Alpine Skiing Hill At Beijing Olympics Is A New Test For All
Feb 2, 2022, 10:38 AM
YANQING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 02: General view of the Downhill course ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Alpine Ski Centre on February 02, 2022 in Yanqing, China. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
AP – None of the elite athletes competing when Alpine skiing starts Sunday at the Olympics ever has been on the course that will be used to determine who takes home the medals.
That’s because Beijing does not host World Cup races regularly and the test events normally held before a Winter Games were called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The only chances skiers have had so far to see the slope were via video footage and glimpses from a nearby training hill in China.
None of the Alpine ski racers who’ll be zooming down the mountain at the Beijing Olympics ever has tried the slope that’ll be used with medals at stake. Not yet, anyway.
by @howardfendrich https://t.co/y5pTmIP2Sv
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) February 2, 2022
The first official training runs for the men’s downhill are scheduled for Thursday.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Just a year after Japan’s summer Olympics, the Games are back for a winter show in Beijing, China. The unusually short gap between Games is due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Strict precautions and enforced virus prevention protocol are in place to help keep athletes, coaches and personnel safe.
Beijing is the capital of China, with a population of more than 20 million people and the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympic games. It is one of the largest cities in the world and 15 hours ahead of Mountain Time. There are 13 different venues in and around Beijing that will be used for the Winter Olympics. A total of 109 events will be held in 15 different sports, and there will be a lot of Utah locals competing for medals. Keep up to date with them at our Olympic headquarters.
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