10 FACTS ABOUT THE 2022 BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS

Olympic fans will be ready, in front of their TVs, in their robes at that time.  But for normal people, the opening re-air the ceremony in primetime at 8:00 P.M. on Friday.

Here are 10 interesting facts about the Games:

1.  The estimated budget of the Beijing Winter Olympics is $3.9 billion, which is a LOT, but WAY LESS than the record-setting 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, which cost an estimated $50 BILLION.   The projected ad revenue will be $600 million, which is down 10% from the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

2.  Canada is sending 215 athletes and 85 coaches to the Beijing Olympics, said the Canadian Olympic Committee. Out of these, 117 athletes are making their Winter Games debut, while 91 are returning athletes from the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea in 2018. There are 45 Olympic medallists on the team.

3.  It’s been 14 years since China has hosted the Olympics.  The 2008 Summer Olympics were also in Beijing.  By the way, Beijing is now the first city to host both a Summer AND Winter Olympics.

4.  The Games will take place across 25 venues in Beijing and the neighbouring city Zhangjiakou, and all will be powered with 100% renewable energy.

5.  Five venues will be reused from the 2008 Summer Games.

6.  Zhangjiakou is more than THREE HOURS away from Beijing by car, but it’s just a 47-minute ride on the intercity railway, which is the world’s first driverless high-speed railway.

7.  The mascot for the Games is Bing Dwen Dwen the panda.

8.  2,900 athletes are expected to attend the 2022 Games, and 45.4% of them are women.  That makes it the most gender-balanced Olympic Games in history.

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9.  91 countries will participate in a record 109 events, across 15 sports.

10.  There will be SEVEN new events:  Women’s mono bob, which is a solo bobsledding event, big air skiing, mixed team snowboard cross, mixed team aerials in freestyle skiing, mixed team relay in short-track speedskating, and mixed team ski jumping.  (You can find more info on each, here.)

FUN FACTS:

WHAT?! ALMOST ALL THE SNOW AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS WILL BE FAKE 

It’s just a few days until the start of the Winter Olympics in China and if you’re wondering…yes, almost all the snow will be fake. Beijing isn’t exactly known for its wintery weather, so Olympic organizers are faking it. A report by Georgia State University estimates they’ll need 49-million gallons of water and 430 artificial snow-makers to create enough for the phony slopes.

THE BEDS AT THE BEIJING OLYMPICS AREN’T MADE OF CARDBOARD THIS TIME

Remember at the summer Olympics in Tokyo, when athletes reported that their beds felt like they were made of cardboard? Well, Beijing has stepped it up, and panda pillows are IN! Team USA is reporting that the beds are super comfortable this year (they have remotes that adjust the sleeping position) and they’re also getting pillows with the games’ adorable panda mascot on them. And those pillows even turn into blankets!