No, it’s not Jamaica! LOLz!
Early on Friday, The International Olympic Committee chose the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics — Beijing!
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Beijing barely defeated Almaty, Kazakhstan in a 44-40 vote by the Olympic Committee in a secret vote done via paper ballot as there were problems with the first electronic vote due to technical faults in the tablets.
This might be a surprise to some since Beijing just hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and are also kind of lacking in the snow department — but we’re sure they’ll find a way!
When the race for the 2022 Winter Olympics host city began two years ago, both Beijing and Almaty were considered longshots. But since then, four different European cities, including Stockholm and Oslo pulled out for financial and political reasons, leaving Beijing and Almaty favorites.
China was ultimately seen as a very reliable choice because it’s a new winter sports market that consists of upwards of 300 million people in northern China and offers a TON of commercial opportunities!
Since Beijing just hosted the 2008 summer games though, the city is planning on using many of the venues built for the previous Olympics including the “Bird’s Nest” stadium and “Water Cube” arena. However, both the snow and sliding events are planned to take place in Yangqing and Zhangjiakou, which is both 40 and 90 miles outside Beijing.
This is incredibly exciting news for Beijing and we can’t wait to see what the games have in store!
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