Where are the Olympic medals? Beijing 2022 victory ceremonies explained
Most Winter Olympic medallists actually ascend the podium twice: once just after their achievement when they receive a sought-after Bing Dwen Dwen mascot, and again later when they collect their medals. Here's why.
Rest assured, the gold, silver, and bronze medals are making their way into the hands - and around the necks - of the top three in each event at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
It just doesn't usually happen immediately after the competition.
Unlike many previous Summer Olympic Games where medals have typically been awarded in the venue just after an event, or perhaps the next day for athletics, more recent Games including Tokyo 2020 have featured a separate medal ceremony for many events (officially known as Victory Ceremony) each evening where flowers or a wreath have been presented. This has been the case at the Winter Olympics since Nagano 1998.
At Beijing 2022, there are two medals plazas: one in the capital city, located near the National Stadium (also known as the Bird's Nest), and one in Zhangjiakou for athletes competing in the mountain clusters.
The athletes who finish in the top three at the Games receive a small Bing Dwen Dwen, the incredibly popular panda mascot, and bouquets featuring six different kinds of flowers knitted in cashmere in the competition venue.
Then they must wait for the Victory Ceremony at one of the medal plazas to get their hands on the ultimate Olympic souvenir.
There are, however, some sports bucking the trend at Beijing 2022.
The first alpine skiing medals were awarded on Monday (7 February) in the men's downhill and the women's giant slalom.
The victors - Beat Feuz and Sara Hector - received their golds on a podium at the bottom of the course. The ski slopes of the mountain range around Yanqing are more than 100km from the two medal plazas, and with many skiers competing in multiple events on successive days it makes sense to keep them in one place. But they do still get their two moments to shine, as the competition format usually means a provisional podium is named and celebrated once the established names have finished their runs. The medals are then awarded once the official result is confirmed.
Sliding sports - bobsleigh, skeleton, luge - also take place in the Yanqing region, and have their medal presentations at the venue too.
The same goes for curling with Italy's surprise mixed doubles champions - Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner - receiving their golds in the Ice Cube.
But fear not - all the medallists also get their hands on the toy panda mascot.