1. Can anyone stop Norway?
Norway topped the Beijing 2022 medal table with 37 medals (16 gold), the most ever by a single nation at a Winter Games. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, already a five-time Olympic champion at 29, is the favourite in four of six cross-country events. He's chasing Marit Bjørgen's record of eight Olympic golds. The Norwegians aren't just dominant; they're historically unprecedented.
2. Will Lindsey Vonn race — and what happens if she does?
The 41-year-old American tore her ACL in a training crash last Friday. She's testing the knee in practice, wearing a brace, and says she'll start Sunday's downhill "as long as there's a chance." A medal would be one of the great comeback stories in Olympic history. A crash would be very public indeed.
3. What happens when NHL players return?
The world's best hockey players are back at the Olympics for the first time since Sochi 2014. Canada vs USA produced three fights in nine seconds at last year's Four Nations Face-Off. Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon lead Canada; Auston Matthews heads an American team chasing its first gold since 1980's "Miracle on Ice." Expect fireworks.
4. Can Italy deliver on home ice?
Host nations feel immense pressure. Italy hosted Turin 2006, but Cortina itself last saw the Olympics in 1956: some of these venues are literally rebuilt from that era. The Italians have medal hopes in curling (defending Olympic champions Constantini/Mosaner), short track, and alpine skiing. Anything less than gold somewhere will feel like failure.
5. How does the world handle Russian "neutral athletes"?
Russian and Belarusian competitors are allowed to participate as "Individual Neutral Athletes" — no flag, no anthem, no national identification. Some nations have said their athletes won't shake hands. The whole arrangement is a diplomatic fiction everyone has agreed to maintain (for now).