OlymPicks: Beijing Olympics On Track for Gender Equality Record
Equality and other records to be set in 2022
The 2022 Beijing Olympic games are sneaking up on us fast, and are already setting records before the games even begin.
As you may already know, Beijing will soon be the first city in the world to have hosted both the summer and winter Olympic Games. (Beijing may get the gold for this achievement, but will soon be followed by silver and bronze winners Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028).
But you might not realize that records are also being set for gender equality. As we get a clearer picture of the roster of athletes, it seems that the Beijing Games will be the “most gender-balanced Winter Games in Olympic history, with over 45% of the athletes being female.” This is a breakthrough that will have lasting effects, hopefully inspiring the youth of today, and keeping things moving in the right direction in overall equality.
In addition, some Olympic elites like Sarah Lewis are getting excited about other new records that Beijing is setting as well. Sarah Lewis is from the UK, and was a former alpine skier who competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics. She is now one of the candidates for President of the International Ski Federation, and an Honorary Professor at Beijing Sports University. Recently she proudly announced, "We are about to head to Beijing 2022 with over 2,800 athletes expected from over 90 nations,” making this the biggest Winter Olympics in history, and with 109 sporting events on the lineup and six brand new events to be ever showcased, this Olympics is sure to be remembered for a long time to come.
More Olympic facilities completed
The Winter Olympic Village
Located in downtown Beijing, to the south of the National Olympic Sports Centre, the Beijing Olympic Winter Village (pictured at top) is made up of 20 residential buildings and will sleep an estimated 2,338 individuals during the Olympic Games. After the games, the plans are to convert the area into public housing available for rent.
The Main Media Centre (MMC)
The MMC area is comprised of: the Main Press Centre (MPC), International Broadcasting Centre (IBC), and the Game Time Headquarters for global registration and print media. There will be about 3,000 registered journalists and 12,000 broadcasters in Beijing for the Games. The building is pretty impressive, and is designed in the shape of a “mythical like bird.” This building is also said to be the second phase of the China National Convention Centre, “highlighting the design concept of a harmonious coexistence between architecture and nature,” says the BOC. Plans for the area after the Olympics include hotels, offices, and large-scale exhibition center, which will hopefully be as chill as the winter Olympics itself.
READ: OlymPicks: Hockey-Helper Robots Top Our List of Highly Anticipated Olympic Things
Images: China Daily, CGTN
