Friday Feature by: Vinny Pagano January 21, 2022
With the Winter Olympics just two weeks away in Beijing, I want to make sure I give it some attention and let you know a few things you might not be aware of. This is the first time in thirty years that the Summer and Winter games have been played less than a year apart. This is also the first time that a city has hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympic games. The opening ceremony for the Beijing games is scheduled for February 4, but some events will start two days earlier.
If you did not already know these games were to be limited to spectators from only mainland China that met certain criteria. That move was unexpected by some and announced in September. Earlier this week they announced that individual ticket sales have been stopped and only select groups will be invited to watch due to Covid-19 concerns. Making it the second consecutive Olympic games that American athletes will have to rely on each other for support. Many athletes go their entire lives for a chance to represent their country and their family’s name, the last-minute change of rules on spectators puts a damper on some of the excitement but the goal remains the same, win GOLD!
Beside spectators, the athletes themselves are subject to vaccine requirements. If unvaccinated, the athletes must submit to a 21-day quarantine upon arrival in Beijing. All the games will be carried across the family of NBC networks, but NBC announcers will not be making the trip. They will continue the process of announcing the events from a studio location, limiting their exposure to the Worldwide pandemic.
There are seven new events this Olympic games. Most notable is Freeski Big Air. It is an event taken from the action sports X-games. This event will be both a men’s and women’s competition. It is what it sounds like, a huge jump where athletes try to hit their biggest and best tricks. Monobob is a women’s event added to the Winter Games. It is a single person sled where the athlete must push and pilot their own sled. Unlike the other bobsled events, each country will use identical sleds. Mixed team snowboard Cross is another event added that should gain popularity. The men start the race and work the course, as they finish the women’s gates staggerly open at the top and they race down the course to decide a winner. Other ski programs added are mixed team aerials and mixed team ski jumping. Mixed team short track relay is a new event. It is a 2000-meter (about twice the height of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world) race where if an athlete falls, a teammate of the same gender can tag in and finish that leg of the relay.
As you can see, the Olympic committee tries to stay on top of the events, keeping them fresh and current. So, no matter what your reason there is something to grab your attention. Whether it is something traditional or something new that excites your senses, grab your favorite snacks and mark your calendar for your favorite events. You will have something almost 24 hours a day to keep those patriotic juices flowing.
