- Title: Drone views of China's Winter Olympics venues eight days before opening ceremony
- Date: 27th January 2022
- Summary: ZHANGJIAKOU, HEBEI PROVINCE, CHINA (FILE - NOVEMBER 20, 2021) (REUTERS) (MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF SNOWMAKING AT THE CROSS COUNTRY VENUE DRONE SHOT OF THE NATIONAL SKI JUMP CENTRE DRONE SHOT OF THE BIATHLON VENUE DRONE SHOT OF THE RESERVOIR USED FOR SNOWMAKING NEXT TO THE SKI JUMP VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF THE RESERVOIR DRONE SHOT OF OLYMPIC VENUES AT THE GENTIN SKI RESORT DRONE SHOT OF THE MOGULS AND AERIALS VENUE
- Embargoed: 10th February 2022 09:44
- Keywords: Beijing 2022 Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games Biathlon Drone aerials cross country half pipe moguls parallel giant slalom ski jump slopestyle zhangjiakou olympic village
- Location: ZHANGJIAKOU, HEBEI PROVINCE, CHINA
- City: ZHANGJIAKOU, HEBEI PROVINCE, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Olympics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001FVWC1TZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:It's just over a week to go until the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics begin.
Preparations for the event are well in hand as the Chinese capital gears up to be the first city to have hosted both a Winter and Summer Olympics.
However, both China and the International Olympic Committee have faced pressure over Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai
Peng's situation became a matter of concern in November when the former women's number one doubles player alleged that a former Chinese vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her in the past. After that social media post, she was absent from public view for nearly three weeks.
Last month Peng said she had never accused anyone of sexually assaulting her, and that the post she made had been misunderstood. Zhang has not commented on the matter.
The IOC has had several phone calls with the player but international concerns over her safety and wellbeing have not been allayed. The IOC spoke to Peng last week and will meet her in Beijing at some point during the Games.
Peng's case increased calls for a diplomatic boycott of the Games from rights groups and others already critical of Beijing over its policies in Hong Kong and treatment of minority Muslims, which the United States says amounts to genocide.
The United States and many of its allies, including Britain, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Denmark, have said they will not send official diplomatic delegations to the Games in protest at China's rights record.
COVID-19 is another issue facing organisers who confirmed that on Tuesday (January 25) a total of 13 new cases were detected among Games-related personnel.
Nine of the cases were found among new airport arrivals, according to a notice on the Beijing 2022 official website.
Four others were among those already in the "closed-loop" bubble that separates all event personnel from the public.
None of the new cases on Jan. 25 were athletes or team officials.
The games are scheduled to run from February 4-20 and while China has become a powerhouse in the Summer Olympics, regularly finishing near the top of the medals table and even topping it for the first time when Beijing hosted the Summer Games in 2008, with a record 48 golds, the Winter Games are a different story.
China's best showing was in 2010 in Vancouver, where it won 11 medals including five golds. Four years ago in Pyeongchang, China won just one gold, in the men's 500m short track speed skating, placing them 16th in the medals table.
However, China has invested heavily in winter sports since winning the right to host the Games in 2015, and will also be lifted by what is traditionally a home country advantage, with analysts Nielsen Gracenote forecasting that it could pick up a best-ever six gold medals.
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