants, which took up 59.7% of total participants in 2014, which are predicted to greatly increase with time.

One of the most surprising news so far comes from North and South Korea, following their decision to march under the same flag for the opening ceremony, for the first time since 2006. In addition, they also agreed to form a joint women’s ice hockey team, which will be the first time they have contributed athletics to the same team. While this isn’t the first time North and South Korea have been working together during the olympics, it definitely comes at the most crucial time. All of the tension that has been building between North Korea and the rest of the world has seemed to temporarily cease, surprising many. Despite North and South Korea’s obvious constant tension, Kim Yo Jong (Kim Jong Un’s sister) attended the opening ceremony, which is the first time anyone related to Kim Jong Un has attended the olympic opening ceremony in over a half century. Kim Yo Jong was also seen shaking hands with South Korean President Moon Jae. This so called “ truce” is a reminder of the the very first Greek Olympics in 776 B.C , where wars between countries would literary pause for the length of the olympic games, so that spectators could safely travel to watch the games unfold.

So far, the U.S has earned a gold medal in men’s and women’s snowboarding and women’s alpine skiing. While the majority of the Olympic events have already started, there are still events such as ice hockey, skiing, figure skating, or bobsleigh that will continue to have events and distribute medals.

If you’re planning on tuning in for the 2020 summer olympics in Tokyo, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) have approved five new sports: Women’s baseball/softball, Men/Women’s Karate, and Men/Women’s skateboarding.This will create a total of 18 new events and an incorporate an estimated 474 new athletes. In addition, it has been mentioned by the Olympic Agenda 2020 that changes are trying to be made to potentially attract other countries to participate in the Olympics. Whichever country you are cheering for this year, remember to appreciate the world-wide connection the olympics provides with every event. The connection that is strong enough to bring peace out of even the most competitive countries.