Winter Olympics 2026 Highlights & T20 World Cup Upsets

In this episode of Takaro Kids, Kiran and Debbie cover two major sporting events: the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo and the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. They discuss a controversy involving Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified for wearing a helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes killed in the war, and compare it to Afghan breakdancer Manizha Talash’s disqualification at the Paris 2024 Olympics for a slogan supporting Afghan women. The hosts highlight standout Winter Olympics moments including Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Klæbo winning his eighth Olympic gold medal, and snowboard halfpipe star Chloe Kim being beaten by her 17-year-old protégé Choi Gaon after Choi recovered from a bad first run. They also note challenges caused by heavy use of artificial snow due to warmer winters and lower-altitude venues, and mention India’s two Winter Olympians Arif Mohd Khan and Stanzin Lundup. They share the current medal standings with Norway leading, Italy second, and the USA and Japan next. Switching to cricket, they describe the expanded 20-team T20 World Cup field and early upsets and close matches, including Nepal nearly beating England, Zimbabwe defeating Australia by 23 runs, and Italy’s debut win over Nepal by 10 wickets, along with results like UAE beating Canada and the USA beating the Netherlands. The episode’s prediction challenge asks viewers to guess which country will finish with the highest total Winter Olympics medal tally and submit answers by 19 February at 12 noon for prizes. They also announce last week’s quiz winner: 11-year-old Nadia Desai from Bangalore, who correctly answered that Shiva Keshavan was the first Indian to compete in luge across six consecutive Winter Olympics.

00:00 Welcome! Two Huge Sports Events: Winter Olympics + T20 World Cup
01:02 Winter Olympics in Milan & Cortina: Pronunciation, Places, and What’s New
01:30 Skeleton Controversy: Ukrainian Athlete Disqualified for Helmet Message
03:38 Olympics & Politics: Past Example and Why the IOC Stays Strict
04:20 Record-Setter Moment: Johannes Klæbo’s 8th Gold & That Uphill Sprint
05:26 Artificial Snow Challenges: Warmer Winters, Harder Surfaces, More Injuries
06:39 Halfpipe Heartwarmer: Chloe Kim vs Protégé Choi Gaon
08:30 India at the Winter Olympics: The Two Athletes and Why Participation Matters
09:56 Medal Tally Check-In: Norway Leads, Italy Second, USA & Japan in the Mix
10:50 Switching to Cricket: 2026 T20 World Cup in India & Sri Lanka (20 Teams!)
12:06 Underdogs Making Noise: Nepal Nearly Stuns England + Group Stage Format
12:54 Zimbabwe’s Comeback Shock: Beating Australia & What ‘Minnows’ Means
14:50 More Surprises + Cricket History: Italy’s Debut, UAE Upset, USA’s Old Cricket Roots
16:20 This Week’s Challenge: Predict the Winter Olympics Medal-Tally Winner
18:28 Last Week’s Quiz Winner + How to Send Your Prediction (Deadline Details)

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