BC-Olympic Digest, ADVISORY

APTOPIX Beijing Olympics (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Nihao from Beijing

Here are AP’s Beijing Olympic coverage plans. The Games run Feb. 4-20. All times are Eastern. For questions, please email Amanda Barrett at abarrett@ap.org. Find the latest Olympics coverage plans on Coverage Plan. For expanded content, visit AP’s Olympics hub on AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 877-836-9477. For questions about the digital news experience or medals tables, please email Barry Bedlan at bbedlan@ap.org.

TRENDING NEWS

OLY-SKE-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MEYLEMANS — Belgian skeleton racer Kim Meylemans was permitted to enter one of the Olympic villages hours after she tearfully turned to social media and detailed how upset she was about being in isolation over coronavirus concerns. By Tim Reynolds. SENT: 881 words, photo.

OLY—BEIJING-TORCH-RELAY — The three-day torch relay for the Beijing Olympics has started with an 80-year-old former speedskater carrying the flame. SENT: 577 words, photos.

OLY-FANS-INVITED — About 150,000 spectators are expected to be invited to attend events at the Beijing Olympics in two of the three clusters of venues, organizers said Thursday.

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TOP STORIES

OLY—BEIJING OLYMPICS-PREVIEW — It’s time to raise the curtain on the Beijing Winter Olympics. Opening ceremony for the 2022 Games is Friday night at the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium. Due to COVID restrictions, these will be some of the hardest-to-navigate Games in history. By Eddie Pells. SENT: 1,352 words, photos.

OLY--CHINA-CHAIRMAN OF EVERYTHING — The last time the Olympics came to China Xi Jinping oversaw the whole endeavor. Now the Games are back, and he is running the entire nation. The Chinese president, hosting a Winter Olympics beleaguered by complaints about human rights abuses, has upended tradition to restore strongman rule in China and tighten Communist Party control over the economy and society. By Joe McDonald. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

OLY-AVOIDING-COVID — Athletes can spend decades trying to become the best in the world, and another year or two to qualify for what could be their only trip to the Olympics. And this year, they realize, it can start to fall apart with a single sneeze. By Jimmy Golen. SENT: 960 words, photos.

OLY-BEIJING-TORCHBEARER — At the age of 17, Kamaltürk Yalqun was chosen to help carry the Olympic flame ahead of the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, where he later represented his home region in western China. The following decade saw Beijing impose policies on his region of Xinjiang that split apart his family and Uyghur community. Today, he is an activist in the United States calling for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Games, which has seen the Olympic flame returned to Beijing. By Huizhong Wu. SENT: 894 words, photos.

OLY-SBD-THE-VETERAN — At 32 and off to her fifth Olympics, Spanish snowboarder Queralt Castellet should be wrapping up her career. Instead, with the assistance of two-time Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass, she’s never looked more like a contender in the halfpipe. By Pat Graham. SENT: 800 words, photos.

BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES PREP PHOTO GALLERY — A look at preparations gearing up for the Beijing Olympics, which open on Friday. UPCOMING: 100 words by 7 p.m., photos.

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GLIMPSES

OLY-GLIMPSES-TESTING-HANDS — Two hands reach through holes in the glass to fill up a pair of dangling gloves. The hands seem almost separate from the woman they belong to. She is one of the people performing COVID-19 tests inside Beijing’s Olympic bubble. By Sarah DiLorenzo. SENT: 134 words, photo.

OLY-GLIMPSES-GREAT-WALL — Even a shortened Olympic torch relay had time for a stop at the Great Wall of China. Wu Jingyu, who won gold for China in taekwondo at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, carried the flame to the iconic landmark on the second day of its journey to the Beijing Games. SENT: 126 words, photo.

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EXPLAINERS

OLY-CUR-ICE-CUBE-EXPLAINER —Somewhere under the four sheets of curling ice being used for the Beijing Olympics is the swimming pool where Michael Phelps splashed his way to history in the 2008 Summer Games. The Water Cube where Phelps won a record eight gold medals has been converted to the Ice Cube. By Bernie Wilson. SENT: 850 words, photos.

OLY-BEIJING-METOO-EXPLAINER — The disappearance from public view of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai after she made a sexual assault allegation against a former top government official has refocused attention on sexual harassment and the silencing of the #MeToo movement in China. SENT: 950 words, photos.

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THE GAMES WE PLAY

OLY-FIG-TEAM-COMPETITION — The team competition in Olympic figure skating has been dominated over the years by the Russians, the Canadians and the Americans. Russia is the favorite when competition begins Friday but there is a new player in the mix in Japan. By Dave Skretta. SENT: 741 words, photos.

OLY-SKI-MEN'S-DOWNHILL-TRAINING — Stefan Rogentin of Switzerland posted the fastest time of 1 minute, 44.0 seconds in the opening downhill training session of the Beijing Olympics. By Andrew Dampf. SENT: 524 words, photos.

OLY-BOB-US-HUMPHRIES — World champion women’s bobsledder Kaillie Humphries has overcome a long list of challenges this season. Now the three-time Olympic medalist for Canada is about to represent the U.S. in the Games for the first time. By Tim Reynolds. SENT: 642 words, photos.

OLY-HKW-ROUNDUP — Michaela Pejzlova scored on a breakaway with 13:33 left in the third period, and the Czech Republic capped its women’s hockey Olympic debut with a 3-1 win over host China at the Beijing Games on Thursday. By John Warrow. SENT; 350 words, photos.

OLY--HKW-RUSSIANS READY — The Russian women’s hockey team held its first pre-Olympic practice after three days in isolation and appears on track to play its tournament opener. SENT: 432 words, photos.

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UP TO THE MINUTE

— OLYMPICS ROUNDUP — Highlights of the day from the 2022 Summer Games. Starts Saturday.

— BEIJING OLYMPICS-THE LATEST — Real-time updates and photos from every venue around the 2022 pandemic-delayed Summer Games.

— BEIJING OLYMPICS-WHAT TO WATCH — A guide to key storylines each day. Moves after 1 a.m. Starts Friday.

— MEDAL BRIEFS — A roundup of the day’s gold medals. Starts Saturday.

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FEATURED IMAGES

XHG106 — Wu Jingyu, China’s Taekwondo Olympic Champion, poses with a kick before taking part in the torch relay,

OLYMH143 — Switzerland goalkeeper Andrea Braendli (20) lies on the ice after giving up a goal against Canada during a preliminary round women’s hockey game.

OLYKS109 — Japan’s Ruki Tobita catches air on the slopestyle course.

OLYGH119 — An athlete skates during a speed skating practice session.

OLYCO128 — Biathletes ski during practice at the National Biathlon Center.

OLYKS128 — A volunteer watches as a snowboarder catching air on the slopestyle course is reflected on the goggles.

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GRAPHICS

Beijing Winter Games Schedule: The full discipline schedule of competition events, including medal and ceremony days for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Print graphic. Now available