2022 Winter Olympics Begin In Beijing, China
Winter athletes compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in the games set every four years
Beijing’s National Stadium was constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics and is also used for the 2022 Winter Olympics/Paralympics.
February 7, 2022
Just six months after the make-up 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics have recently started in Beijing, China. The opening ceremony took place on Friday, Feb 4 and was aired on NBC at 8 p.m. Beijing time, which was 6 a.m Central time.
Events will take place throughout the span of the Olympics Feb. 5 to Feb. 20.
The majority of events began on Saturday, Feb. 6. These are some of the big sports:
Alpine Skiing: Otherwise known as downhill skiing, it features skiers winding down steep slopes with sharp turns and jumps. This is one of the most popular sports of the Winter Olympics. Watch out for one of our own Mikaela Shiffrin, a two-time gold medalist in the sport.
Luge, Skeleton and Bobsleigh: This group is made up of the three sliding sports featured. Luge is one of the fastest Olympic sports, where one sledder sleds feet first down a treacherous track. This event is performed in single races (one person) and double races (two people). Similar to luge, bobsleigh features two or more sledders slide down an embankment of sharp turns. Skeleton is just like the previous two events, but performed head first.
Figure Skating: Figure skating is arguably the most popular sport in the Games, and is beautiful in its performance. This event is separated into five different disciplines including men and women’s singles, pairs, ice dancing, and synchronized skating. Watch out for our own three-time world champion Nathan Chen.
Snowboarding: Flying down the slopes as if on cloud nine, snowboarders ride a snow-covered ramp performing glorious tricks. It is one of the newer sports in the Olympics, but it hasn’t failed to excite viewers. America has a few prominent snowboarders competing in the Winter Games including Jamie Anderson, with 18 gold medals, and Shaun White, currently at a count of 13 gold medals.
Those are just a few of the sports of the Winter Olympics, but make sure to tune into more during the 15-day span on NBC.
