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9Things to know about the Winter Olympics

As the Olympic Games open this week, here are some facts and statistics about the Beijing Games and Team USA.

DENVER — As the 2022 Winter Olympic Games get underway this week in Beijing and some of the best athletes in the world compete on snow and ice, here's what you need to know about this year’s Games.

When are the Winter Olympic Games?

The Winter Olympics run Feb. 4 through Feb. 20, with 15 sports and 109 medal events. Though the Opening Ceremony is on Feb. 4, a few events get going two days prior to that.

What’s the time difference with Beijing?

Beijing is 15 hours ahead of Denver, which means for Colorado viewers, many Olympic events will take place overnight and in the early morning hours.

How many countries send athletes to the Olympics?

Ninety-one countries will participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, with approximately 3,000 athletes, plus coaches and officials.

How big is Team USA?

Credit: The Associated Press, NHL
Clockwise from top left: Red Gerard, Nick Shore, Mikaela Shiffrin, Mariah Bell.

The United States is sending 222 athletes to the Games.

How many athletes from Colorado are competing?

Team USA says 23 athletes in seven sports are from Colorado, though if you add in every athlete with ties to the state, that number jumps to 40.

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What are the Winter Olympics sports?

There are 15 sports in the 2022 Games:

  • Alpine Skiing
  • Biathlon
  • Bobsled
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Curling
  • Figure skating
  • Freestyle Skiing
  • Ice hockey
  • Luge
  • Nordic combined
  • Skeleton
  • Ski jumping
  • Snowboarding
  • Short Track Speedskating
  • Speedskating
Credit: AP
Corinne Stoddard competes in the women's 1000-meter semifinal during the U.S. Olympic short track speedskating trials Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, in Kearns, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

What are the new Olympic events this year?

There are seven new events at the 2022 Games:

  • Women’s monobob (bobsled)
  • Men’s and women’s big air freestyle skiing
  • Mixed team aerials (freestyle skiing)
  • Mixed team relay (short track speedskating)
  • Mixed team ski jumping
  • Mixed team snowboard cross

Where are the Olympic venues?

Credit: AP
In this Dec. 11, 2019, file photo, skiers practice on the Big Air Shougang, a venue newly built for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

Because Beijing hosted the Summer Games in 2008 – making it the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games – several venues will be reused for the 2022 Games.

The venues are divided into three zones: Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.

In Beijing, there’s the National Stadium, also known as “The Bird’s Nest,” where the Opening and Closing ceremonies will be held. Also in this zone are the venues for curling, hockey, speedskating, short track speedskating, figure skating, and freestyle skiing and snowboard big air.

Yanqing is about 46 miles northwest of Beijing and is the hub for skiing and sliding events: bobsled, skeleton, luge and alpine skiing.

Zhangjiakou is about 111 miles northwest of Beijing and is the hub for most skiing and snowboarding events: biathlon, ski jumping, Nordic combined, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing and snowboarding.

How can I watch the Olympics?

There will be thousands of hours of coverage on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. Every event will be livestreamed on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.

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