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4 hours ago
All the snow in Beijing is artificial, a "dangerous" trend
Snow machines during the 2022 FIS Snowboard World Cup in November, part of a Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics test event at the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou city.
It would be difficult to carry on a conversation with the deafening sound of the snow machines preparing the Olympic facilities northwest of Beijing.
They're loud and they're everywhere, blowing snow on what will be this month's most watched tracks.
It's almost beautiful, except that the venues are surrounded by an endless dry brown landscape completely devoid of snow.
In an Olympic first, though not an achievement to brag about, climatic variability has forced the Winter Games to rely almost 100% on artificial snow, part of a trend taking place in sports venues around the world. winter around the world.
Read this full story here.
5 hours ago
China wins first gold medal at Winter Olympics
By Homero DeLaFuente
China's Wu Dajing, left, narrowly beats Italy's Pietro Sighel to win the mixed short track relay on Saturday.
(Harry How/Getty Images)
China claimed its first gold medal of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics after taking first place in the mixed short track relay speed skating event on Saturday.
The host nation narrowly edged out second-placed Italy by 0.016 seconds to claim its first gold in the mixed short track relay.
China finished with a time of 2:37.348, while Italy posted a time of 2:37.364 for second place.
Hungary came in third place with a time of 2:40.900.
6 hours ago
Norway wins second gold medal of the Games
Norway has claimed its second gold medal at the Games so far, this time in the mixed 4x6km biathlon relay.
Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, Tiril Eckhoff, Tarjei Boe and Johannes Thingnes Boe took the gold medal with a time of 1:06:45.6, according to the official Olympics site.
It was the first Olympic gold for Roeiseland, who told reporters he was "super happy" with the result.
Eckhoff added: “It was an amazing relay.
There were a lot of ups and downs, and I had a really tough leg, but I had amazing teammates that made it happen.
I don't know about you, but I think this was one of the most exciting relays in history, so it was a lot of fun for us," he said.
Asked if he thought he could close a gap in the final meters, Boe said: "I saw early on that I gained a few seconds, and then I thought I could catch them."
"With the two kilometer course here, I knew it was going to end in a sprint and I have been prepared since I got here on Monday. I trained what to do and did my best performance and my preparation for last week, I already did it in my head 100 times," he added.
The Norwegian team is the current world champion in this event, according to the Olympics website.
6 hours ago
Medal-winning athletes at Beijing 2022 can take home a panda souvenir
By Nectar Gan
(Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
The athletes who make it to the podium in Beijing will have more than a medal to take home.
All medal-winning athletes will receive a special memento for their achievement: the Bing Dwen Dwen panda mascot and a golden garland of pine, bamboo and plum blossom, a traditional Chinese art motif known as the "three friends of winter."
The trio is known as such because it does not wither in winter, embodying "firmness, perseverance, and resilience."
According to the official website of the Olympic Games, "Bing" has several meanings in Mandarin Chinese, although the most common is ice.
The word also symbolizes purity and strength.
"Dwen Dwen" means robust and lively, and also represents children.
The Bing Dwen Dwen design, created by Cao Xue, was chosen from more than 5,800 submissions from China and 35 countries around the world as part of a global competition organized by the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee, the official Olympic website added.
7 hours ago
Netherlands speed skater Schouten wins women's 3000m gold in Olympic record time
By Angus Watson and Jack Bantock
Dutch Irene Schouten won the women's 3000m speed skating on February 5.
(Koen Van Weel/AFP/Getty Images)
Irene Schouten of the Netherlands set a new Olympic record en route to gold in the women's 3,000m speed skating event.
Schouten edged out Italy's Francesca Lollobrigida in a thrilling race to win a new Olympic record of 3:56.93.
Isabelle Weidemann took bronze to complete the podium, securing Canada's 200th Winter Olympics medal.
"There was a lot of pressure for me and for the Netherlands and I am very happy that I managed it," said Schouten.
