The Winter Olympics Are Back and Better Than Ever!
February 8, 2022
Everyone should buckle up their seat belts because the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic games are just around the corner! The games are kicking off with the opening ceremony on Friday, February 4th and come to a close on Sunday, February 20th. This past summer, Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympic Games which included sports such as gymnastics, track and field, swimming, and beach volleyball. Viewers watched athletes compete for the gold and will experience the same thrill once again while watching athletes compete in Beijing. So what can we look forward to for the Winter Olympics?
The 2022 Winter Olympics are being held in China’s capital, Beijing. The variety of sports that will be contested are alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsled, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, hockey, luge, Nordic combined, short track, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboarding and speed skating. There will be a total of 109 medal events across a total of 15 sports, so there will be plenty to enjoy! Additionally, to add to this hefty list above, there will be many new additions which include women’s monobob, men and women’s big air (freestyle skiing), mixed team snowboard cross, mixed team aerials, mixed team short track relay, and mixed team ski jumping. With sports from all ends of the spectrum there is something for everyone, and I mean anyone!
Watching the nail biting competition between our idolized athletes for the gold medal is just one aspect viewers love about the Olympics. These committed athletes have put in so much time and effort. Some members of Team USA include, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, figure skater Nathan Chen, snowboarder Chloe Kim, snowboarder Shaun White, cross country skier Jessie Diggins, and snowboarder Jamie Anderson. These athletes, along with many others, have made the journey to Beijing to participate in the 2022 games. But where will they be staying? The Olympic village of course! The Olympic village is a facility located in the host city of the games (in this case Beijing) that accommodates the many team members and team officials. Athletes competing in the ice sports will be staying in the Chaoyang district of Beijing in the 2022 Olympic village where it will include about 2,300 beds for teams and officials. Zhangjiakou will house participants of freestyle skiing, snowboarding biathlon, ski jumping, and cross country skiing. The last Olympic village, located in Yanqing, houses team officials and athletes participating in alpine skiing, luge, bobsleigh, and skeleton. Mountain villages located in Northern China are the inspiration behind this last village. It specifically highlights Chinese cultural aspects. Isn’t that exciting?!
The Olympics only happen every four years, so kicking the games off with an exhilarating tradition such as the Olympic Opening Ceremony is just one more must watch! The Olympic opening ceremony will take place at The Beijing National Stadium. These interesting ceremonies give viewers a taste of the host city’s culture, traditions, and customs through the arts. This includes culture through music, song, and dance. The ceremony will represent the official start of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The closing ceremony will be held on February 20th, which will signify the games coming to a close.
There is just so much to love about the Winter Olympics, whether it be the thrill of watching athletes compete, the hopes you may have watching your favorite team member grab the gold, or even the interest you may have in the host city, there’s something for everyone. So before the Olympic flame is put out, be sure to tune into the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics!
