User:JessieL2001/2022 Winter Olympics

Venues


There are three different clusters of venues designed and constructed for the 2022 Winter Olympics, each respectively known as the Beijing Zone, the Zhangjiakou Zone, and the Yanging Zone.

==== Beijing Zone: ==== Venues in The Beijing Zone exist in different conditions; some were recently constructed exclusively for the 2022 games, while the rest were renovated from the 2008 Summer Olympics or other existing sites. The Beijing Zone of the 2022 Winter Olympics consisted of six competition venues and was where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, both the 2022 Winter Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics, took place.

The Beijing National Stadium was an iconic venue in the Beijing Zone, and it is also known as the Bird's Nest (鸟巢; Niǎocháo). The Beijing National Stadium was the site that hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2022 Winter Olympics, but it was no longer a venue for any competition in 2022.

The National Aquatics Center (国家游泳中心 Guójiā Yóuyǒng Zhōngxīn /gwor-jyaa yoh-yong jong-sshin/), also known as the Water Cube, was the venue for Curling competition. In the 2022 Winter Olympics, the National Aquatics Center became the first Olympic venue to incorporate a curling track in the swimming pool.

The Shougang Big Air (首钢滑雪大跳台中心 Shǒugāng Huáxuě Dàtiàotái Zhōngxīn /shoh-gung hwaa-sshwair daa-tyao-teye jong-sshin/) was a newly constructed site for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The Shougang Big Air hosted the freestyle skiing and snowboarding events.

The Wukesong Sports Centre (五棵松体育馆 Wǔkēsōng Tǐyùguǎn /woo-ker-song tee-yoo-gwan/) was under an 8-months renovation for the 2022 Winter Olympics. In February 2022, the Wukesong Sports Centre hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics Men's and Women's ice hockey tournaments.

The National Indoor Stadium (国家体育馆 Guójiā Tǐyùguǎn /gwor-jyaa tee-yoo-gwan/) was the second venue for the ice hockey tournament for the 2022 Winter Olympics, besides the Wukesong Sports Centre.

The National Speed Skating Oval (国家速滑馆 Guójiā Sùhuáguǎn /gwor-jyaa soo-hwaa-gwan/) has the nickname "Ice Ribbon" due to its exterior design. The National Speed Skating Oval was the venue for speed skating in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Capital Indoor Stadium (首都体育馆 Shǒudū Tǐyùguǎn), also known as the Capital Gymnasium, was a venue adapted from the 2008 Summer Olympics and was reconstructed for short-track speed skating and figure skating competitions in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

== The United States Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics ==

Reason for the Boycott:
According to the White House press secretary Jen Psaki, the U.S. boycott of China's winter Olympics was predominantly due to China's human rights issues on topics such as the abusive genocide of the Uyghurs, Tibetans and the protest in Hong Kong in 2019. The Chinese government implemented many coercive activities in those regions, such as the reeducation campus, mass detention camps, and restricted access to social media.

Key Event Timeline:
In October 2018, U.S. senator Marco Rubio, Senator Jeff Merkley, and Congressmen James McGovern and Chris Smith sent a letter, on behalf of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) requesting the revocation of China’s host right on the 2022 Winter Olympics. The letter stated that “no Olympics should be held in a country whose government is committing genocide and crimes against humanity.”

In November 2021, President Biden proposed “a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.” The United States is aware of the prospective harsh punishment of being suspended by the National Olympic Committee and was careful regarding the scale and severity of the boycott.

In December 2021, the Biden administration officially initiated a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, restricting U.S. government officials' presence to the game.

In February 2022, Team USA attended the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics without U.S. representatives' support.

Reactions to the Boycott:
The IOC:

The IOC remained relatively neutral regarding the letter from CECC or the boycott. The IOC negotiated with the Chinese government on specific protocols to ensure the Olympics game runs smoothly, such as providing unrestricted internet access to foreign journalists.

China:

From China’s perspective, the U.S. is “politicizing sports” with the Biden Boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, accused the U.S. of violating the spirit of political neutrality endorsed in the Olympic Charter, emphasizing that an Olympic game should not be a place for political posturing and manipulation. China announced that the U.S. was not yet officially invited by the host committee; thus, the U.S. should not initiate the boycott in the first place.

International:

Following the U.S., many countries in the Western world decided to join the diplomatic boycott to show disapproval of China’s human rights issues, such as the U.K, Australia, and Canada.

Media:

According to a research study by the Pew Research Center, more than half of American citizens support the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Team USA:
Despite the boycott, Team USA, comprised of 224 athletes, attended the 2022 Winter Olympics on January 24, 2022. In the final tally, Team USA successfully obtained 25 medals made of eight gold, ten silver, and seven bronze.