Beijing 2022: Winter is coming

Although the Tokyo 2020 Games have only just drawn to a close, the winter format of the world’s greatest party is gearing up to pick up the baton as the Beijing 2022 Games are just around the corner. February and March next year will see the last edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games before Paris 2024.  

Beijing notches up a world first 

Fourteen years after the 2008 Summer Games, Beijing will host the Winter Olympic Games from 4 to 20 February and the Winter Paralympic Games from 4 to 13 March, thereby making the Chinese capital the first city in history to organise both the Summer and Winter Games. 

Three districts throughout the Beijing region will enable the megacity to host all the Olympic and Paralympic events. The city of Beijing itself will put on the curling and wheelchair curling, ice hockey and para ice hockey, speed skating, short-track speed skating, figure skating and the big air ski and snowboard competitions. 

The Games will also take advantage of facilities in Yanqing, a mountainous area 75 km from Beijing city centre, for the alpine skiing and para alpine skiing, as well as the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events. 

A third site in Zhangjiakou, a hugely popular Chinese ski resort located 180 km north west of Beijing, will hold the freestyle skiing, freestyle snowboard, para snowboard, Nordic combined, biathlon, para Nordic skiing, cross-country skiing and para biathlon. 

Harnessing the legacy of the 2008 Summer Games 

Fourteen years down the line, much of the infrastructure in Beijing will get a second taste of the Olympic and Paralympic experience. 

• The famous “Bird’s Nest”, the 2008 Olympic stadium, will once again provide the backdrop for the opening and closing ceremonies. 
• The “Water Cube”, the national aquatics centre that was initially brought to life with the swimming, diving and synchronised diving competitions, will hold the curling and wheelchair curling events this time around.  
• The Beijing National Indoor Stadium, which hosted the rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and handball in 2008, will be lit up by matches from the ice hockey and para ice hockey tournament in 2022.  
• After feeling the energy of the basketball tournament in 2008, the Wukesong Arena will once again get fired up with the ice hockey tournament. 
• Having set the stage for the volleyball at Beijing 2008, the Capital Indoor Stadium will put on the figure skating and short track speed skating events in Beijing 2022. 

As you have been able to for over 20 years now, and as will be the case for the Paris 2024 Games, you can keep up to speed with the exploits and achievements of Team France by watching live on the various channels of France Télévisions!