The Olympic Games are the only genuinely worldwide, multi-sport, celebratory athletics tournament on the planet. The Olympics, with over 200 nations competing in over 400 events across the summer and Winter Games, are where the world gathers to compete, be inspired, and be together.
About the Games
Beijing became the first city in the world to host both the summer and winter Olympic Games after winning the bid for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games on July 31, 2015.
With the idea of a “Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow,” Beijing 2022 drew on the legacy of the historic Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, encouraging 300 million Chinese citizens to participate in winter sports. The 109 Olympic winter sports events were staged in three competition zones: downtown Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou.
Three competition zones
Beijing featured four snow events (men’s and women’s snowboard big air and freestyle skiing big air), as well as all ice sports (curling, ice hockey, and skating), using the heritage sites from Beijing 2008.
The Alpine skiing and sliding (bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge) events were held at Yanqing, a Beijing suburb (80 kilometers to the northwest) and home to the famed Badaling and Juyongguan segments of the Great Wall.
All other snow events (snowboard, freestyle skiing, cross country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, and biathlon) were held at Zhangjiakou, a major skiing destination in neighboring Hebei province, further to the northwest.
The Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway, which opened in 2019, reduced travel time between Beijing and Yanqing to 20 minutes and between Beijing and Zhangjiakou to 50 minutes.
Seven new events
The addition of seven new events to the Beijing 2022 sports program – women’s monobob, freestyle skiing big air (men’s and women’s), and mixed team events in short track speed skating team relay, ski jumping, freestyle skiing aerials, and snowboard cross – resulted in 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.
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)
The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 were held in February 2022, coinciding with Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), the country’s most important holiday. Athletes from all over the world were greeted by locals, who encouraged them to enjoy the Chinese New Year festivities, the gorgeous terrain, and the diverse cultures of Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou.