- Updates from Beijing as the first medals of the Games are won
- Winter Games 2022: 10 things to look out for in Beijing
- Any thoughts? Get in touch with Jonathan on email
The Opening Ceremony is done. It’s cold. The Bird’s Nest has been lit up. Political tensions are high. An Uyghur cross country skier lit the cauldron. With over 100,000 of his troops marshalling on the Ukraine border, Vladimir Putin, not a man to be trifled with, is in town. Beijing has become the first city to host both a summer and winter Olympics. The slogan of the 2022 Games is “together for a shared future”. Incidentally, that’s also the slogan of this Guardian live blog. It’s being presented, at least for this first shift, from Melbourne, Australia, not a city renowned for its snow sports, but an Olympic city nonetheless. Today we have curling, snowboarding, speed skating, cross country skiing and biathlon, among others. Strap yourselves in for the next five hours, as I endeavour to demonstrate a modicum of knowledge about the various sports on offer.
