With three days, at the time of writing, before the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, here is all you need to know about the upcoming Winter Games.
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games will be held in Beijing, in the People’s Republic of China. From February 4th to 20th nearly 3,000 athletes from 90 nations will compete in a variety of winter events such as downhill skiing and figure skating. There will be 109 events in over 15 different disciplines. Athletes will compete to receive gold, silver and bronze medals. The concepts of those medals are based on traditional Chinese astronomy and astrology signs, as the games will coincide with the festivities of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
It should be worth noting that Beijing will be the first city to host both summer and winter games. This comes after they hosted the summer games of 2008.
When it starts
The opening ceremony will take place on the night of 4th February in Beijing, in a stadium commonly known as the Birds’ Nest. The Beijing National Stadium was built for the first games that the city held.
The official mascot of the Games is Bing Dwen Dwen (冰墩墩). Bing means ice, purity and strength while Dwen Dwen means robustness and liveliness. His astronaut-like clothes imply that the Winter Olympics embrace new technologies and will create new possibilities. But the Games are not the only ones to be held in the next few weeks. The 2022 Winter Paralympic Games will be held two weeks after the closing of the Games. From March 4th to 13th, Beijing will also hold the Paralympic Games. The mascot for those games is Shuey Rhon Rhon (雪容融). Shuey Rhon Rhon is an anthropomorphised Chinese lantern which represents harvest, celebration and light.
The games will be held in 26 different venues (including training venues), which will all run entirely on renewable energy. This comes after the Tokyo Olympics also used 100% renewable energy for its venues and facilities. They proved successful in using recycled materials for medals, podiums and even for the athletes’ beds. The Beijing 2022 games have established a low carbon management plan, and have also prioritized plants and wildlife conservation. There is no doubt that the International Olympic Committee has been keen to promote sustainability in the Olympic Games.
Boycotts
Moving on from sustainability and the games, it is key to mention that there are countries that will be diplomatically boycotting the event. What this means is that there will be no dignitaries to officially represent the respective nation’s government during the Olympic Games. These include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Great Britain, Japan, Kosovo, Lithuania and the United States. The Biden administration cited China’s mistreatment of Uyghur people as its reason to diplomatically boycott the games. However, this will not affect the participation of the athletes in the actual games.
The games will also see the nations of Haiti and Saudi Arabia entering for the first time. Richardson Viano will represent Haiti at the Games, with the 19-year-old expected to compete in the men’s giant slalom event, and Fayik Abdi will represent Saudi Arabia in the giant slalom. These are historic moments for the two nations.
There is no doubt that these Winter Olympics will be a rollercoaster of emotions for everyone involved and for all those watching. Are you ready to cheer on your country?
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