By Ryan Rosendale
The 2020 Summer Olympics may have only taken place in Tokyo six months ago, but it is now time for sporting lovers across the globe to gear up for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
17 days of enthralling competition is set to kick-off in a matter of days so here's everything you need to know to be prepared come Friday February 4.
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WHEN WILL THE OLYMPICS BE HELD?
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games, officially known as the XXIV Olympic Winter Games, will take place from February 4 to February 20 in Beijing and other neighbouring towns of Yanqing and Chongli in China. The 17-day event will host 109 events over 15 disciplines across seven different sports with Beijing becoming the first city to ever host a summer and winter Olympics after previously hosting the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
WHEN ARE THE OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES?
The opening ceremony will be held on Friday 4 February 2022 with the closing ceremony taking place on Sunday 20 February 2022.
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WHEN ARE THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES COMPETING?
Curling pair Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt have qualified for Beijing 2022 and will become the very first Australians to compete for medals in the sport at a Winter Olympics with the Curling events beginning on Wednesday February 2.
HOW MANY AUSTRALIANS ARE COMPETING IN BEIJING?
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The Australian Winter Olympic team will consist of 43 athletes with 19 making their debuts. 22 females will compete along with 21 males across five different sports.
The oldest team member is 33-year-old women's freestyle skier Sami Kennedy-Sim while our youngest is 16-year-old Valentino Guseli, who will vie for gold in the men's snowboard event.
WHO ARE OUR FLAG BEARERS?
Our flag bearers are yet to be announced.
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WHERE CAN I WATCH THE OLYMPICS?
All 17-days of the Winter Olympics can be seen on Channel 7 across Australia with coverage kicking off at 12pm AEDT time on weekdays and 10am AEDT time on weekends.
The games will also be available to stream on its online streaming service - 7plus.
WHAT SPORTS WILL BE PLAYED ACROSS THE GAMES?
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A record 109 events over 15 disciplines in seven sports will be contested across the games. Seven new medal events will take place, including men's and women's big air freestyle, women's monobob, mixed team competitions in freestyle skiing aerials, ski jumping, and snowboard cross, and the mixed relay in short track speed skating.
List of sports:
1. Alpine skiing
2. Biathlon
3. Bobsleigh
4. Cross-country skiing
5. Curling
6. Figure skating
7. Freestyle skiing
8. Ice hockey
9. Luge
10. Nordic combined
11. Short track speed skating
12. Skeleton
13. Ski jumping
14. Snowboarding
15. Speed skating
HOW MANY ATHLETES WILL BE COMPETING ACROSS THE GAMES?
In total, 2,861 athletes representing 91 nations will compete in Beijing.
WILL FANS BE IN ATTENDENCE?
Unlike the Tokyo Summer Olympics, a limited number of fans will be in attendance during the Beijing Winter Olympics, abit under strict COVID-19 protocols.
WHAT ARE THE COVID-19 RESTRICITIONS IN PLACE FOR ATHLETES AND OFFICIALS?
COVID infected staff and athletes will not be able to compete or work and will be sent to a designated hospital or isolation facility depending on whether the patient has symptoms or not.
Symptomatic patients will be discharged after their body temperature returns to normal, respiratory symptoms disappear and they have returned two consecutive negative COVID tests within 24 hours.
As for asymptomatic patients, they will be tested every 24 hours in the isolation facility and released if they present negative results twice within 24 hours.
This includes one negative test within six hours of competition, when they will be able to return to the Olympics "with some restrictions".
Everyone present at the Games will also be required to use the My2022 mobile app as part of the biosecurity protocols, which is used for submissions of customs declarations and health records for travel to the Games, daily health self-reporting, and records of COVID-19 vaccination and testing.
WHEN ARE THE NEXT WINTER OLYMPICS BEING HELD?
The next Winter Olympic Games will be held in Italy in 2026 with the host city for the 2030 Games yet to be decided.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Australia, Winter Olympics