Free-Talk Discussion Questions for Students With Olympic Fever

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The Olympics are here again, and this time it's the chillier, winter variety.

The 2026 Games will take place primarily in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from February 6th to the 22nd.

Just like we did for the Paris Games in 2024, we've come up with a list of discussion questions to get your students chatting and into the Olympic spirit.

General Questions

What do you know about Italy? What impressions do you have of the country and its culture? Have you ever been there?
What events are you looking forward to watching in the Milan-Cortina Games?
Have you heard of ski mountaineering (a new event for the Olympics in 2026)?
Do you plan to watch the Games live? What's the time difference between your country and Italy?
Have you tried any of 2026's events yourself (skiing, ice hockey, luge, snowboarding, etc.)? Are there any you'd like to try?
What new sports would you like to see in a future Winter Olympics?
If you were in charge of planning an Olympic opening/closing ceremony in your home country, what would you want to include?

Athletes

Do you have a favorite athlete?
Who is the most famous athlete from your country? Are you a fan of theirs?
Do you think your country will perform well in these Olympics?
Do you have any favorite Olympic champions or moments from previous years?

Preferences and Further Discussion

Do you prefer the Summer or Winter Olympics?
Do you have a favorite Olympic event?
What do you think most Olympic athletes do when they retire?
Do you think the Olympics are still important in the modern era?
Do you have any opinions about the International Olympic Committee (IOC)?
What do you think about allowing athletes from aggressive countries to compete in the Olympics during times of war?
Would you like your city/country to host the Olympics? Why or why not?
If your country has hosted a major sports event in the past, do you think it had a mostly positive or negative effect on the country?
If you won an Olympic medal, what would you do with it after the Games? (Frame and display it? Throw it in the closet? Wear it like a necklace every day?)
If you had to replace the gold, silver and bronze medals with another kind of award, what would you choose?

Wrap-up

Few events capture the attention of the world quite like the Olympics, which makes them a great subject for discussion — even if your students aren't normally interested in sports.

For students who are especially into these questions, you might also incorporate questions of your own about the upcoming World Cup, scheduled to take place in Canada, the United States and Mexico in July of 2026.