"I was in the last pair and you see all the girls running in front of you, and they ran really fast."
“Four years ago I didn't qualify, so I wanted this one.
When I was young I had a great dream of winning Olympic gold and now I have it”.
Schouten's breakneck time surpassed an existing Olympic record of 20 years set at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.
That year, the gold medal was won by German Claudia Pechstein.
Two decades later, in Beijing, Pechstein competed in the race in which her record changed hands: she finished 20th with a time of 04:17.16.
8 hours ago
South Korea angry over "culture theft" during Beijing 2022 opening ceremony
By Jake Kwon
The South Korean team at the Beijing Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony on February 4.
(Jae C. Hong/AP)
South Korean political parties accused China of cultural appropriation after a woman appeared to be wearing traditional Korean dress during the Opening Ceremony.
South Koreans have long been angered by what they see as China passing off South Korean culture as its own, including the traditional Korean dress called hanbok.
Koreans are one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China.
South Korea's ruling Democratic Party issued a statement on Saturday criticizing China and demanding that it stop "stealing" its "culture."
"China has been using its Korean ethnic minority since June 2001 to appropriate the history of the Northeast region (where Korea has its roots)," it said.
"China's blatant theft of culture at a time like the Olympics that draws the world's attention cannot be ignored.
"We deeply regret that China displayed Korean traditional clothing as Chinese traditional clothing at the Beijing Olympics and demand that China stop stealing culture."
South Korea's main opposition party, the People's Power Party, also released a statement saying, "How soft (China) must think South Korea is to blatantly display cultural theft at the Games Opening Ceremony." Olympics where the world is watching."
Adding: "The government must present a clear protest and receive an apology and a guarantee that it will not be repeated."
8 hours ago
Snowboard legend Shaun White to retire after Beijing 2022
By Jack Bantock
American snowboarder Shaun White is nearing the end of his Olympic career after Beijing 2022. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)MOREHIDE
American snowboarder Shaun White has announced he will retire after the Beijing Games, ending an illustrious career.
The 35-year-old has won three Olympic halfpipe gold medals since his Games debut in Torino 2006, adding 13 Winter X Games titles to become one of the sport's most iconic figures.
"It will be my last competition, which is quite special," White told the media in Zhangjiakou, China, on Saturday.
"Everything has this added excitement. The last time I'm going to do this [pre-race press conference], the last time I'm going to sit down with you guys [your USA teammates], the last Opening Ceremony, all these things.
"So it's quite, quite heavy, but I'm enjoying it."
8 hours ago
First medals won at the Beijing 2022 Games
Therese Johaug of Norway celebrates after winning the women's 2x7.5km skiathlon event on February 5 at the Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Ski Center.
(Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
The first medals were obtained at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and they come in cross-country skiing in the women's skiathlon.
The gold medal in the 15km race went to Therese Johaug of Norway, her first career individual Olympic gold medal, with a time of 44 minutes 13.7 seconds.
Johaug, 33, is competing in his third Olympic Games but missed PyeongChang 2018 due to a positive drug test in 2016. This is his fourth Olympic medal of all time and his second gold.
Natalia Nepryaeva of the Republic of China won silver in 44:43.9, beating Austria's Teresa Stadlober, who won bronze in 44:44.2.
American Jessie Diggins, considered a medal candidate for the event, finished sixth.
One of the last torchbearers to light the cauldron, Dinigeer Yilamujiang from Xinjiang province, was among the participants in this race.
8 hours ago
We answer your questions about the Winter Olympics
While many around the world recognize the sports of the Summer Games, the winter edition of the global event introduces new and exciting sports on the biggest stage possible.
The 2022 Beijing Olympics, being held in a safe COVID-19 bubble in the Chinese capital, is unlike any other, for athletes and fans alike.
Therefore, in this note are the answers to some of the most burning questions about the 24th Winter Games.
