Lydia Glenn

News Editor

lmg5921@psu.edu

This year, the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing. This will be the first time that Olympic games will not be held 2 years apart from each other, and 4 years apart from themselves. The Winter Olympic Games will be the second Games to be held in the middle of the pandemic after last year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

On the note of making history, Beijing will also be the first city to have ever hosted the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The Summer Olympics took place in Beijing in 2008, and now the 2022 Winter Olympics will be their second. 

CNN news outlet talked to the organizers of the Winter Olympics and organizers informed that preparation was “very much on track”.  

Although on track, preparations and COVID safety precautions have been set in place. The Games will take place in a COVID-safe “bubble” system, much like the Summer Olympics. Organizers have also reported that the Games will take place in a closed loop system that will encompass venues, official hotels and the event’s transport service. 

The “bubble” and closed loop system has been put in place to protect all athletes and Olympics workers. Fully vaccinated participants will be able to enter the closed loop without quarantining. Athletes who are not fully vaccinated will need to be quarantined for 21 days upon arrival to Beijing. 

Medical exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis to those who are not vaccinated. Although there may be exemptions, countries like the U.S. and Canada have mandated that all team members be fully vaccinated to go. 

During the Games, athletes will be subject to daily health monitoring and testing. All participants will have to stay closed off from the public while they are participating. 

If anyone participating in the Games tests positive for COVID, they will have to drop out of their competitions and will be treated at a designated hospital. For participants who test positive and are asymptomatic, they will be placed in an isolation facility until the mandated quarantine days are over. 

As for people who want to attend the Olympics, general public ticket sales will not be held. Instead, Beijing authorities will distribute the tickets. Audiences who are allowed to come must comply with COVID prevention and control guidelines. 

As for the venues where competitions will be held, they are spread across three locations in Beijing. The venues being Beijing, Yanqing, which is a mountainous district 75 kilometers northwest of Beijing, and Zhangjiakou, which is a skiing and snowboarding destination about 100 kilometers beyond Yanqing. 

Opening and closing ceremonies will be held on February 4, with the closing ceremony on February 20. The ceremonies will be held in the Beijing National Stadium known as The Bird’s Nest. 

The 13 other venues, besides one, have been renovated from the 2003 Olympics to now host the 2022 Winter Olympics. 

The 2022 Winter Olympics are highly anticipated, and there are many athletes to watch out for. 

The first athlete many are excited to watch is Shaun White. Shaun White, who is a three-time gold medalist, says this will probably be his last Winter Olympic Games. The 35-year-old said his decision to end his career after these Olympics came following “little signs”. 

Although many are sad to see this legend go, there are many up and coming athletes who are fated to follow in his footsteps. Chloe Kim is a name to be reckoned with. She is the youngest woman to win an Olympic gold medal in snowboarding. She has surpassed many athletes, and people are excited to see her excel in this year’s Games.