The Winter Olympic Games are right around the corner! This year, the Olympics will kick off on February 4th in Beijing, China. Team USA is looking strong with a total of 222 athletes competing for our country, 92 of them being returning Olympians. Some notable names to look out for include Mikeala Shiffrin (alpine skiing), Chloe Kim (snowboarder), John Schuster (curling), and Shaun White (snowboarder). This year will be the last time we see the legendary Shaun White hitting the slopes and going for gold in the Olympic games. It is his fifth time returning to compete, and hopes are high for this three times gold medalist.
This year’s Olympics will also feature some very young athletes, including Team USA’s youngest athlete, Alysa Lui sits at only 16 years old. You can look out for Lui on the rink, as she competes in figure skating this year.
“I can’t wait to watch the 2022 Winter Olympics held in Beijing this year. I am excited to see how the US team performs in the halfpipe and slopestyle snowboarding and skiing,” junior Kelsey Davis reports. Davis is a skier herself, spending many weekends of the year skiing at Mammoth Mountain.
This year’s Olympics have a few new additions. CBS News explains the new activities in their article How to Watch 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, “Seven new events will make their Olympic debut including men’s and women’s big air freestyle, women’s monobob (bobsleigh) and mixed team competitions in freestyle skiing aerials, ski jumping, snowboard cross and mixed relay in short track speed skating.”
More mixed sports featuring men and women in the same competitions have been added into the games in recent years. Many are looking forward to freeski big air, an event previously limited to snowboarders. Although this is our second Olympic games with the added inconvenience of COVID-19, morale and expectations are high for the 2,861 athletes participating this year and the billions of spectators watching from their home towns across the globe. It was announced recently that fans from other countries will not be allowed at the games, except for a handful of select spectators from the hosting country. Even USA commentators will be commentating from their headquarters from within the states.
Be sure to watch the 2022 Winter Olympic Games as they commence on Friday, February 4th. You can catch the games across various channels, including NBC, Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC.
