Beijing 2022: Here’s what you need to know about the next Winter Olympic Games

With less than six months to go, here’s an early look at what you can expect from the Beijing Winter Olympic Games 2022. 

6 minBy Chloe Merrell

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in 2021, may now be over but you won’t have to wait long for more Olympic action.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games will begin in just under six months’ time.

The city of Beijing will be in the unique position of being the first location in history to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. After hosting the Summer edition back in 2008, China will welcome the sporting talent of the world once again 14 years later.

A total of 109 medal events across seven Olympic winter sports will be held across three competition zones all in 16 days of action.

Ready to go again? Here’s what else you need to know about Beijing 2022.

(OIS)

When are the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games happening?

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games will open on 4th February 2022 and will close 16 days later on 20th February.

Medals will be available from day one of the Games in biathlon, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, ski jumping, speed skating and short track speed skating.

If you’re an ice hockey fan, note down February 17 and February 20; these are the dates of the gold medal matches for the women’s competition and men’s competition respectively.

For the complete schedule for the Games look no further than here.

What venues will be used for Beijing 2022?

With Beijing holding the distinct honour of being the first city to host both Summer and Winter editions of the games, a total of seven venues from the 2008 Summer Olympics will be reused for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

This is part of the sustainability initiative driven by the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games.

The venues for Beijing 2022 have been divided into three zones: Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangijakou.

Beijing Zone

Located in central Beijing, this zone will stage the ice sports and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

The National Stadium from 2008, widely known as the “Bird’s Nest” due to its unique structure, will host the Ceremonies while the National Indoor Stadium, which previously held competitions such handball in 2008 will now host events such as ice hockey for 2022.

The only new venue built on Beijing’s Olympic Green for the Winter Olympics is the National Speed Skating Oval.

Built on the ground that was used for hockey and archery in 2008, naturally, this will host the speed skating competition at Beijing 2022.

Yanqing Zone

Found just 75 kilometres northwest of Beijing’s city centre, the mountainous suburb of Yanqing will stage the alpine skiing events as well as the sliding events: bobsled, luge, and skeleton.

A new national sliding centre has been constructed for the Games as well as a Winter Olympic Village which will accommodate 1,430 athletes and team officials during the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Zhangjiakou Zone

Normally a popular Chinese ski destination, this zone sits 180 kilometres northwest of Beijing and will be connected to the capital by a newly built intercity railway.

Zhangjiakou will host most of the ski and snowboarding events including freestyle, cross-country, ski jumping, Nordic combined, and biathlon.

What new events can I see at Beijing 2022?

Seven new events have made it on to the Olympic programme for Beijing 2022. These are:

  • Women’s monobob (one person bobsleigh)
  • Freestyle skiing big air (men and women)
  • Short track speed skating mixed relay
  • Ski jumping mixed team
  • Freestyle skiing aerials mixed team
  • Snowboard cross mixed team

These new events will ensure the Beijing 2022’s sports programme will bring about the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games to date, with more female athletes (45.44 percent) and women’s events than at any previous Games.

Which sports are included in the Winter Olympics?

There are a total of 15 disciplines at Beijing 2022, in 7 different Winter sports.

The full list can be found here.

How can I watch the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games?

The event will be available to watch via live television broadcasts and digital streaming platforms, with highlights also available on social media, and full coverage on Olympics.com throughout the Games.

The full list of broadcast partners and their coverage plans will be revealed prior to the start of the games, and will be updated here once confirmed.

Athletes to look out for at Beijing 2022

With close to 3,000 athletes competing there will be plenty of stars to cast your eyes over at Beijing 2022.

We have created a two-part guide to for athletes and teams to watch out for at the Games.

The first covers athletes from alpine skiing, figure skating, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, luge, and speed skating.

The second looks at competitors from the bobsleigh, skeleton, cross-country, ski jumping, biathlon, curling and Nordic combined competitions.

(2018 Getty Images)

What does the Beijing 2022 Olympic torch look like?

The design for the Beijing 2022 torch was selected from 182 entries in a global competition launched back in April 2020.

Like all Olympic torches it is laced with meaning and intent.

The way the torch spirals upwards is designed to resemble two overlapping, fluttering spirals. The inner red ribbon calls on the rising flames, with the outer ribbon - plated in silver - represents the ice, marking a distinct contrast between the elements.

Finer components including the emblem of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and patterns of clouds and snowflakes painted from the bottom up to where the flame will eventually be.

It might be noted that the torch shares similarities with that of the one from Beijing 2008, this is deliberate.

By using the same colour combinations and similar artistic elements the idea is that there is a sense of continuity from the grand welcome the world received for Summer Games in 2008 to the one that will greet arrivals once again in 2022.

Meet the mascot

Bing Dwen Dwen will be Beijing 2022’s ambassador.

“Bing” in Mandaring Chinese has several meanings, through the most common is ice. While “Dwen Dwen” means robust and lovely, and also represents children.

The design for Bing Dwen Dwen created by Cao Xue, was chosen from over 5,800 submissions from China and 35 countries around the world as part of a global competition arranged by the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee.

How to follow action at the Winter Olympics

We'll have event previews, round-up articles, feature interviews, and the best of the action right here on Olympics.com so add us to your favourites and keep coming back for more!

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