EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFor a little over two weeks in northern Italy, Olympic stars from Mikaela Shiffrin to Alysa Liu to Elana Meyers Taylor to Jordan Stolz wowed us, while we all became experts on curling ethics and ice dance twizzles.On Sunday, a handover ceremony will take place, and a flag will be passed to representatives of French Alps 2030. Like the Milan Cortina Games, the 2030 Olympics will be spread throughout the country -- and possibly speedskating will even be held in the Netherlands or Italy.Although it's way too early to make predictions, that has never stopped us before. Here's what to expect from the 2030 Olympics.The United States will enter as gold-medal favorites in women's hockeyUSA-Canada has been one of the best rivalries in sports, but in these Olympics, the ice seemed tilted very much in the Americans' favor for the first time. Yes, Canada played its hearts out in the gold medal game, a 2-1 OT win by the U.S. But if you paid attention in the lead-up and during the Games, it's clear Team USA is building a potential dynasty.Canada could have some growing pains this cycle considering it brought such a heavily veteran team to Milan. USA breakout Olympic stars Caroline Harvey (tournament MVP), Abbey Murphy and Laila Edwards are all 23 or younger and would have been the youngest players on Team Canada. Aerin Frankel allowed just two goals on 99 shots and set the Olympic record for most shutouts (three). She'll return as a 31-year-old in France. Then there's Taylor Heise (25), Hannah Bilka (24) and Tessa Janecke (21). This crop of players is just getting started. -- Emily Kaplan... But men's hockey will have much more parity Who will challenge Canada and the U.S. in men's hockey? We've been asking this on the women's side for years, and the gap just doesn't seem like it's closing. On the men's side, there are plenty of contenders. Sweden and Finland are already world powers, but their 2026 Olympic tournaments were derailed in part by some questionable coaching decisions. The Czechs didn't play to their potential until their elimination game against Canada. The Germans had a disappointing Olympics but have too much talent to go out this quietly again. Switzerland is on the rise. The scouting report on Latvia was that it played hard. And the biggest breakout star is Slovakia, whose roster features three recent top-10 draft picks (Juraj Slafkovsky, Dalibor Dvorsky and Simon Nemec) and seems to be just getting started. The 2030 field should be a juicy one. -- KaplanFreeride skiing and snowboarding will debutThe IOC plans to announce the program for French Alps 2030 in June, and it's likely that freeride -- skiing and snowboarding on natural, ungroomed, steep terrain -- will make its debut in four years."It is the original ski discipline," Freeride World Tour CEO Nicolas Hale-Woods told ESPN. "To our eyes and to the eyes of a lot of skiers and snowboarders, it's the most complete and inspirational discipline. It's beautiful to watch and it's thrilling to perform."Hale-Woods said the proposed program will feature 16 men and 16 women in both ski and snowboard, and the qualifying will work similarly to surfing. American Mia Jones, 20, the daughter of big-mountain snowboard pioneer and Protect Our Winters founder Jeremy Jones, won the inaugural FIS Freeride World Championship in women's snowboarding earlier this month.Cross-country running, cyclocross and ice climbing are also being considered for 2030. -- Alyssa RoenigkThe American men will return to the podium in snowboard halfpipeWith hungry, young powerhouses such as Alessandro Barbieri pushing the veterans and inspiring the development riders, the future looks bright."I'll take this as motivation, and I won't let it crumble me," Barbieri said after the halfpipe final in Livigno, where he finished 10th.Only 17, Barbieri already has two triple corks and a run that could have placed him on the podium, had he landed a clean run. "I'll be back stronger and more motivated to win," he says of 2030. -- RoenigkExpect more crossover athletesEileen Gu of China is the only woman in freeskiing who's competing in halfpipe, slopestyle and big air. American freeskier Nick Goepper won three medals in slopestyle before retiring, switching to halfpipe and competing in Milan Cortina. Ester Ledecka competes in parallel giant slalom on a snowboard and in giant slalom on alpine skis -- and she has won gold on both.Young athletes are growing up with this as their reality. "Don't wait until you're older. Don't wait until tomorrow. Do it now," Gu said after taking silver in slopestyle last week. "Do everything now." -- RoenigkIlia Malinin will be back and ready for goldAfter his devastating free skate in the individual event, Malinin said he would learn from the experience and be better prepared if given the chance to compete at the Games again. As the two-time reigning world champion and still capable of elements -- hello, quadruple axel! -- that no one else can do, it seems likely he will have that chance in 2030. It is safe to say he will look for ways to improve mentally in the meantime, as much as physically, and will be more ready for the pressure and the attention the next time around. -- D'Arcy MaineThe figure skating team event will get some tweaksWith just one day between the team event conclusion and the start of the individual ice dance competition, and with the men's singles starting one day later, it seems clear something has to give in terms of scheduling. Although Malinin didn't blame having to compete four times in six days for his ultimate eighth-place result, it's hard to think it wasn't at least a factor.If the ISU and the Olympics want to continue getting the best skaters to compete in the team event, they will need to take action to ensure proper rest and recovery -- and that it doesn't affect the individual performances. -- MaineEmilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik are the future of American ice danceMadison Chock and Evan Bates' status in the sport is unknown, but it seems clear the country will be well represented in the discipline going forward. Competing in their first Olympics following a breakout season, Zingas, 23, and Kolesnik, 24, finished in a surprising fifth place -- an anomaly for such a new team -- and ahead of teams that have been together for over a decade. Anything can happen in four years, but Zingas and Kolesnik dominating this next quad and ending up on the podium in 2030 feels increasingly likely. -- Maine
