The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially the XXIV Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Beijing 2022, are an upcoming international winter multi-sport event scheduled to take place from February 4th to the 20th, 2022 in Beijing and neighboring towns of Yanqing and Chongli in the People's Republic of China.

Beijing was elected as host city in July 2015. The 2022 Winter Olympics will be the first Winter Olympics in China, the last of three consecutive Olympics to be held in East Asia (after the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan), and the second overall Olympics to be held in China, after the 2008 Summer Olympics also in Beijing.

For the first time, the Winter Olympics will be hosted by a city that previously hosted the Summer Olympics; four existing indoor venues that were originally constructed for the 2008 Games, as well as the Beijing National Stadium (for the opening and closing ceremonies), will be used.

Impact of Covid-19 on the Olympic Games

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics, to 2021, marking the first time since 1992 in which the Winter and Summer Olympics would be held less than six months apart from each other.

On 29 September 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced biosecurity protocols for the Games; all athletes will be required to remain within the bio-secure bubble for the duration of their participation, including restrictions on travel to and from Games-related venues. Unless they are fully-vaccinated or have a valid medical exemption, all athletes will be required to quarantine for 21 days upon arrival. Mirroring a protocol adopted for the 2020 Summer Olympics before they were moved behind closed doors, the IOC also announced that only residents of the People's Republic of China will be permitted to attend the Games as spectators.

Mascot

Bing Dwen Dwen is the mascot of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Bing Dwen Dwen was chosen from thousands of Chinese designs in 35 countries worldwide. "Bing" means ice in Chinese, and is meant to suggest purity and strength. "Dwen Dwen" is meant to suggest robust, lively, and also children. Bing Dwen Dwen's astronaut-like clothes imply that the Winter Olympics embraces new technologies and create possibilities.

Opening Ceremony

As happened at the 2008 Summer Olympics, the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held at the Beijing National Stadium ( the Bird's Nest) on the evening/night of 4 February 2022.

Sports

The 2022 Winter Olympics are scheduled to include a record 109 events over 15 disciplines in seven sports. This represented an increase of seven events from 2018. The men's and women's big air freestyle, women's monobob, mixed team competitions in freestyle skiing aerials, ski jumping, and snowboard cross, and the mixed relay in short track speed skating were the new events added by the International Olympic Committee in July 2018.

1. Biathlon

2. Bobsledding

   • Bobsleigh *

   • Skeleton

3. Curling

4. Ice hockey

5. Luge

6. Skating

   • Figure skating

   • Short track speed skating*

   • Speed skating

7. Skiing

   • Alpine skiing

   • Cross-country skiing

   • Freestyle skiing *

   • Nordic combined

   • Ski jumping *

   • Snowboarding *

(* new sport events)

Source: Wikipedia

Discussion questions:

1. What is new or interesting to you from this article?

2. What does the Winter Olympics or, in particular, this Winter Olympics mean to you?

3. Have you done any winter sports before? What was it like?

4. What winter sport would you like to try? Why?

5. Do you have an interesting story that you have heard or read about Beijing 2022 that you can share with the class?