The 2022 Bejing Olympics is all set to begin in China. In gearing up for the Games, let’s find out about some of the Olympics fun facts that either you may or may not know.
The Olympics begin on February 4, 2022. However, several events begin even before the opening ceremonies. Beijing is one of the first cities to host the Winter and Summer Olympics. Beijing was one of the first cities to host the 2008 Summer Olympics and combine both the new and the existing venues to host the Games.
Events for the 2022 Bejing Olympics
While we are looking forward to the 2022 Winter Games, the world’s most famous and skilled athletes are gearing up to parade Beijing’s National Stadium for the opening ceremony.
As many as 15 winter sports are part of the Olympic events. Those events include biathlon, Alpine skiing, bobsled, curling, men’s hockey. The handful of events before the opening ceremonies are freestyle skiing, figure skating, hockey, and some curling. All these events will start around February 2-4, 2022.
The Game’s Kick off in the Same Stadium as The Summer Olympics
On February 4, the Games will start at the very stadium where the 2008 Summer Olympics started with their opening and closing ceremonies, aka The Bird’s Nest. While competitions begin two days right before the round-robin stage of Mixed Doubles Curling, Friday rings in the Official start to the 2022 Winter Olympics.
NBC is the broadcaster of choice to provide a full day of coverage. Organizers are, however, refusing to divulge all the details about the time-honored traditions.
The First Look of the 2022 Opening Ceremony
The motto of the 2022 Winter Olympics is Together for a Shared Future. However, the opening ceremony will also feature Olympic’s official slogan ‘faster, higher, stronger—together. According to the Bleacher Report, the 100-minute program may include traditional hoisting of flags and an athlete parade. Besides that, it will also feature an artistic portrayal of Chinese culture and history.
The Theme of World Peace
Zhao Weidong, the Beijing organizing committee’s media department spokesperson, said that the opening ceremony would consist of three different themes to walk toward’s World Peace. Spectators can also enjoy the incredible technological feats with more than 1800 drones. And this means it is most likely to make people forget the wonderful magic that transformed the skyline ala Tokyo’s opening ceremony last year.
The Performances to Expect in the Opening Ceremony
Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, who also put together the spectacular 2008 opening ceremony, is driving this event. Unlike the 2008 version, which had as many as 15,000 performers, this year’s number of performances will be just 3000.
Most of the performers invited to perform will be teenagers. This is quite a novel thing to see as it is for the first time that teenagers will be part of the ceremony on such a large scale.
The Spectators Expected at the Opening Ceremony?
International spectators may not get a ticket to attend the Olympic’s opening ceremony. Most foreigners might not be allowed to the country because of the ongoing pandemic.
Organizers initially planned to open the ticket sales to the residents of mainland China as long as they could follow the International Olympic Committee’s COVID safety requirements. However, even that plan no longer seems to hold good. The opening ceremony (and other Olympic events) will now throw their gates open for select spectators only.
To ensure the safety of the participants and spectators, ticket sales will be open only to select invitees of the event. And this means the commoners will not be able to witness the event in person. The organizers will instead invite groups of spectators to be present during the Olympic Games as per the Committee.
The organizers expect these spectators to abide by the COVID-19 countermeasures before, during, and after each event. This will ensure that the athletes can perform to their best ability and not worry about anything except their performance.
The Olympic Mascot
The Olympic official mascot is Bing Dwen Dwen. It’s a giant panda, wearing a full-body shell of ice. This enables the panda to skate, snowboard, and ski and is a tribute to embrace new technologies and walk towards the future of infinite possibilities.
Approximately 2,900 athletes from 90 countries will compete in 109 medal events across 15 sports. The Winter Olympic event is as grand as it gets.