The 2022 Winter Olympics officially started in Beijing last Friday, just six months after the conclusion of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. While Beijing is the first city in the world to host the Summer and Winter Olympics, the opening ceremonies at the “Bird’s Nest” couldn’t have been more different. Fans around the world tuned in to watch athletes from their respective nations compete in what was called a welcome distraction amid Omicron’s push from the COVID-19 pandemic. Today’s daily dose features the history of the Winter Olympics as well as the sports – and people – to watch during the 2022 games.
History – Winter Wonderland
1 – First winter
In the early 1900s, the growing popularity of winter sports led to them making occasional appearances at the Summer Olympics – first with figure skating at the London Olympics in 1908, then with figure skating and ice hockey at the Antwerp Olympics in 1920. After years of deliberation within the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and objection from the IOC President itself, the committee decided to give it a shot. In 1924, the first Winter Olympics were held as a special “international winter sports week” accompanying the Paris Olympics that year. The 9 sports presented took place in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and were a resounding success, leading the IOC to retroactively recognize the first Olympic Winter Games.
2 – Olympic destinations
While Beijing is the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, other venues have hosted the Olympics on several occasions. At first, there were only a handful of countries representing a modest number of athletes – investment in infrastructure was not feasible in the face of the global financial crisis and logistical challenges. The self-proclaimed “cradle of modern winter sports“, St Moritz, Switzerland, hosted the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948; Lake Placid, New York hosted the games in 1932 and again in 1980; and Innsbruck, Austria hosted in 1964, then again in 1976 after Denver pulled out as host city.
3 – Global disruption and boycotts
The Olympics are generally recognized as a time when countries around the world can put aside their personal differences in the name of friendly competition. But games have historically had their fair share of political turmoil in the past – like China 1956-1980 boycott on the recognition of Taiwan by the IOC – and this year is no exception. While athletes from representative nations continue to participate, several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, have chosen to boycott diplomatically the Games by not sending any government delegation.
Marginal Sports
1 – throw stones
If you watched the Olympics and found yourself watching a leadlaunch a rock down sheetyou found yourself connected to curling. Curling, defined in an accessible way, is a mixture of shuffleboard and pétanque. The game consists of two teams competing against each other out of a maximum of ten ends (like executives at bowling), to land more of their stones closer to the center of the lodge (the target) than the next stone closest to the opponent.
2 – striking bones
Skeleton was a featured event at the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, but largely discontinued until its reintroduction during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Like luge and bobsleigh, it’s a Sliding, named after the original metal sleds that resembled a skeleton. Skeleton racers reach speeds of up to 93 mph. The skeleton differs from the luge in the position the rider takes on the sled.
3 – Slides and shots
How does shooting fit into the Winter Olympics? Biathlon is an Olympic sport combining cross-country skiing and shooting. It debuted at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, and has been a Winter Olympics event ever since. There are eleven events in the men’s, women’s and mixed series, each covering varying lengths of cross country skiing and rifle shooting, with missed shots resulting in extra time or distance being added to the athlete’s total.
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The return children
1 – Nathan Chen
The figure skater made his triumphant return to the Winter Olympics this year after a shocking loss at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. During his Tuesday performance in the men’s short program event, the player 22-year-old landed two quad jumps and a triple axel, scoring a record 113.97 points to win the gold medal for Team USA.
2 – Donovan Carillo
One of only four Mexican athletes to compete in this year’s Olympics, Carillo is his country’s first Olympic skater in three decades. His career-best performance on Tuesday keeps him in contention for this Thursday’s free skating competition, which in itself is a first for Mexico and earned him the accolade of the most successful Mexican figure skater in history.
3 – Chloe Kim
The California snowboarder made her return to the Olympics this year after a two-year hiatus from the sport after have a broken ankle during the 2019 US Open. Kim was recognized as having the best race of the day in Tuesday’s qualifying, scoring an 87.75 and anchoring her as a favorite for Wednesday’s final.
COMMUNITY CORNER
Thank you for responding to our Saturday Poll,Who wants to live to be 150.Please see the collective responses below:
While most readers (35.7%) were unsure if they wanted to live to 150, many cited concern for continued good health, fear of stress on the environment and natural resources, and overpopulation.
Roughly similar percentages expressed a desire to live to 150 (31.7%) vs not extending their lifespan (29.4%)
When asked what they would do differently, we received a lot of interesting responses, see below:
What would you do differently if you could live to be 150? (examples of answers)
-Nothing
-To be a better financial manager for my 65 more years
– Go back to college, try different careers and help the younger ones.
– Enjoy every day
– Have more women!
-Require a permit for access to life extension. It seems to me that the individual responsible for breaking the social pact should not be rewarded with access to more bad behavior.
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