Amid controversy and a pandemic, the 2022 Winter Olympics are officially underway. Featuring several athletes with connections to the Cincinnati area. From former Cincinnati Cyclones players to three Hoosiers and more.

The most prominent athlete with local connections is Nick Goepper. The freestyle skier was born in Fort Wayne and grew up in Lawrenceburg, IN. Spending his formative years skiing at nearby Perfect North Slopes. He won a silver medal in 2018 and bronze in 2014. In the Olympic Freestyle Skiing Men’s Slopestyle event.

The qualifying for that event is set for late Super Bowl Sunday. Scheduled to start at 11:30 PM Eastern on February 13th. Hours after Goepper’s beloved Cincinnati Bengals plays the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Goepper’s first competition is the Big Air event Monday at 12:30 AM Eastern. The finals for that event are this Tuesday at 10 PM Eastern. Beyond competitions, Goepper is one of several Olympic athletes open about discussing mental health awareness. He’s open in discussing struggles he faced after the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Goepper won’t be the only U.S. Olympic skier with Lawrenceburg connections. Justin Schoenefeld will make his Olympic debut in Beijing. The 23-year-old was born in Erlanger, KY and raised in Lawrenceburg. He will compete in Men’s Aerial Skiing and Mixed Team Aerials. Going into Friday, his competition schedule is yet to be announced.

Another Hoosier Olympian is bobsledder Jimmy Reed. Born in Bloomington, IN, Reed has spent much of his life in Germany. The 30-year-old University of Maine alum will compete for Team USA. He was an alternate for Team USA’s bobsled team at the 2018 Olympics. Though didn’t compete in those games, he will be a push athlete this year. Bobsledding events aren’t set to begin until February 14th.

Shifting to Ohio, Red Gerard and Madison Hubbell will compete in Beijing. Gerard was a breakout snowboarding star for Team USA in 2018. Winning gold in slopestyle that year in PyeongChang, South Korea. In the Cleveland area native’s Olympics debut at the age of 17. He became the youngest gold medal-winning snowboarder in Olympic history. He also finished fifth in the Big Air competition.

Hubbell is a figure skater that spent much of her youth in the Toledo area. She’s competing in the Ice Dance event with her partner Zachary Donohue. They helped the U.S. rank first in the team qualifying event last night. Ice Dance competitions will continue on Monday. Hubbell and Donohue’s next event’s date and time hasn’t been announced yet.

The remaining local connections to these Olympics are in hockey. Ohio State Women’s Hockey player Jincy Dunne will play for Team USA. Dunne is making her Olympic debut this year. The defenseman will be part of team striving to win back-to-back gold medals. Dunne had an assist in Team USA’s 5-2 opening win against Finland on Thursday. Team USA will face the Russian Olympic Committee’s team Saturday and Switzerland on Sunday. Opening face-off for both games are set for 8:10 AM Eastern.

There are three men’s hockey players with connections to the Cincinnati Cyclones. David Desharnais was part of Cincinnati’s 2007-08 Kelly Cup championship team. The 35-year-old is making his Olympic debut as a center for Canada. Jeremy Smith will be a goalie for China’s hockey team. He played for the Cyclones from 2009-2011.

Smith was born in Michigan and has no known ancestral ties to China. He’s one of 17 players on China’s 25-man roster born in North America. Smith plays for the Beijing based Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League. He’s in the midst of his third season with that team. China and Team USA will face each other on February 10th.

Meanwhile, Sweden goalie Magnus Hellberg played for the Cyclones from 2012-14. Like Smith, Hellberg currently plays in the KHL. He previously played for Kunlun and currently playing for a team based in 2014 Olympic host Sochi. Hellberg made his Olympic debut during the 2018 PyeongChang games.

From an American perspective, the athletes will be the main source of joy. For a Winter Olympics embroiled in controversy due to it being in China. A leading contender in the gold medal for authoritarian human rights abusers. The U.S. and several other nations are staging a diplomatic boycott of these games. In protest of China’s various abuses against Uyghur Muslims, Hong Kongers, Tibetans and others.

Along with this, the games will be held under some of the strictest COVID-19 protocols on Earth. Limiting athletes, reporters and tourists’ ability to fully enjoy the Olympic experience. In a way that would typically be the case for the Olympics. There are also concerns about the environmental impact of these games. These and many other factors are zapping away the excitement that typically surrounds the games. Meanwhile, the games are also being overshadowed in America. Particularly here in Cincinnati and Los Angeles by Super Bowl LVI.

The Super Bowl will happen on the middle Sunday of these Olympics. Instead of a lack of excitement, the NFL is going into the Super Bowl on a roll. After down to the wire divisional round and conference championship games. If the Olympics manages to actually get the nation’s sustained attention. In a way that defies low TV ratings expectations. It will be thanks to the efforts of Team USA’s athletes. Including those with connections to the Tri-State.