Kuala Lumpur (RWH) The XXIV Olympic Winter Games will be held in the Chinese capital of Beijing. This decision was made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its 128th session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Beijing, which also hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 2008, beat its only competitor Almaty in Kazakhstan. At the Winter Games in Beijing, the athletes will face longer travelling times and competitions on artificial snow. The alpine events are planned for the Yanqing zone, 90 kilometres from Beijing, where an Olympic luge, bobsleigh and skeleton track will be built. The biathlon, cross country skiing, ski jumping, snowboard and freestyle skiing will be held 160 kilometres from China’s capital in Zhangjiakou. The Opening Ceremony is planned for the Bird’s Nest stadium, which hosted the track and field events at the 2008 Olympics.