AOC celebrates 100 days to go to Beijing 2022 Winter Games

Courtesy of olympics.com.au

The Australian Olympic Committee is celebrating a key Winter Olympic milestone, with just 100 days until the Olympic cauldron is lit to open the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

With an expected team size of more than 40 athletes, Australian Olympic hopefuls are currently training, competing and preparing to be among of the 2800 international competitors from more than 90 nations to compete on the world’s biggest winter sporting stage in February next year.

The Beijing 2022 Games will run from 4-22 February 2022, with the 2800 athletes competing across 15 disciplines in 109 medal events. Chef de Mission for the Australian Olympic Team for Beijing, Geoff Lipshut, is excited for the athletes as they celebrate this Olympic milestone.\

“We’re just 100 Days from the Opening Ceremony, and our athletes are doing everything they can to represent Australia in Beijing,” Mr Lipshut said.

“From off-snow training in Australia, to sliding test events in Beijing, figure skaters earning qualification in Europe and snowboard and ski athletes getting ready for their World Cup season in Europe and North America, this is a crucial time for athletes in their Olympic journey.

“With key qualification and World Cup events coming up, this is the most important 100 days of the entire four year quad for our athletes, coaches and support staff. We’ll continue to strive to give our athletes the opportunity to have their best performance on their biggest day.”

Mr Lipshut said he was thrilled to see the country get behind their Winer Olympians.

“We saw how the performance and character of the Tokyo Olympic Team was able to bring Australia together in support of these fantastic athletes. The PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018 saw a cumulative audience of more than 16 million Australians watch the Winter Olympics on Channel 7, and with a similar time zone I know the Australian public will get behind our Winter Team in 2022.”

Australia’s Olympic campaign for Beijing is #ChasingWinter, highlighting Aussie athletes’ year-round pursuit of winter excellence, from the heat of Australia summers and off-season training to competing and performing in the freezing cold around the world. The campaign will feature content across AOC channels highlighting athletes’ unique Olympic journeys, and the resilience and character of winter athletes in the face of challenges in the snow, on the ice and in the air.

“Our winter athletes spend so much time competing, preparing and performing at a world class level away from Australia, and I look forward to Australia getting to know the stories of our athletes and see them perform on the biggest stage.

“I also want to thank everyone who is helping to make this Olympic dream a reality. It takes a village to raise an Olympian.

“These athletes simply couldn’t reach this highest pinnacle of global sport without the coaches, support staff, families, winter federations and supporters who are there every step of the way, the ongoing generosity of our Australian Olympic Team sponsor family, the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, and the support of Australian Institute of Sport and the state governments and their institutes of sport.”

The Games will feature seven new events, including the mixed Snowboard Cross relay, which Australians Jarryd Hughes and Belle Brockhoff won World Championship gold in 2021.

Also the reigning Olympic singles silver medallist in Snowboard Cross, Hughes said he was excited to at the opportunity to return to the Olympic stage

“It feels great to have the Olympics so close and 100 days is a great mark to add some extra energy to my preparation,” Hughes said.

“Winning silver has given me a sense of pride in that we know what we’re doing and how to run a successful program. I’ve doubled down on what worked and stuck to the process and just made a few tweaks here and there.

“Winning any Olympic medal is an amazing accomplishment and I’d love to win the first mixed team gold with Belle, especially as Belle and I have trained together since we were 14 - it would be a great story for us together.

“I’ll be putting myself in the best position possible to be standing at the top of the podium for two events. There's a lot of passion from this Aussie team who are ready to compete!”

“Bobsled” Bree Walker is aiming to make her Olympic debut in the new sport of monobob, with the former track sprinter bursting onto the scene with multiple World Cup even wins across 2020-21.

The 29-year-old competed on the Olympic venue over the last week, testing the course which features a full 360 degree turn.

“To represent Australia at the Olympics has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember,” Walker said. “I have worked so incredibly hard, especially over the last four years, that would all be worth it to represent Australia at the Games.

“It would mean so much to be a part of monobob’s debut at the Winter Olympics. Monobob has changed the game for women’s bobsleigh - our fields have grown so much and we are seeing many new faces on the podiums, it’s been fantastic to be a part of this new era in the sport.

“Bobsleigh is already an exciting, extreme sport but having an Aussie team in the mix makes it all the more thrilling to watch! So we will be working extremely hard to lay down a performance that Australian fans can get excited about.”

Walker was full of praise for the facilities at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre after this week’s test event.

“Training and competing on facilities before an event can make all the difference to your performance so I’m very grateful that we have had the opportunity to do that, especially when I know so many athletes haven’t been able to do so for these Olympics. 

“The facilities here are like no others we have experienced, absolute world class! If our facilities are anything to go off I think these are going to be a spectacular Olympics. The track is really fun, it had a really nice flow to it but can be tricky - It’s going to be an exciting race because the leader board can change so much from one run to the next, it’s going to be anyone’s game here in February.”