It is perhaps a little more complicated ...

.. but not much more.  Matthew Parris in The Times skewers the Winter Olympics:

What’s all this nonsense about the Winter Olympics? Do you watch it? I tried for a few minutes yesterday but all you can see is lots of snow and people attempting a range of implausible activities in it, most of which (being in snow) involve sliding around. Sometimes contestants have planks on both feet, sometimes both feet on one plank, sometimes they crouch, sometimes they stand, sometimes they prostrate themselves on little slidy container-things and go snaking down channels.

But what’s the point? We could have Mud Olympics where people slither through mud, dive into it, sledge across it; or Mattress Olympics in which everyone bounces on a mattress. Would you bother?

Let’s face it, skiing is sliding downhill for rich people. Then they get towed back up to the top and slide down again. I’ve watched baboons on a rock in Africa doing something similar, sitting on dead branches. But skiing costs more, much more. Therefore it becomes exclusive; and all the rest is prancing around with other rich people. Fine. Awesome. But why should we taxpayers pay millions for “Team GB” to do it in Korea? Beats me.

And skiers get to wear fancy and expensive clothes.