There has been lot of buzz around this year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and deservedly so. Horrific hotel accommodations, potential terrorist threats, and controversial anti-gay policies have dominated news coverage, but now that the games are underway, many hope that public attention can be diverted towards the athletes.

This year boasts the largest U.S. Team ever with 230 athletes and also marks the first time U.S Olympic athletes will march onto Russian soil since President Jimmy Carter boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. You can’t have the Olympics devoid of a political element, and Russia with its contentious past, aspires to regain its position as a global superpower.

Many have called these Olympics “Putin’s Games” because Russian President Vladimir Putin has so much invested in them. Consequently, they are among the most expensive in history, with a reported $50 billion going into brand new facilities and infrastructure.

The Opening Ceremonies last Friday were especially extravagant and blended treasured parts of Russian culture with over-the-top acrobatics and lights displays. Overall, the Ceremonies were received positively by the public, despite a technological malfunction that occurred when one of five gigantic snowflakes intended to burst into Olympic rings failed to open.

A new X-games-inspired event, Slopes Style, was added to the Olympics this year. It is entertaining to watch because in order to achieve high scores, athletes must dazzle judges with combinations of difficult, high-flying tricks, all the while making it look completely effortless. Americans Sage Kotsenberg and Jamie Anderson swept both the men’s and women’s events, respectively.

A huge part of what draws viewers to the Olympics is the personal stories of the athletes. We can’t help but marvel at the accomplishments of newcomers like Julia Lipnitskaia, the fifteen-year old Russian figure skater who qualified for the Olympics by a meager twenty-six days, and eighteen-year old U.S. alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, who hopes to become the youngest alpine skier to win a gold medal. Veterans like U.S. speed skater Chani Davis and men’s slalom champion are looking to create a legacy, and potentially, end their Olympic careers on a high note.

Some who have set expectations to win medals are bitterly disappointed if they come up short and it is heartbreaking to watch these athletes come so close to achieving their dreams and miss out by a fraction of a second or a hundredth of a point. On the contrary, most athletes are thrilled to be even included in such a momentous event and consider it to be the highlight of their athletic career, if not their entire life. It is the ultimate acknowledgment of the long journey that led these athletes to the pinnacle of their sport.