Beijing 2022: 10 Days of Olympics

Blythe Hastings ’23

Sports Editor

1. Results of a hearing regarding Kamila Valieva’s positive drug test are expected Monday. The 15-year-old Russian figure skater failed a test taken in December ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.  

2. Heavy snow and poor weather conditions forced several events to be postponed Sunday, including the women’s slopestyle qualifying. China’s star freeskier Eileen Gu will be the name to watch in the event today as she looks to score back-to-back golds.  

3. Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win an individual medal in speed skating at the Olympics, according to Team USA. 

4. The Beijing Olympic Committee identified three new Covid-19 cases among Games-related personnel on Sunday, it said in a statement Monday. All three cases were found among airport arrivals, while no one tested positive for Covid-19 inside the “closed loop” system, which separates Olympic athletes, stakeholders, and staff from the public. Of the three cases, one involved an athlete or team official. Since the official closed loop system began on Jan. 23, 432 Covid-19 cases have been found among Olympics-related personnel. Of those cases, 183 involved athletes and team officials. 

5. Mascot Bing Dwen Dwen is everywhere at the Winter Olympics, with fans queuing for hours to get their hands on coveted pins bearing the cuddly panda’s likeness or sold out replica stuffed toys. Outside the Olympic bubble, love for the round-bodied panda has gotten several Chinese bakeries into trouble. Police in several cities, including Chongqing, Ningbo and Shantou, are investigating bakeries making Bing Dwen Dwen shaped cakes, in violation of licensing laws, according to Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times. 

6. The second half of the women’s monobob competition is underway, with Team USA’s Kaillie Humphries in the lead, followed by Canada’s Christine de Bruin and fellow American Elana Meyers Taylor. It’s the first time the event has appeared at an Olympic Games. As the name suggests, this event features a single, female participant tasked with quickly navigating a sled down the windy, icy track. It’s an individual version of bobsleigh exclusive to female athletes. The bobsledders have to push, drive and brake the sled, which weighs at least 162 kilograms (more than 357 pounds) by themselves. The event joins the pre-existing traditional bobsled events: four-man, two-man, and two-woman. As such, the Beijing Games mark the first-time female bobsledders have had two medal opportunities, bringing them even with men. In the women’s monobob event, each competitor’s sled is identical, removing any potential design advantages. 

7. World record holders in quest for gold: French duo Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron set a new rhythm dance world record of 90.83 points en route to lead in ice dance at the weekend. The four-time world champions were Olympic silver medalists in 2018 and are looking to go one step further in Beijing. Their biggest competition could come from reigning world champions Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of the ROC.