Plus, the Beijing Winter Olympics are using 100% artificial snow: what does that mean for the environment, and the athletes? Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
The international community trumpets its commitment to ‘universal human rights’. Yet, it has failed to take real action against Beijing for its treatment of minorities in Xinjiang.
There’s very little snow in Africa but, even so, since 1984 at least one African nation has competed at each winter Olympics and African athletes have been trailblazers.
Snowmaking machines blow cold water, which freezes before it hits the ground.
Alexander Uhrin/iStock via Getty Images
Even with Winter Olympics for inspiration, outdoor activity in sub-zero weather can be hard to commit to. How can it be easier, safer and more fun to embrace your inner winter athlete?
It may look like athletes in bobsled, luge and skeleton simply grab a sled and hang on until the bottom, but high-speed physics and tiny motions mean the difference between gold and a crash.
Iman Khan’s visit at the head of a delegation of senior ministers underlines the growing ties between China, Pakistan and Russia.
The alpine skiing course at the 2022 Winter Olympics, on Feb. 2, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. All the snow at this year’s Olympic venues is machine-made.
(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
An analysis of 21 former Winter Olympic venues found that only one of them would be suitable and offer safe racing conditions for athletes if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
The International Olympic Committee has a demonstrated history of controlling athletes’ public statements, despite claiming that athletes are free to express their opinions in press conferences, in media interviews and on social media.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A strong turnout by Chinese teams during the 2022 Winter Olympics could help build national pride in China — and, in turn, help Xi Jinping’s bid for a third term this year.
Taiwanese independence activists call for a boycott of the Beijing Games.
Walid Berrazeg/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Meredith Oyen, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Taiwanese authorities are allowing its tiny contingent to attend the opening ceremony in Beijing despite a long-running dispute over its name in the Olympics.
The mainstream embrace of snowboarding for its youthful audience and sponsorship riches also dented its once-alternative image – but a new generation of stars could change all that.
A strong sport system allows for coordinated policy implementation, evaluation and outcomes related to health, citizenship and community development that are accessible and realized for all Canadians.
Some Welsh women’s rugby players have professional contracts, but many sportswomen face major funding issues.
TAR-TASS News Agency/Alamy
Honorary Professor, School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, Canada; Adjunct Fellow, Olympic Scholar and Co-Director of the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University