Ice Ice Baby

AS THE 2026 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES AT MILANO CORTINA, ITALY, DRAWS TO A CLOSE BASAB DASGUPTA GETS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH FIGURE SKATERS

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When the 2026 Winter i Olympic Games at Milano Cortina, Italy began, I was excited about the figure skating events.

I participated in all sports while growing up in India but never any winter sports simply because there was no snow or ice anywhere around Kolkata nor any ice rink. My only exposure was occasional viewing of winter games on movie screens as part of news or a movie.

However, I enjoyed watching women's figure skating. My parents took me to a performance by the "Holiday on Ice" group when they visited Kolkata. Figure skating is a wonderful combination of athleticism, natural beauty especially women's beauty, grace, music and free spirit in a presentation that does not exist in any other sport. Although called a sporting event it is really a performing art.

After I came to the US, I started to watch skating on TV. My serious interest started with Peggy Fleming who had won the Olympic gold medal in 1968. Her stunning beauty added to the magical aura around a skater.

Many years later I saw her in a live performance in a "Disney on Ice" show with my daughter.

I closely followed all major skating news like the scandal involving Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding in 1991. I remember breakfast cereal boxes with pictures of Dorothy Hamill on them. I was awed by the skating routine of German skater Katarina Witt to the tune of Michael Jackson's "Bad". Women's skating is the only attraction for me during the Winter Olympics. I was delighted to see US-born Alysia Liu recently become World Champion after many years of disappointment of US figure skaters to win a championship.