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The Olympic Winter Games concluded on Feb. 22 in Milano and Cortina, Italy, and the United States enjoyed historic success: 33 medals, including 12 gold, 12 silver, nine bronze. As a guest of the International Olympic Committee, I had the unique opportunity to witness many extraordinary performances by American athletes and to reflect upon the changing dynamics of world-class sports events.
What can be learned? Three elements stood out for me and provided “takeaways” that might be helpful for the Indiana Sports Corp. in identifying, attracting and hosting future events.
Social media explosion
One statistic says it all: The Winter Games generated more than 10 billion engagements across all official social media outlets, supplemented by more than 1.3 billion interactions on athlete personal accounts. Truly amazing results over a 17-day period.
How did this happen? Updated IOC social and digital media guidelines allowed athletes to share more openly from the Athletes’ Village, training venues and non-competition sites. Marketing partners like Samsung provided technology for “Victory Selfies” from the podium. Athletes were “the stars of the show” but also its best storytellers.
To emphasize the point, compare “followership” for athletes with that of the sports organizations they represent. Alysa Liu has 5.3 million followers on Instagram; U.S. Figure Skating has 260,000 followers. Mikaela Shiffrin has 1.5 million followers on Instagram; the U.S. Ski Team has 295,000.
Not too long ago, broadcasters and sports organizations were doing everything possible to limit social media “incursions” by non-rights-holders. Today, organizers embrace the authenticity and immediacy of athletes providing behind-the-scenes reporting.
Female athlete prominence
American women won six gold medals and 17 medals overall, marking the third consecutive Winter Games in which female athletes won more gold medals and more overall medals than male athletes. And using the Summer Games for comparison, American women won more medals than their male counterparts in London, Rio, Tokyo and Paris.
We know the primary reason for such success is Title IX, the 1972 civil rights legislation authored and championed by then U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh of Indiana. More than 3.5 million girls participated in high school sports last year, and 240,000 women competed in NCAA competition across 24 sanctioned sports in the 2024-2025 academic year.
However, Milan/Cortina was more than numbers. Female athletes created the most compelling stories of the Games.
Lindsay Vonn: courage. Elana Meyers Taylor: persistence. Mikaela Shiffrin: redemption. Hillary Knight: longevity. Breezy Johnson: unbridled joy. Jessie Diggins: toughness. Alysa Liu: graceful precision.
The Indiana Sports Corp. is prioritizing women’s sports as an element of its 2050 strategic vision. The pipeline of athletes coming through high schools, universities and professional leagues is very promising and represents a significant opportunity for Indianapolis.
Geographic footprint expansion
The Milano/Cortina Games spanned more than 8,500 square miles, the largest footprint and widest venue separation ever used for the Winter Olympics. Competition was spread across eight locations, and Milan hosted only three sports: figure skating, short-track speed skating and hockey. The Opening Ceremony was in Milan, and the Closing Ceremony was in Verona — about 100 miles apart.
Without doubt, there were inconveniences for spectators created by the distances, primarily in not allowing attendance at multiple events in a day. Travel from Milan to Cortina necessitated five hours by train and bus. Snowy roads in the mountains were difficult to navigate.
However, when put in perspective, geography played a big role in the success of the Olympic Games, as it was an event enthusiastically supported across Northern Italy, not just in Milan. Ticket sales swelled, and audiences were enthusiastic and spirited. The Olympic Games became a regional event, not just a city event.
As much as we understand the advantages of our compact, asset-filled downtown, wouldn’t it be interesting to stage an event in which Indianapolis is the hub, with other Indiana cities engaging directly? With new and dynamic athletic facilities in Fishers and Noblesville plus energetic sports initiatives in Fort Wayne, Bloomington and other Indiana cities, maybe an Indianapolis event could truly become an Indiana event.•
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Neuburger is a former president of the Indiana Sports Corp. and treasurer of World Aquatics.
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