Where was the first Winter Olympics held and where will the next one be?
Norway topped the medal table at the first ever Winter Olympics - almost 100 years ago
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Your support makes all the difference.The 2022 Winter Olympics is set to kick off in Beijing, China four years on from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The opening ceremony takes place on Friday 4 February at the Beijing National Stadium and competition will run until the closing ceremony two weeks later on 20 February.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, organisers announced in January that only “selected” fans will be allowed to attend events in Beijing, and tickets will not go on sale to the general public.
Beijing is set to become the first city in Olympics history to have hosted both a summer and winter Games - with the event first held back in 1924.
But where was the first Winter Olympics held and where will the next one be?
Where were the first Winter Olympics held?
The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France in 1924. The Games featured 16 events across five sports, which were: skiing, skating, bobsleigh, curling and ice hockey.
Where will the next Winter Olympics be held?
The Winter Olympics will be held in Italy in 2026, between Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Milan’s San Siro stadium will host the opening ceremony and the city will host other events such as the ice hockey, while the mountain town of Cortina d’Ampezzo will host events such as the alpine skiing, biathlon and bobsleigh.
The Milan-Cortina bid beat a rival offer from Sweden to host the games.
Where were previous Winter Olympics held?
2018: Pyeongchang, South Korea
2014: Sochi, Russia
2010: Vancouver, Canada
2006: Turin, Italy
2002: Salt Lake City, USA
1998: Nagano, Japan
Where will the Winter Olympics be held in 2030?
While the host of the 2030 Games has to be decided, several countries have declared an interest. They include bids from Vancouver, Salt Lake City and Sapporo, Japan, and a joint bid from France, Spain and Andorra.
When is the 2022 opening ceremony?
The opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday 4 February at the Beijing National Stadium, with proceedings due to get underway at about midday GMT.
When do the events start?
While the opening ceremony will be the official start of the Winter Olympics, there is action in curling, freestyle skiing and ice hockey before the ceremonial start. The round robin phase of the curling mixed doubles kick starts the Games on Wednesday 2 February.
When do the Games end?
The Closing Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday 20 February, with medals to be won in bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling and ice hockey on the final day in Beijing.
When are the Winter Paralympics?
The 2022 Winter Paralympics will also be held in Beijing and follow the Olympics, running between 4 March and 13 March.
What is the time difference?
The Beijing time zone, China Standard Time, is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time for those in the United Kingdom. It is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, 14 hours ahead of US Central time, 16 hours ahead of US Pacific Standard time.
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