2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympic Games are back and better than ever–here’s everything you need to know about the 15 events being held this year in Beijing, China. 

 

First, let’s take a look at the development of Beijing’s infrastructure in preparation for the games. The vast majority of funding for the 2022 Winter Games–the equivalent of nearly 15 billion U.S. dollars–went towards developing means of transportation between the three different event zones: Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou. One of the most extraordinary developments for the connection between Beijing and Zhangjiakou is the high-speed railway; the train allows spectators to reach the mountains of Zhangjiakou in only 47 minutes and is packed with amenities such as wireless charging and 5G signals. Needless to say, the development of the infrastructure to support this year’s Winter Olympic Games has been extremely impressive.

 

There has been an abundance of record-breakers competing in the Olympics this year and the United States proudly represents Nathan Chen, the gold medalist for the men’s figure skating short program. Chen broke the record previously held by Yuzuru Hanyu with a score 113.97. The United States has also proven its superiority in events such as snowboarding and freestyle skiing.

 

While there have been incredible instances worthy of celebration, not everything has been smooth-sailing at this year’s games. One of the biggest points of controversy involves the Russian Olympic Committee’s prodigy figure skater, Kamila Valieva. Valieva has, at only 15 years old, been accused of failing a drug test in the weeks leading up to the Games. Despite this, Valieva will still be allowed to compete in her scheduled events, but will not be allowed to receive any medals until her case is reviewed by the International Olympic Committee.

 

With only four days left in the Games, Norway is in the lead with a total of 28 medals–following is Germany with 20 medals and the United States is not far behind with 19 medals.