Competition schedule of Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games released

The Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games recently released the final version of the competition schedule of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games with the approval of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

One of the Experience Beijing test events for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is held at the National Cross Country Center in Zhangjiakou competition zone of Beijing 2022, Dec. 4, 2021. [Photo/Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games]

The sports event will open on Feb. 4 and conclude on Feb. 20, and the Games program will include seven sports, 15 disciplines and 109 medal events.

According to the schedule, curling mixed doubles round robin will be the very first event of the Games, which will begin at around 8 p.m. on Feb. 2, two days before the opening of the ceremony. The first round of the curling mixed doubles round robin competition between China and Switzerland will be Chinese athletes’ debut at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

On the afternoon of Feb. 20, the last event of the Games will be held, during which athletes will compete for the gold medal of women’s 30km mass start free of cross-country skiing.

As China’s strength in competitive winter sports improves, Chinese athletes will participate in competitions almost every day during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the highest-level platform for winter sports.

On Feb. 5, the first gold medal in short track speed skating will be awarded. Chinese short track speed skating team led by Wu Dajing will first compete in the mixed team relay.

Chinese team has already shown strong competitiveness in short track speed skating mixed team relay, one of the new Olympic events at the 2022 Beijing Games. During the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating (Beijing station) held in October 2021, Chinese team won the gold medal in the event and set a new world record.

Besides ice sports events, people also look forward to Chinese players’ performances in snow sports events.

One of the Experience Beijing test events for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is held at the National Cross Country Center in Zhangjiakou competition zone of Beijing 2022, Dec. 4, 2021. (Photo/Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games)

Chinese freestyle skier Gu Ailing delivered impressive performances during the past competition season, claiming six gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal. She recently returned to Beijing for the final stage of preparations for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

She will strive for excellence at the women’s freeski big air final of Freestyle Skiing event, which will be held at the Big Air Shougang, Shijingshan district, Beijing, on Feb. 8.

After that, she will leave for the Zhangjiakou competition zone from Beijing, and participate in women’s freeski slopestyle and freeski halfpipe competitions at the Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou city, north China’s Hebei province.

Chinese teams will take part in many events for the very first time during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. By setting foot in more events, they will write new chapters in the history of China’s ice and snow sports.

Chinese bobsleigh team will make its Olympic debut and participate in all bobsleigh events at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games; Chinese athletes will compete for the first time at Nordic combined men’s individual Gundersen normal hill, biathlon and snowboarding.

Besides, Chinese teams will participate in all the 12 events of cross-country skiing and 11 events of alpine skiing.

Chinese freestyle skier Gu Ailing (middle) wins at freeski halfpipe of the 2021 Dew Tour held in Copper Mountain, the U.S., Dec. 18, 2021. Gu participated in two events on that day and claimed one gold medal and one silver medal. [Photo/Weibo account of Gu Ailing]

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games will gather outstanding athletes from various national (regional) teams and present to the world the great charm of winter sports.

“I’m really grateful to China for holding the Olympic Winter Games at such a difficult moment,” said American snowboarder Shaun White. On Feb. 9, the three-time Olympic gold medalist will begin his fifth journey to the Olympic Winter Games in men’s snowboard halfpipe qualification.

On Feb. 8 and 10, the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing will witness men’s single skating short program and free skating competitions. Whether Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu will win a third Olympic gold medal and land perfect quadruple Axel jumps will certainly become the focus of attention of the entire world.

During the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, Czech snowboarder and alpine skier Ester Ledecka not only won a gold medal in women’s snowboard parallel giant slalom, but also the championship in the women’s super-giant slalom of alpine skiing with a borrowed snowboard, becoming the first female athlete to win events in both alpine skiing and snowboarding at the same Olympic Winter Games. This year, she will participate in the Beijing 2022 and get a chance to continue her glory.

On Feb. 5, the winner of the first gold medal of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be revealed in the women’s 7.5km + 7.5km skiathlon of cross-country skiing. Fifteen days later, women’s 30km mass start free of cross-country skiing will decide the winner of the last gold medal of Beijing 2022.

The 19-day 2022 Olympic Winter Games will award 109 gold medals and feast people’s eyes on excellent athletic performances.