2022 Winter Olympics: Everything you need to know about the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The 2022 Winter Olympics will take place in Beijing, China from February 4th to the 20th. This will be the first time that the Winter Olympics have been hosted in China. Over 2,000 athletes from nearly 100 countries are expected to compete in 102 events. If you're interested in attending the games, or just want to learn more about them, read on! In this blog post, we'll discuss everything you need to know about the Beijing Winter Olympics. We'll cover topics such as tickets, location, and what to expect!

The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in China across three zones: Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou. The ice sports will be held in central Beijing, China’s capital, as well as four snow events (snowboard big air and freestyle skiing big air, men’s and women’s). The Opening and Closing Ceremonies will also take place in Beijing. Yanqing, a mountainous suburb of China’s capital located approximately 75 km (46.6 miles) northwest of Beijing’s city center, will host Alpine skiing and sliding events (bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge) and will also be the home of the Olympic Athletes’ village. Zhangjiakou, located approximately 180 kilometers northwest of Beijing (111.8 miles) will host the majority of the ski and snowboarding events including freestyle, cross-country, ski jumping, Nordic combined, and biathlon.

Beijing was elected as host city in July 2015 at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur. The 2022 Winter Olympics will be the first Winter Olympics in China, and the last of three consecutive Olympics in East Asia (after the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan).

The 2022 Games are subject to various concerns and controversies as well as diplomatic boycotts due to the Uyghur genocide and human rights situations in China, with several countries sending athletes but no ministers or officials. Like the Summer Olympics held six months earlier in Tokyo, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the implementation of health and safety protocols, and restrictions on public attendance of the Games.

Beijing hosted Summer Games just over a decade ago in 2008, and now they'll host Winter Games. Many of the 2008 Games' venues have been revamped for the 2022 competition.

The Opening Ceremony will take place at the National Stadium, which is also referred to as “The Bird’s Nest”. The stadium previously hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and also served as the venue for Track and Field as well the men’s 2008 gold medal soccer game. However, the Bird’s Nest will not host any sporting competitions during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Beijing Winter Games will debut seven new Olympic events: Women’s Monobob, Men’s and Women’s Big Air (Freestyle Skiing), Mixed Team Snowboard Cross, Mixed Team Aerials, Mixed Team Short Track Relay, and Mixed Team Ski Jumping. In total, there will be 109 medal events across 15 sports.

• Alpine Skiing
• Biathlon
• Bobsled
• Cross-Country Skiing
• Curling
• Figure Skating
• Freestyle Skiing
• Hockey
• Luge
• Nordic Combined
• Short Track
• Skeleton
• Ski Jumping
• Snowboarding
• Speed Skating

What is the expected medal count for the U.S.?

The U.S. finished fourth on the medal table in PyeongChang with a total of 23 medals (9 gold, 8 silver, 6 bronze) and is expected to fare a similar result in Beijing. Shaun White (Carlsbad, California), Mikaela Shiffrin (Edwards, Colorado), and Nathan Chen (Salt Lake City, Utah) are just a few of Team USA’s biggest stars that are expected to compete in Beijing. White, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, could become the first U.S. man to win the same individual event at three Olympic Winter Games. Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, could potentially compete in five events in 2022 due to the schedule–the six-time world champion previously competed in five total events at the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Winter Games combined. Chen, the three-time reigning world champion in men’s singles, remains the favorite for gold in Beijing.

Will NHL players be allowed to compete in Beijing?

NHL players were originally set to return to the lineup in Beijing after missing the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics–their first Olympic absence since 1994–but the league made the decision to withdraw in late December 2021 due to a surge in COVID-19 cases that impacted the NHL’s schedule. Many NHL players were frustrated over the decision as letting players make individual choices to leave their NHL teams for the Olympics was never presented as an option.

Will fans be allowed to attend the 2022 Winter Olympics?

The International Olympic Committee announced in mid-January that only “selected” spectators will be allowed to attend the Games due to the pandemic. No fans from outside the country will be allowed to attend the events and tickets are not being offered to the general public.

Mixed Men's and Women's Events

The 2022 Winter Olympics will be the first Winter Games to feature mixed team events. Stay on the lookout for these new events:

• Mixed team snowboard cross
• Freestyle skiing — mixed team aerials
• Team ski jumping
• Mixed short-track speed skating relays

How can I watch the 2022 Winter Olympics?

Peacock will be the streaming home of the Beijing Winter Games offering live stream coverage of every single event–that’s over 2,800 hours of Olympic action. Viewers can also tune to NBC, USA, and CNBC to watch the Games. Streaming will also be available via NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.

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