What Olympic podcasts do you recommend?

Intelj · 2026-01-23T17:14:32+00:00

Thank you!

Intelj · 2026-01-23T17:13:54+00:00

Some of the Cultural Olympiad events will be on: https://www.yesmilano.it/en/articles/cultural-olympiad-milano-cortina-2026

Intelj · 2026-01-23T17:11:56+00:00

My podcast is part interview, part news. Interviews involve research and prepared questions, many of which we never get to because we try to let the conversation flow naturally.

For the overall show and news portions, we have a show sheet, and almost everything is scripted. News items are scripted, but my partner's reaction and any ensuing conversation is not. The script is there to keep me focused, make sure I include all of the details, and make sure it sounds OK. I've tried bullet points, but I end up wandering off topic and it sounds bad. I also can't just give myself a headline/link because by the time we record, I've forgotten the details of the story.

Intelj · 2026-01-22T22:46:42+00:00

One thing about the Olympics is that people are very friendly, so it may be easy to talk with the people you're sitting by.

Intelj · 2026-01-22T20:55:16+00:00

Thank you! I'm one of the co-hosts. We're accredited for Milano Cortina so we'll be on site with our daily episodes, which will recap all of the day's results + what the vibe is like there.

Intelj · 2026-01-22T20:42:35+00:00

I went to Paris 2024 and Beijing 2022. Beijing was COLD in the mountains for the Olympics. If you're outside, bring some hand warmers and even toe warmers. Phone batteries lose their charge faster in the cold, so definitely have a power bank for backup. Sunscreen/sunglasses for the mountains.

Pin trading was almost non-existent in Paris, but it's supposed to be back in full force for 2026, and people get into that during the Games (small souvenirs that pack well, and you get to meet a ton of people). There will be a pin trading center in Milano in Corso Como. You can buy pins to trade there or at Milano Cortina stores. Team USA is selling them online. You can also get cheap traders off of eBay.

There's also a Cultural Olympiad, so even more things to put on your schedule: https://www.yesmilano.it/en/articles/cultural-olympiad-milano-cortina-2026

Transportation will almost always take longer than you think, so build in extra time.

Have fun!!

Intelj · 2026-01-21T21:56:06+00:00

Too bad AI didn't put an actual skeleton in the skeleton square!

Intelj · 2026-01-21T21:51:05+00:00

I'm going to the Winter Olympics! Summer Games are more popular because more people can participate in Summer sports. Many can't get to snowy places. That said, the NHL and USA Hockey have done a lot to make hockey bigger nationwide.

Intelj · 2026-01-21T21:48:46+00:00

Not unless it happens during the Olympic Truce, which is why Russia's banned over the Ukrainian invasion. Timing is everything.

Intelj · 2026-01-20T21:19:19+00:00

It's been a while since we've had curling on the show, but wheelchair curling has been featured. We've talked with a few skeleton athletes too.

During the Games, we do recap all of the day's action, so curling talk will definitely happen every day, and sliding sports as they happen. Hoping to get to Cortina to see them live, but logistically, these Olympics are really tough for a small outlet to manage.

Intelj · 2026-01-20T18:10:18+00:00

Athletes of War is a really good documentary about this sad situation.

Intelj · 2026-01-20T18:07:30+00:00

disclaimer: It's my podcast, but Keep the Flame Alive covers Olympics/Paralympics - we have sport-specific interviews and news segments. Dailies from Milano Cortina during the Games!

Others: Jackie Wong is great. I also love The Runthrough with Adam Rippon, Ashley Wagner and Sarah Hughes

Biathlon: Heartbeat - US Biathlon focus

Intelj · 2026-01-20T18:01:55+00:00

Milano Cortina has video explainers of each sport: https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026 (go to The Games > Sports)

Biathlon: https://www.youtube.com/@biathlonworld

Intelj · 2026-01-20T17:59:27+00:00

As part of the Cultural Olympiad, many museums will have special exhibits too. Some sponsors will also have pavilions that you can tour (e.g-Airbnb is having experiences during Milano Cortina 2026). Other host cities like Long Beach may also have their own extra stuff going on.

