The 2014 Winter Olympics from Sochi, Russia start on February 7th. The Winter Olympics are one of the biggest sporting events and will be broadcasted all over the world. Top tier athletes like snowboarder Shaun White, freestyle skier Dylan Ferguson, and speed skater J.R. Celski will be competing for gold medals.

Maybe the most well-known athlete to watch is two time gold medalist snowboarder Shaun White. For the first time ever Shaun is taking place in both the slopestyle and halfpipe events. Shaun suffered an injury in a slopestyle competition but is back and in full function, showing this by nailing a frontside double cork 1440 at an Olympic qualifier.

Along with Shaun will be Greg Bretz and Davis and Taylor Gold. Davis will be White’s biggest competition this year in his attempt at making history with three consecutive Olympic gold medals. On the girls’ side Hannah Teter and Kelly Clark will be leading the US women’s halfpipe team. Also in the world of snowboarding a new event, snowboardcross, has been added to the Olympics.

Sophomore snowboarder Zak Jones said, “There are a lot of good European and Asian snowboarders so it will be a good competition for the Americans this year. Also, Shaun White may not be able to participate 100% with his ankle injury. But, I think he will still come out strong. You never know with that guy.”

Gold medalist skier Lindsey Vonn has withdrawn from the games due to an injury she sustained at the world championships last February. The speed skating team will also be missing Apolo Anton Ohno. All these missing big names makes room for many new stars to emerge at the games.

Taking Lindsey Vonn’s spot on the team will be 18 year old Mikaela Shriffin, who won her sixth world cup in the slalom. Filling in for Apollo Anton Ohno will be skaters like J.R. Celski and Shani Davis. Freestyle skier Dylan Ferguson one athlete to watch.

The US men’s hockey team is older this year with 13 players that competed in the 2010 olympics but they are more determined to win gold after last year’s dramatic 2-1 loss to Canada in overtime. This year Canada is the favorite once again as it has one of the best rosters it has ever sent to the Olympics. Other notable teams are Sweden and Russia.

With 15 different sports in this year’s Olympics and new events like snowboardcross there is an event for everyone to watch and enjoy.

In fashion this year the Olympic uniforms are getting mixed reviews. The parade uniform, designed by Ralph Lauren, features a cardigan with a cream colored turtleneck sweater, white athletic pants, black boots with red laces, and a belt with patriotic graphics. Online, the uniforms are being called “tacky and old fashioned”.

Sophomore Gabby Saso said, “They look like ugly Christmas sweaters.”

Want your own? You can find it on Ralph Laurens website for $595. But beware, the U.S. government is urging fans and athletes not to sport the Team USA gear in Russia.

Recently there has been a lot of concern in Russia concerning terrorism and the Olympic games. Three suicide bombings since October 15 have caused fear that Islamic militants will try to disrupt the games. The Russians say that they will keep the games safe with thousands of police. But, the question is, will places like restaurants and hotels outside of the “ring of steel” be safe?

The largest fear is for what Russians are calling the ‘black widows”,widows of killed terrorists that are seeking revenge by launching suicide bombings on the public. The United States has placed two warships in the Black Sea and say that in the event of the attack they will be able to evacuate the approximately 10,000 Americans that will be in Sochi. But athletes like Ryan Suter have told their families to not attend the games as the risk is too high.

In an interview with CBS news, Ryan Suter said, “It’s definitely a concern. I look forward to going to the Olympics and being part of it. You hear all these stories about different things; it’s definitely a concern.”

For the people still attending the games they are in for quite a show as the Russians have spent $51 billion building venues and highway systems preparing for the games. Lucky for all of us at home we can enjoy the Olympics from the comfort of our homes and support the United States in the largest winter sporting since the 2010 olympics.

So be sure to tune into NBC channel 4 on February 7th and watch the worlds’ best athletes go at it in their respective events!