The biggest sporting event of the winter season this year would have to be the 2022 Winter Olympics, being held in Beijing, China. Less than a week away, the event scheduled to begin on the 4th of February, will end two weeks later on the 20th. According to the Washington Post, this will be the first time that Beijing has hosted the Winter Olympics, having hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008. This season, the athletic events will be right on schedule, unlike this past year’s Summer Olympics, with Beijing organizers teasing "a splendid Beijing 2022 opening ceremony" that will keep COVID-19 safety in mind.
Technicalities
Concerning the US, Today News reported that the Biden administration announced a diplomatic boycott, which means that while athletes will still be allowed to compete, no government officials from the US will attend. Australia has since followed suit, because of accusations of human rights violations in China.
The Events
NBC has reported that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics currently has a schedule of a record 109 events in seven sports: biathlon, curling, ice hockey, skating (figure and speed), luge, skiing, and bobsledding. The demographics of the Olympics have changed as well, with more mixed-gender events partially because of the International Olympic Committee’s desire to add more women’s events.
Athletes
The variety of talent showcased by the American Olympic athletes will be spectacular for viewers to watch.
Nathan Chen: According to Today News, the 22 year old figure skater finished fifth in Pyeongchang in 2018, but won three consecutive world championships after, continuing to be looked at as a gold medal favorite. Chen has ties to Beijing as well, with both parents born in China, likely motivating him further.
Chloe Kim and Red Gerard: According to NBC Olympics, a snowboarding prodigy, Kim competed in Pyeongchang as well, making history at 17 as the youngest competitor to win gold in her event. Gerard, 17 as well, also won gold, making him the youngest American man to win winter gold since 1928.
Erin Jackson: Making history as the first African American woman to compete on the US long track speedskating team, 29 year-old Jackson qualified for Pyeongchang after only four months of training.
Lolo Jones: 39 year-old Jones proves that age doesn’t matter in the Olympics. Competing in bobsled, Jones, after winning the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will have the opportunity to compete in the same city again, this time, according to Today, as the “reigning world champion in two-woman bobsled with Kaillie Humphries.”
Athletic talent remains a gift, nurtured by hard work and countless sleepless nights, shown in the winners of past Winter Olympics, and the returning competitors from a decade past. America will likely cheer on our athletes, and the world will provide an international competition between stellar athletes.
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