The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 will commence on the 4th of February and continue until the 20th of February 2022 in Beijing, China. While some competitions start on February 2nd, the majority of the competitions start after the Opening Ceremony on the 4th of February. Likewise, Beijing is the first city in the world to host both the Winter and Summer Olympics. The famous Bird's Nest National stadium would be used for both the Opening and Closing ceremonies.

The sporting events will take place in three different zones. Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou are the three zones. Moreover, the budget of the games is $3.9 billion which is said to be a cheap event from the last two Olympic Games. The Olympic mascot is a panda named Bing Dwen Dwen. Bing means ice as it symbolizes purity and strength while Dwen Dwen means robust and lively symbolizing children. The event will have some of the major competitors in the world like Shaun White, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Chloe Kim, who are some of the leading contenders.

What is Winter Olympics?

Just like the Summer Olympics, the International Olympic Committee organizes both Olympic events. Although the Summer Olympics is incredibly famous, the organizers hold the Winter Olympics during Winter as the name suggests. There are many differences between these two Olympic Games. While the Summer Olympics is host to around 200 or more countries, the Winter Olympics has below 100 countries in the competition. Hence, the size is small. That means lesser coverage and viewership across the globe. Some of the sports competitions include skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, curling, figure skating, etc.

How did Winter Olympics start?

With the Olympics having its birthplace in Greece, the first events were called as Nordic Games. The Scandinavian countries were the primary participants in the Games. From there, they held different Olympic Games; however, most of them were held in Sweden. Seeing the potential, the IOC suggested Sweden hold a separate Winter Olympics. With the essence of the Nordic Games still intact, they refused to do it. On the other hand, Germany loved the idea and decided to host the Winter Olympics. But, World War I forced the cancellation of the Games. From there, everything fell into place for the 1924 Winter Olympics, an IOC-recognized event and they named it the International Winter Sports Week. It was held in Chamonix, France. From there, the committee held a separate Winter Olympics from there as they hosted it in St. Moritz, Switzerland. That was the second Winter Olympics. The tradition continued from there to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as of now.

What do the Olympic Rings represent?

One of the most incredible representations of the Olympics image is those beautifully engineered rings. There are three rings on the top followed by two rings infused from the bottom. Blue, black, yellow, red, and green are the five colors of the rings. They represent the five continents that are united by Olympism. Pierre de Coubertin created the design that became an iconic image for all Olympic Games back in 2013.

Is Winter Olympics 2022 happening?

Amidst all the pandemic problems, the Winter Olympics 2022 will begin as per schedule. There are a total of 15 sporting competitions which will happen on different dates and venues. The opening ceremony happens on February 4th while the closing ceremony is scheduled for 20th February.

Alpine Skiing- 3rd- 17th, 19th

Biathlon- 5th, 7th-8th, 11th-13th, 15th-16th, 18th-19th

Bobsleigh- 10th-20th

Cross Country-Skiing- 5th-6th, 8th, 10th-13th, 16th, 19th-20th

Curling- 2nd-20th

Figure Skating- 4th, 6th-8th, 10th, 12th, 14th-15th, 17th-19th

Freestyle Skiing- 3rd, 5th-10th, 13th-19th

Ice Hockey- 3rd-20th

Luge- 2nd-10th

Nordic Combined- 6th-9th, 12th-17th

Short Track Speed Skating- 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 16th

Skeleton- 7th-12th

Ski Jumping- 3rd-7th, 9th-14th

Snowboarding- 5th-12th, 14th-15th

Speed Skating- 5th-8th, 10th-13th, 15th, 17th-19th

Safety Guidelines at Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

With the Covid-19 pandemic still existing in 2022, there would be safety guidelines similar to the Tokyo Olympics 2020. With different athletes coming from various countries, the international testing standards are safely done under the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance. Chair of the Beijing 2022 Medical Expert Panel, Dr. Brian McCloskey spoke about the guidelines in a recent interview. The PCR testing is the standard that athletes would need to follow to ensure a safe and sound Winter Olympics in China. Departure tests would need to happen between 72 and 96 hours before departure. Oropharyngeal and Nasopharyngeal are the two tests done to minimize the risk of community spreading.

Where are the Winter Olympics 2022 held?

Significantly, there are three zones that will be the venues for the Olympic Games. Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou are the three venues for the Winter Olympics. Beijing is the city where snowboard big air and freestyle skiing big air, men’s and women’s will be held. Yanqing is a venue that is 75 kilometers away from Beijing Alpine Skiing and Bobsled events. The Olympic Athletes' Village is set in Yanqing. The last location is Zhangjiakou will host ski and snowboarding competitions that include freestyle, cross-country, ski jumping, Nordic combined, and biathlon.

Total countries participating at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

While Summer Olympics is home to almost 200 or more countries, it is comparatively lower in terms of countries appearing for the Winter Olympic Games. There are 91 countries that will take part in Beijing. These countries are under the International Olympic Committee. Around 2900 athletes are expected to attend the event.

Who boycotts the Winter Olympics?

With different controversies arising from China, some of the nations are turning to diplomatic boycotting. Several countries like the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and Lithuania, have announced a diplomatic boycott of the competition. The NHL barred its players to not attending the Winter Olympics as it is one example of players not being allowed to appear.

How to watch Winter Olympics 2022?

NBC Sports would mainly cover the US Olympic competitions in Beijing. It will have around 2800+ hours of coverage on various channels like NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC, NBCOlympics.com, and the NBC Sports app.