XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022: 2,900 athletes, 109 decisions in seven winter sports /
Among them 106 lugers from 26 nations competing in four disciplines
Beijing (FIL) 2,900 winter sports athletes will take part in 109 Olympic competitions in seven Olympic winter sports from 4 to 20 February 2022. Beijing 2022 offers three competition zones with 13 venues in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. There is expected to be an approximate gender balance of 54.6 per cent male athletes and 45.4 per cent female athletes. Beijing is the first Olympic city where the Olympic Flame will burn for both Summer and Winter Games.
106 athletes from 26 nations will compete in luge at the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing 2022. There are twelve medals up for grabs for them. In the single-seater, one competition will be held for men and one for women. There will be four races on each of the two days. The men's singles will start on 5 February, the day after the official opening ceremony for Beijing 2022, with the first two races. There are 35 women's and 35 men's singles each. Luge will be part of the Olympic programme of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the 16th time in Beijing. In 1964, the fastest sport on ice celebrated its Olympic premiere in Innsbruck. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi (RUS), a new, particularly exciting discipline was added to the programme with the Team Relay. Currently, the International Luge Federation, FIL, is applying for the inclusion of the women's double-seater discipline in the Olympic programme for Milan-Cortina 2026.
Luge decisions at the Olympic start
The ceremonial opening of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games 2022 in Beijing will take place on 4 February 2022. Medals will be up for grabs in 15 sports until 20 February 2022. The luge competitions will start on the day after the opening, 5 February, with the first two runs of the men's singles. The decision for the men's medals will be made the following day in the two final runs. On 7 and 8 February, the women will compete for Olympic medals, also in four runs. The doubles will determine their Olympic champions in two runs on 9 February, while the team relays will conclude the Olympic luge programme on 10 February. A total of 106 lugers will be competing, with an equal number of women and men in single-seater events, namely 35 athletes each. In addition, there will be 18 double-seater teams (36 athletes). This discipline is permitted as an open event for men and women. In general, however, the national federations nominate men's doubles because they are stronger in luge. In the Olympic Team Relay event, national teams compete with one woman, one man in the single-seater and one double.
Due to the global pandemic that has been ongoing since 2020, only a few spectators from mainland China will be admitted to the competitions in Beijing 2022. Extensive security measures have to be fulfilled by all participants.
Exciting races on a unique Olympic track
The Olympic racing model competitions will begin at the Yanqing National Sliding Center with training on 1 February 2022. There will be six training runs per discipline from the Olympic starting height. The Olympic races promise great excitement and interesting results. The Olympic track for Beijing 2022 is currently the longest artificial ice track in the world. It is the most modern, completely covered track with a unique character. The long curves with particularly shallow curve angles, little contact pressure and some inclines require a big adjustment for many athletes. All nations except China had equally little access to training on the track. An international training week was offered in November 2021, followed by the opening races of the EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup for the international teams.
The men's single-seater Olympic competitions (four races) will take place on 5 and 6 February. The women's singles competitions (four runs) on 7 and 8 February. And the doubles competitions (two heats) on 9 February and the Olympic team relay competition on 10 February. All races will start at night (local time). The award ceremonies will take place at the Yanqing National Sliding Center after each competition.
Timetable Olympic luge competitions in Beijing 2022:
Saturday, 5 February 2022: 1st and 2nd race Men's singles
19.10 (Beijing local time) /12.10 (CET)
Sunday, 6 February 2022: 3rd and 4th race Men's singles,
19.30 hrs (Beijing local time) / 12.30 hrs (CET)
Monday, 7 February 2022: 1st and 2nd race Women's singles
19.50 (Beijing local time) / 12.50 (CET)
Tuesday, 8 February 2022: 3rd and 4th race Women's singles
19.50 (Beijing local time) / 12.50 (CET)
Wednesday, 9 February 2022: 1st and final race Doubles,
20.20 hrs (Beijing time)/13.20 hrs (CET)
Thursday, 10 February: Team relay competition,
21.30 (Beijing local time)/14.30 (CET)
