Athletes commence training ahead of 2022 Beijing Olympics

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are just a few days away from witnessing a massive opening. The Winter Games will hold its opening and closing ceremonies at the Beijing National Stadium (also known as Bird’s Nest) on February 4 and 20, 2022 respectively.

However, the competition will kickstart with curling events on February 2, two days before the Opening Ceremony. With just a day left until the commencement of the mega-event, most of the athletes have started to land in China.

Athletes have started to warm up ahead of the main event, getting used to the surroundings and beautiful setups. The athletes have been training in the mountain competition zones of Zhangjiakou and Yanqing, testing out the cross-country skiing facilities.

Meanwhile, a few teams have been seen training at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre.

Athletes will begin luge training on February 1, whereas bobsleigh and skeleton training will begin on February 2. Meanwhile, Freestyle and Snowboarding athletes have two training slopes already available in Genting Snow Park for training.

Freestyle skiing, curling and ice hockey events will take place from February 2 onwards.

Athletes react to the venues ahead of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Athletes and coaches who have arrived in China ahead of the Winter Games are reacting to the facilities and venues they have been training at.

Some of the first athletes to test out Alpine skiing facilities in Yanqing included American skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle.

He said:

"First day skiing here in #Yanqing and I'm blown away by the venue we get to compete at. My PT and I took today to explore the whole mountain and got a good first look at everything. Spectacular snow and tantalizing terrain should make for some amazing race conditions."

Another athlete, Weronika Biela-Nowaczyk of Poland, added:

"These are the best conditions in which I have trained. The snow is perfect for me and I am impressed with the preparations.”

Polish snowboarder Oskar Kwiatkowski, in an interview on the Polish Olympic Committee, said that:

"The Poles feel like we are in paradise. While riding the lift, I spoke with one American who claimed that he had not seen such well-prepared objects [facilities] for a long time. It's something beautiful. Great snow, great driving pleasure, and the perfect temperature. It is supposed to be about minus 10 degrees Celsius, but you don't feel it at all due to the strong sun. There are no clouds. The weather is just perfect and it is supposed to last until our start."