The Beijing Olympics start today, and to get you excited about all of the athletic talent competing this year, we’ve put together a list of Olympic athletes from Charleston + those with ties to SC.

You may need to wait until the Summer Games to catch these athletes in action, but we didn't want to be left out of the fun.

Check out the schedule + plan your watch party in advance. And, don’t forget the Paralympic Games from Mar. 4-13.

Raven Saunders | Track and Field | Charleston, SC | Saunders is a two-time Olympian + one-time Olympic medal winner. Saunders ranked 5th place for shot put in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and took home the silver medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Khris Middleton | Basketball | Charleston, SC | Middleton is a two-time NBA All-Star, one-time Olympian + one-time Olympic medal winner, taking home the gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

However, Middleton + Saunders aren’t the only Olympic athletes with ties to SC.

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn | Track and Field | Fort Dorchester High School graduate | Camacho-Quinn is a three-time NCAA Champion, two-time Olympian, and one-time gold medalist competing for Puerto Rico.

A’ja Wilson | Basketball | Columbia, SC | In addition to being the 2020 WNBA Most Valuable Player, Wilson is a one-time Olympian and gold medalist + graduated from USC in 2018.

Wadeline Jonathas | Track and Field | Columbia, SC | Another USC graduate, Jonathas is also a one-time Olympic athlete + gold medalist.

Allisha Gray | Basketball | USC graduate | Gray is a one-time Olympic athlete + gold medalist born in Greenwood, SC.

CofC graduates Juan Maegli, Enrique Arathoon, and Stefano Peschiera will be competing in the Summer Olympic Games for Sailing.

In short, there’s plenty of representation for the Palmetto State in the Olympic Games. Does that give us an excuse to cancel all plans to sit on the couch + watch?

Pro tip: If you don’t have cable + are looking for ways to stream your favorite events, here’s how.