Written by Jyotsna Iyer, a second-year undergraduate student.

The Winter Olympics take place once every two years.

A little history

The first modern-day Olympic Games were held in 1896 after a French educator and historian named Baron Pierre De Coubertin formed the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Initially, only summer Olympic Games were held once every four years, until the inception of the Winter Olympics for snow and ice sports in the 20^th century.

The first Winter Olympic games were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France, and involved only five sports: bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing, and skating.

Read – The Quick History of Olympics

Like the Olympic movement itself, the Winter Olympic Games have evolved greatly with the years. With the addition, removal and re-addition of several sports over time, there are 15 sports that are currently included in the Winter Olympic Games.

The IOC decides the host city for each Olympic game as per the responsibility conferred upon it by the Olympic charter.

The Beijing Winter Olympics

The 2022 Winter Olympics, also known as the 24^th Winter Olympics, are being held in Beijing, China. The games official commenced on 4^th February and are scheduled to culminate on 20^th February.

The 109 medal events in the 2022 Winter Olympics are across 15 sports including Alpine Skiing, biathlon, bobsled, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, hockey, luge, Nordic combined, short track, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboarding, and speed skating.

Besides the medal events, 2022 Winter Olympics features seven new events: Women’s Monobob, Men’s and Women’s Big Air (Freestyle Skiing), Mixed Team Snowboard Cross, Mixed Team Aerials, Mixed Team Short Track Relay, and Mixed Team Ski Jumping.

There are a total of 91 countries participating in the games, including India. India’s team in Beijing consists of one Alpine skier, Arif Khan. As of 15^th February, Norway took the lead in the medals race, with 26 medals overall.

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