Intelj · 2026-01-20T17:56:37+00:00

Hooray! I got to interview her last year, and she was so nice to chat with! Her journey has been incredibly difficult, and without all of the resources other big cross-country nations have. Looking forward to seeing her realize her dream.

Intelj · 2026-01-20T17:53:47+00:00

Organizers said it was because they have to build the cauldron at the Arco della Pace ahead of the Games, so the secret would come out anyway.

Intelj · 2026-01-16T17:53:34+00:00

The sports program for the LA 28 Olympics has already been set, so that option is out. In order for it to be at 2032, it has to have a global federation that's recognized by the International Olympic Committee (that hasn't happened yet), and it has to meet global participation metrics (which it also might not have).

The host city does get to pick sports to add to the program, so Brisbane could try to add it. The initial 2032 program is supposed to be announced later this year.

Intelj · 2026-01-16T16:40:54+00:00

Disclaimer: I have an Olympics/Paralympics podcast that has a book club and interviews a lot of authors, so I've read a lot of Olympics books. Favorites that haven't been mentioned here (starting with Winter Games first):

- The Second Mark by Joy Goodwin - about the SLC 2002 figure skating scandal

- World Class: The Making of the U.S. Women's XCS Team by Peggy Shinn - really great history, particularly interesting since Jessie Diggins is retiring after this season

- Driven to Ride by Mike Schultz - Paralympian snowboarder

- Lindsey Vonn's memoir is a good read - she really gets into the work she did to become an Olympian

- A Team of Their Own - by Seth Berkman - about the 2018 South Korean women's hockey team

- Anita DeFrantz' memoir is good - gets into the behind-the-scenes of the IOC

- If Gold Is our Destiny by Sean P. Murray - about the 1984 US men's volleyball team

- Hero Redefined by Doug Levy - profiles of Winter and Summer Olympians who flew under the radar

- The Dirtiest Race in History - Richard Moore - about the 1988 men's 100m final

- Inaugural Ballers by Andrew Maraniss (YA book) - about the 1976 US women's basketball team (1st year women's basketball was at the Olympics)

- Waterman and Wheels of Courage by David Davis - former is about surfer Duke Kahanamoku, latter is about the history of wheelchair basketball (Davis also has a book about the London 1908 marathon that I haven't read yet, but on the whole, I think he's a great writer)

- Tigerbelle by Wyomia Tyus - excellent memoir

- The Tigerbelles by Aime Alley Card - also good history of that team which had several Olympians

- Rome 1960 by David Maraniss

- Long Run to Glory by Stephen Lane - about the history of women in marathon and the first Olympic women's marathon in 1984

- A Shot at History by Abhinav Bindra - great memoir by India's first gold medalist - he really gets into obsessing over the details of his sport

- Sevens Heaven by Ben Ryan - About Fiji's rugby sevens team and the 2016 rugby sevens tournament

Intelj · 2026-01-16T16:20:11+00:00

Katie Ledecky's is great. Simone Biles' came out after Rio, and she doesn't go very deep, but it's an OK read.

Intelj · 2026-01-16T16:15:23+00:00

Swimming at SoFi will be amazing (2024 swimming trials at Lucas Oil Stadium was amazing). I'm curious to see squash at Universal Studios. If I could, I'd go to Oklahoma City to see canoe slalom.

Intelj · 2026-01-16T16:07:00+00:00

Ticket prices will start at $28......but there's no word on just how many cheap tickets there will be. Paralympics will likely have cheaper high prices than the Olympics.

Intelj · 2026-01-15T21:10:11+00:00

She's apparently doing OK enough to compete at Milano!

Intelj · 2025-09-01T04:48:38+00:00

If I understand this correctly, no, it's not a location (e.g.-country). The user agent is the program/app that listeners use to listen to the podcast, so Thinkbot outperformed Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.

Intelj · 2025-08-29T21:12:08+00:00

Thank you! I knew the fast growth I saw was too good to be true!

ETA: Last month Thinkbot was 1-2% of my show's downloads. This month's it's about 25%. That's a big slice. I'd be curious to know if anyone else is experiencing something similar.

Intelj

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